djb

in that case, I wish you the best in both finding a comfortable steering speed for yourself as well as a comfortable overall fit.

giantrider86

first weekend trip.


just put on, still has tags.

if i can id like to ask some basic questions
1. am i crazy to be touring on a stock everything 09 giant defy 3 ( all aluminum with a carbon fork and i do believe seat post.) i have a Topeak Explorer rear rack, Axiom Journey DLX Low Rider Front Rack and 4 Axiom LaSalle panniers for front and back. one thing i still want is a brooks.

2. January 2013 im going to bike the southern tier. it will be my first long tour about 60-70 days. do i risk taking this bike or do i purchase a steel framed touring bike now and save the possible headaches?
thanks so much.

valygrl

So, I don' t know what your gearing is, but I bet when you go fully loaded you may find you want as low gears as you can possibly get - you can probably swap out the smallest ring and cassette to make it workable, but it's a potential issue. You will also probably want to put the widest slick tires you can fit on it, and maybe have the wheels detensioned and re-trued by a good wheel builder, as a preventative measure.

Also, if I were you, I would try to get that front rack more level (You can probably adjust where it clamps around the fork leg) - and take care of all the flapping straps. It's really important that nothing can get in your spokes, especially in front. Just a little tucking-in should work fine.

With respect to the carbon fork - I don't really know, it doesn't seem ideal but I know it's been done.

If I were you, I would do some more weekend trips, carrying as much stuff as you plan on your long trip, and including some long hills, and see if the gearing and handling is OK, and if it is, go for it!

In the long run if you are going to do a lot of touring, you'll probably be happier with a purpose-built tour bike, but for a few trips and/or if you are on a tight budget, the Giant will probably work out fine.

djb

re: your Giant used for a big trip:
-its not crazy but you should be aware of the issues that could be an issue-for me, it being aluminum isnt the issue, its the geometry of the bike-how did it feel with stuff on it for your weekend trip? Was it hard to ride (weird handling), did your feet hit your rear panniers?
-your stock gearing of 52/42/30 with a 11-26 cassette will be too high gearing for hilly areas along with the stuff you have on the bike (which must be around 30lbs minimum) so gearing is not ideal and for me will be the big pain for you. To change stuff, you'll see by asking at a bike store, you will get into the snowballing thing of "if you change this, you'll have to change that" , for example a wider cassette like a 11-30 or 11-32 will need a diff rear derailleur. Even then, your gears up front are too big. To change gears up front, its possible but then theres how much it will cost per chainring, or to even change out the entire front crank might need a new front derailleur (basically, to do stuff will cost a certain amount, start keeping track of how much costs are)
-your front carbon fork--I have a cross bike with a carbon fork that has eyelets for mounting a front rack, but its unclear to me how much weight is recommended for safe use.
-your wheelset-they look like 32 spoke wheels, and again, they were not designed for touring with X amount of extra weight on them, so theres a good chance you will have spoke problems.

you could go on this trip and have a great time, but its important to be aware of the mechanical issues. If you have the money to go buy a touring bike, then do so, as life will be easier.

rodar y rodar

Not crazy, Giant Rider. But, as you can see, the details can get complicaed with a bunch of "if"s. Why don`t you dedicate a new thread to the matter?

irishbill76

https://travellingtwo.com/shop/ebooks/biketouringguide
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Cy..._tit_1_rsrssl0

Every bit of info you'll ever need on touring bike setup and travel is detailled in these two books. A world of information.

giantrider86

Thank you so much everyone for the friendly advice.
i have yet to run into a gearing problem with hills, but then again I've never been out of Ohio on my bike.
i had talked to my LBS about the wheels and tire set up, and the owner said I'm pretty limited.
maybe it is time to bite the bullet and invest in my new found joy. plus i just road today in the rain and I'd really like a set of fenders
thinking either go cheap with a nashbars touring bike..
or what I've had my eye on for awhile now a Kona Sutra. ( really interested in seeing what disk brakes feel like )

Nycycle

nice

Nycycle

Mardmakarm,,Curious, the leather around the top tube, I got one too, whats your reason?

Mardmakarm

I cover top tube with it so handlebar tips won't hit frame's top tube.(As you can see in the pic, it protect Jtek bar end shifter from hitting a frame.)

DVC45

My 520 in light touring/commuter mode

bicyclridr4life

1989 KHS Montana Summit with Winchester Originals trailer

Virgle

What size woodchippers are those, I have been eyeballin those all month I was look at the 42'

UncleMarkie

1993 Bridgestone X-02
https://www.velobabble.blogspot.com/

openmindedgent

johamatt

This is my touringbike it is a Merida Speeder T2. Pictured on my springtour in Sweden last year. Last summer I made a tour from Tallinn, Estonia to Odessa, Ukraine.

You can follow that trip on https://www.cykelupplevelser.n.nu/. Maps, pictures and a blog. This year I am planning to cycle from Stockholm to Athens.

mrwayne

my Raliegh clubman(left) and my buddies LHT, half way up arthurs pass in NZ on our first 3 month tour.

bbllaakke

Here is a buttload of pictures of my trip from Detroit, MI to Conway, NH. Bike is a rebuilt/repainted Schwinn passage '86.

After hitching a ride across the Ambassador bridge, my brother and I are photographed outside a Tim Horton's. How Canadian.


Head of the Erie Canal Trail. Somewhere in New York.


Coffee and Burritos. Town along the Canal.


Close Up


Clos-er Up


Ferry Between Ticonderoga NY and Vermont.

edwardgibbs

Here's a picture of my touring bike, fully loaded on a trip to the White Mountain this fall
https://www.flickr.com/photos/3123831...in/photostream
I can't figure out why an actual image doesn't appear

djb

hello, interesting trip you did last year. I read some of your reports and smiled when I read your comments about the Potemkin stairs-I have always been a film buff so that must have been neat to see that in real life, even if it wasnt as interesting as in the film. Eisenstein's editing really was historically important for developing the language of cinema wasnt it?

cheers

johamatt

Thanks forr your comment. I understood that the stairs has more film history than architectural. In the film there are lions on pillars. They have been removed long time ago.
If you have a chance to visit Odessa, do it. It is a nice interesting town with a lot of history and buildings.

rodar y rodar

BLAKE, I love your Schwinn- she`s a real beauty!

I dunno, EG. For the past couple years I`ve had trouble doing that too. Hope that`s some consolation.

Seb71

You have to use the direct link to the picture. Flickr made this complicated intentionally, but you can still do it.

Open your link (from Flickr). From "Actions" drop-down menu choose "View all sizes". Then click on the desired size. After that, right-click on the picture and copy the link (this depends on your browser: with Firefox you choose "Copy Image Location"). Last step is to insert the picture in your post, using "Insert Image" button.

The result:

edwardgibbs

Well, there's the rig. Thanks for the info

edwardgibbs

Well, here it goes again. This my fully loaded touring bike on a trip to the White Mountains last fall