MrKerlin

Howdy all,

So as of the day I receive my tax return, I have a plan to build my first touring bike. I've never toured before, and have only been into biking a little over a year. Normally, I would do extensive research myself, and hope I found all the information I needed to build a good bike, but two things are getting in my way: the sheer complexity of building bikes (many more quality products than I anticipated), and, of course time, what with a full time job, full time college, family, and a girlfriend. I actually skipped class today just so I would have time to do some research. In short, I need help.

That being said, it seems to me I really have two choices: either build the bike, which is more difficult and time-consuming but better fitting, or buy a complete bike and possibly upgrade some of the components, which seems to me to be "monetarily wasteful". After what research I could get in, it seems like the Surly LHT frameset is the way to go considering the price. It also seems that center-pull cantilever brakes and barcon shifters are a good setup as well. However, that's about as far as I got, and I think I'll need a little assistance if I wanna get this done in the next century...without failing school, that is...

Oh, I should probably mention my trip will be to Europe, fully loaded, for 1.5-2 months (working the details still), and I'm looking to spend $1500 on the bike (including panniers, hopefully...).

Oh, I did find a fully equipped surly on ebay for $1300, does anyone else think it's worth nabbing? It's only one of three for surly long haul truckers showing for a search, just wondering if it's actually worth the money...

Any help would be hugely appreciated. I'm sure this has been asked many times in these forums, but time is unfortunately of the essence for me...

Sincerely,
Matt

kbpfister

Well, you can def. get a sweet classic rig for around what your willing to spend if not much less,

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...038022470.html

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv...031810967.html

or not sure what size your lokoing for but:

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/bik/1030670771.html

or a new bike for that matter, I'm a bit of a cheap skate and am in the middle of upgrading an old Nishiki touring bike I bought on craigslist, I've spent way more on a DIY light project, saddle, racks and panniers then i spent on the whole bike, when this project is done however I'll be well under 500.00 for the whole caboodle. Largely because of a kind of ridiculous investment in time and research afforded me by the fact that things are kind of slow in the office right now.

Constant trolling of Ebay and craigslsit will usually net you cheap parts including High quality but used panniers, beware of shipping, you might find a bunch of separate deals but end up blowing your savings on multiple shipping costs.

Also check out the UK site Wiggle, they have some great prices right now on camping stoves, racks, tires and panniers i think it might be because of the value of the pound or something, but I got a tubus rack for half of what other online retailers were selling them for. and they have free shipping for orders over 150. You could probably get almost everything you need there and make out pretty good.

I'd rather buy high quality used rather than cheap new, but it takes a major investment in time to keep track of numerous auctions and be there at the last second to go in for the kill, difficult for a student

Also you need to make sure the bike fits you, I've only been cycling for around a year too and my concept of what size of bike I like to ride is still evolving.

IMHO Buying a complete bike and upgrading what you want will def. mean some things aren't gonna be exactly as you would want them but is probably always gonna come out cheaper than building up from a frame

I juts looked at that Surly on EBAY, that is a sweet machine, everyone on the forums seems to recommend them although some seem to complain that they bought the wrong size, You can probably find a better deal or piece together a cheaper machine, but not one that nice

cyccommute 

With all the extras, yes it's a good deal. The LHT complete goes for around $1000, the Ortlieb bags (black isn't a great color) for around $300 and the Surly racks go for $200 a pair. All the other stuff adds about $200 to the overall value. If it's the right size, go for it.

Lose the funky pedals, however

cliffy

The best suggestion I can give is to ride a few bikes and see what works best for you. Go to your local bike shop (or one that stocks the models you are interested in) and test ride. Building a bike from scratch with all new components will often wind up being more expensive than buying a bike you are mostly happy with and upgrading a small number of components.
I wound up buying a Surly LHT complete, and the only things I've changed from the stock bike are the pedals (switched out with a spare pair I already had), the saddle (went with a brooks), and the bar tape.
The bars i'm not entirely happy with but it's not worth switching out. Also, the bar end shifters act a little strangely with the Deore XT, in that there is a lot of slack on the shifting wire when you are in the 9th gear on the back, but it tightens up once you shift down. However, because of the slack the 8th gear can act a bit funky sometimes. Other than that, I really like the Surly, it is incredibly nice to ride.
That being said, I am also a student and decided to just spend the money buying a complete bike rather than scrounging for parts off ebay and craigslist. At any rate, good luck.

LeeG

Unless you are way outside the bell curve on body proportions buying a complete bike and adjusting the seat, stem length and stem height is the most economical approach.

Assembling from parts is the most expensive since you're buying everything at retail and assemblying it with pricey labor.

In other words do you KNOW what is your prefered seat to bb height? do you KNOW your prefered seat to handlebar height and drop? Do you have a prefered saddle? If you do not know that you are going to be spending a lot of money on parts discovering it.

reiffert

....lot of slack on the shifting wire when you are in the 9th gear....

which shouldn't be there, btw.

ebay ...shipping? I don't think there's enough of a price reduction to deal with getting an unknown prior use used bike with no local support.

LeeG

I don't know if it'll help but there's an item I got for my touring bike years ago, it's a 4" rubber tube that clamps on the rear derailleur cable and cable stop back on the chainstay. You stretch it out a abit then tighten the allen screw holding it on the wire. When you shift into the smaller cogs the stretched tube helps take up any friction in the line foreward of the derailleur by pulling the wire as you release it at the lever. If that doesn't help it's something in the derailleur or cogs.

LeeG

then there's that

BigBlueToe

I bought a Surly LHT frame and built it up. This was just before they started offering the complete bike. I got the frame for about $400 from Jenson. I thought I'd try and save money by being patient and buying used components off Ebay when I found a good deal, but I ended up buying most of the stuff new. I didn't want to compromise on quality on what would be my new baby. It ended up costing significantly more than the price of the complete when it came out. I've read recent posts saying that the complete is ready to tour on, out the door, without having to upgrade anything. If I had it to do again and wanted to get the best deal, I'd buy the complete.

cyccommute 

Um...free shipping if this is the bike.

Thulsadoom

What are you riding now?

MrKerlin

Umm, I'm riding a specialized hardrock right now, aluminum frame...but I'm pretty sure I ended up with the wrong size bike (a little big), and it comes with the Shimano V-brakes, which I understand are difficult to repair on the road...and these are integrated with the shifters, as well.

I'm looking at the LHT simply because I think I'll be more comfortable on an touring frame and drop bars than on this mountain bike. And because I probably haven't been taking proper care of this bike as well as I should have...not that I've noticed any problems (except the chain slips every once in awhile, making me think wrong size chain), but it hasn't really been serviced in awhile...

mattlavallee

dude, don't build up your own if the objective is to save money. it'll be a lot more "monetarily wasteful" to pay retail price for each component when you're only differing from the complete bike setup by a few parts. probably the biggest positive of building up your own (assuming it's you doing the wrenching) is that you'd have a better understanding of the way everything works and you'd have a lot more confidence if roadside repairs became necessary. i like my LHT, but another bike of interest would be the vivente world randonneur: (https://www.viventebikes.com/product/...nt/0/t/product). component level is not quite as high as an LHT complete, but is good enough to not be a concern. it comes with fenders, a rack, lights, and dynohub. it has brifters too, which many people feel aren't as reliable in the long term, but i wouldn't worry about that for a 2 mo trip in europe--should have plenty of bike shop support if you need it. another good option, guaranteed to be a conversation piece, would be a bike friday new world tourist: (https://www.bikefriday.com/newworldtourist?styleId=1666). it would be very handy to be able to fold up your tourer at times. if my LHT ever bites the dust that's probably what would replace it. and also as mentioned above, there's plenty of lower cost options if you're up for buying used and fitting it out yourself.

MrKerlin

Thanks for all the info guys...and gals if I missed you...I decided to wait a little and try and be patient, but I have a few more questions first...I've stumbled across some used Trek Reynolds 531 frames coming with slightly dated components...are these suitable for loaded touring? I'm thinking about purchasing one, getting it fixed up, and going from there...all for under a grand...possible?

Newspaperguy

I personally haven't used the Surley LHT but I'd look at such a bike if I were replacing my current steed. (There are a number of touring bikes including the LHT which are mentioned consistently because of their high quality.)

If you're looking for good value, Devinci has some good touring bikes. They're built in Canada and with the low Canadian dollar right now, you should be able to get something for a good price. I've been riding a Devinci for around three years and I'm quite happy with it.

exile

I bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker size 54 for around $1000. I know the new Trek 520's are out as well as the Truckachino Surly LHT's. I think the new LHT's are pretty much ready to tour with all ready built up with only minor changes necessary. Most of the time a Local Bike Shop will swap out parts with little to no charge (depending on the parts) if that is what you want. Since I don't know when you are planning your European tour take time to look at the touring bikes available in your area before you settle on one.

Trek 520
Cannondale T2
Surly LHT
Fuji Touring
Novarro Safari
and probably others.

I have never toured before either so I plan on adding things as I get used to my rig (only ridden about 10-20 times since I bought mine back in November due to the weather). I think you should probably start small with your touring going from a day ride, to a weekender, to maybe a credit card tour before you try a self supported tour. That should give you and idea on what things will be necessary for your tour.

I understand wanting to save money as I recently just finished Grad School, but look at the different bikes available and test ride each one. A LBS can be invaluable on sizing, comfort, accessories, maintenance, and advice on bikes if they know what their doing.