captronk

I'm going to buy a touring bike. I test rode two, the Trek 520 disc and the Salsa Vaya 2015. What I expected from the Trek I got from the Salsa. I was expecting the Trek to act more like a solid road bike and it felt nimble and agile to me. The Salsa felt as if it just wanted to go ina straight line and nowhere else. I remember from a Giant Perigee road bike I had that it felt as though it wanted to go in a straight line and no wherer else. For road loaded road touring is a bike that wants to go in a straight line better? or the nimbleness?
Please just tell me what a road bike is supposed to do, not the personal preference. I'm trying to figure out what is theoretically correct.
Also on the Salsa I felt as though I had to reach for brake hoods. Is that normal? Is it something that the cycle fitter can adjust?

Thanks.

fietsbob

Take Data ... you are speaking of the 'Trail'. .... Which Is ..

The distance on the ground between a Line thru the Steering Axis and a vertical Line from the hub axle.

A Shorter trail will feel nimbler than a longer one , but a Longer 'Trail' bike
you wont have to pay such strict attention to the bike Steering,

.. and look around instead, at the Natural Beauty you went on the Cycle Tour to see.

stems are something you and the Bike Dealer can change , a New bike has one length, in the box,
but others are made in various lengths and Angles to replace It.


Paying something like $300 for a special fitting session will not include parts swaps costs, anyhow.

ramzilla

For touring bikes, I look at the space between the seat tube and the rear wheel. Need to be a couple more inches space there. So, when you hang panniers back there you're heels won't hit them. You need to figure out how to put some weight over the front wheels to balance things out too. Too much weight on the back wheel can make a bike pretty squirelly going downhill.

mtnroads

There's a Touring section here, where you can find plenty of information. But in a nutshell, both are good loaded touring bikes.

The Trek 520 has carried thousands of people across the country. It's is solid and versatile, with a great ride. The nimbleness you refer to is what makes it versatile and enjoyable for purposes other than touring - commuting, centuries, etc. When loaded up it will track straight as an arrow. I have owned two of them.

I've heard good things about the Salsa also, but have no personal experience. You can get more info, and plenty of debate, over on the Touring forum, lol.

BobbyG

There's probably a sweet spot between too twtichy and too much of a chore to steer.

ltxi

Yep...and it may more than a short test ride to figure out which is which. I've had a bike or two that I felt was a bit too sensitive right otb but adapted to and quickly came to appreciate with a few miles in the saddle.

tcarl

I'll give you my personal experience with my two different Cannondale touring bikes. My first and oldest is their original one from the mid-1980's. The more weight you hang on the front wheel, the better it handles (straight line tracking; stability) - but keep in mind that the handling is that of a stable, loaded touring bike, not quick cornering or anything. When unloaded it's a different story, though. With no extra weight on the front wheel it just handles (steers) funny. You eventually get used to it and can ride it just fine, but it's just not great. My newer Cannondale touring bike is a 2000 model. Unloaded it has quick, nimble, enjoyable steering - probably similar to how you described the Trek (with its 46 inch wheelbase it still isn't a "quick" handling or cornering bike, though), but when you load it down, it still has that great, stable loaded touring bike feel. I've had it up to 45 mph on a twisting Missouri Ozarks descent with 50 pounds of gear on it, and it was very stable and solid, and handled the cornering easily. My point is that both of those bikes handle exactly as you'd want them to when fully loaded, but the older one, unloaded, is just weird, while the newer has had some changes in the handling so that unloaded it is also a pleasant, nimble (within the limits of its wheelbase) road bike. I think what you'd need to do is ride each one loaded, or at least with loaded front panniers on it. Loaded rear panniers won't tell you as much about the bikes loaded handling as front ones will. The trouble will be finding one in a shop with a front rack already mounted on it for a test ride. Personally, I'd trust the Trek. It's been around forever, and has been upgraded through the years. I'm not familiar with the other one you mentioned so can't comment on it.

tcarl

An added thought to what I just wrote above. Hanging loaded panniers on the front wheel is going to slow down the steering and make any (touring) bike track in more of a straight line than when it's unloaded.

yooperbiker

Salsa's real touring bike is the Marrakesh. The Vaya is more of a gravel bike that can be used for "light touring".

I very much like the Vaya, but if I were buying a bike for a fully loaded long tour, I think I would look to something even more solid and touring specific designed.