Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

difference between touring and road bike

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

difference between touring and road bike

Old 03-25-22, 03:21 PM
  #26  
Jeff Neese
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,486
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1080 Post(s)
Liked 681 Times in 438 Posts
In addition to what has been already mentioned, touring bikes usually have a lower bottom bracket, providing a lower center of gravity and stability when loaded.
Jeff Neese is offline  
Likes For Jeff Neese:
Old 03-25-22, 08:02 PM
  #27  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Classtime
Yep. Doug what Said.
440 is pretty long. My Medici and my Centurion have 410mm chainstays. My Motobecane Grand Jubile which is characterized as a touring bike has 440mm chain stays.

Looking for pictures of this Torpado.
https://imgur.com/a/Ayg2lsd

Not the best pictures but they will have most of their pieces and wheels, and as for sport touring does that mean i need to have smaller or lighter pannier bags?
Let me know what you guys think.
Thank you

It would probably require more speeds tho as they are usually 14 or 15 speed
Frenzen is offline  
Old 03-26-22, 07:17 AM
  #28  
Kabuki12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 3,405
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 863 Post(s)
Liked 2,226 Times in 1,249 Posts

My touring bike
This bike has a relaxed ride and just cruises along. You can see the distance between the rear tire and the seat tube. I will probably put fenders on this one, even with 27” tires there’s plenty of room.

One of my road /race type bikes
This is more like the rest of my bikes . It has a tighter wheel base shorter top tube and is more lively. This geometry is what I prefer . I have long legs for my height and the race type bike has always worked for me. You can see, even with 700 x 25 tires, there would be no room for fenders. Excuse the interruption of Yoda , he is always patrolling the house .
Kabuki12 is offline  
Likes For Kabuki12:
Old 03-26-22, 08:55 AM
  #29  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,093 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
https://imgur.com/a/Ayg2lsd

Not the best pictures but they will have most of their pieces and wheels, and as for sport touring does that mean i need to have smaller or lighter pannier bags?
Let me know what you guys think.
Thank you

It would probably require more speeds tho as they are usually 14 or 15 speed
A “sport tour” bike was the hybrid bike of the early 80s. They were supposed to be capable of fast road rides and loaded touring. They did both poorly. I’ve toured on a sport tour bike and found it to provide the scariest downhill I’ve ever experienced. The load is cantilevered off the back of the bike and made the steering very vague which is not something you want on a long steep downhill. The wobbly aluminum racks of the day didn’t make matters any better. I’ve done a lot of downhills since then on bikes with better designs and never experienced anything like that.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Old 03-26-22, 10:58 AM
  #30  
Doug Fattic 
framebuilder
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Niles, Michigan
Posts: 1,459
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 610 Post(s)
Liked 1,905 Times in 647 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
as for sport touring does that mean i need to have smaller or lighter pannier bags?
Many bike models made do not fit perfectly into one category of "racing" or "touring". It can be helpful if you more precisely describe what kind of riding you want to do. For example there are several ways to go touring including being self contained with tents and cooking gear. This kind of loaded riding requires a frame with heavier tubing or the bicycle will feel to flexy. Some like to do credit card touring staying in motels and eating out but still want to carry changes of clothing and snacks and maybe some camera gear. The kind of frame for this kind of riding doesn't have to be so stout and probably falls under the category of sport touring. And some like a sport touring frame just for day rides because it provides a more comfortable ride with a wider range of gears. Once we know more specifically what kinds of plans you have for your bicycle we can maybe give more precise suggestions.
Doug Fattic is offline  
Likes For Doug Fattic:
Old 03-26-22, 11:00 AM
  #31  
Germany_chris
I’m a little Surly
 
Germany_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Near the district
Posts: 2,427

Bikes: Two Cross Checks, a Karate Monkey, a Disc Trucker, and a VO Randonneur

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 698 Post(s)
Liked 1,292 Times in 646 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
I found a nice looking Torpado but unfortunately chainstays is 440 mm, so it is out of the game. I have found velo sport prestige but these dont look like touring bikes either although some kinda do. Other one I am looking is Peugeot PB9
The bike I ride every day with rack and panniers has a 425mm chain stay
Germany_chris is offline  
Old 03-26-22, 11:55 AM
  #32  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug Fattic
Many bike models made do not fit perfectly into one category of "racing" or "touring". It can be helpful if you more precisely describe what kind of riding you want to do. For example there are several ways to go touring including being self contained with tents and cooking gear. This kind of loaded riding requires a frame with heavier tubing or the bicycle will feel to flexy. Some like to do credit card touring staying in motels and eating out but still want to carry changes of clothing and snacks and maybe some camera gear. The kind of frame for this kind of riding doesn't have to be so stout and probably falls under the category of sport touring. And some like a sport touring frame just for day rides because it provides a more comfortable ride with a wider range of gears. Once we know more specifically what kinds of plans you have for your bicycle we can maybe give more precise suggestions.
I plan on riding long distances for 3-4 weeks around 50-100 miles a day and ideally I’ll have tent (ideally under 2 pounds) with a sleeping bag, and I will probably will need basic cooking tools but I’ll have only one weeks of food at a time and have someone send me food and I will pick it up. I’m not sure how I can fit a month of clothes tho, that’s something I’ve not figured out yet.
Frenzen is offline  
Old 03-26-22, 12:28 PM
  #33  
Doug Fattic 
framebuilder
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Niles, Michigan
Posts: 1,459
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 610 Post(s)
Liked 1,905 Times in 647 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
I plan on riding long distances for 3-4 weeks around 50-100 miles a day and ideally I’ll have tent (ideally under 2 pounds) with a sleeping bag, and I will probably will need basic cooking tools but I’ll have only one weeks of food at a time and have someone send me food and I will pick it up. I’m not sure how I can fit a month of clothes tho, that’s something I’ve not figured out yet.
While it is possible to do a fully loaded tour on a variety of bikes, I suggest you try to find a full touring frame that was designed with heavier tubing and rack mounts. I'm a custom frame builder so I don't know much about what brands and models apply to that category. Others can chime that are more knowledgable but examples that would work great would be the Trek 520, 620 and 720 models.

Heavier tubing keeps the frame from being whippy (and possibly scary) when you are not going in a straight line. Long chain stays (like 450 + -) keeps your heals from hitting the rear panniers. And balances the load better over the rear axle. And of course having rack mounts is convenient and more secure holding your load.
Doug Fattic is offline  
Likes For Doug Fattic:
Old 03-26-22, 02:04 PM
  #34  
Classtime 
Senior Member
 
Classtime's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,674

Bikes: 82 Medici, 2011 Richard Sachs, 2011 Milwaukee Road

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1924 Post(s)
Liked 1,954 Times in 1,086 Posts
Seems your just getting started on this adventure and perhaps you should consider something like this:


Any bike will do. That Milwaukee is traditional 73 degrees ST & HT AND 42.5 chainstay. I've taken it up and down a very significant climb on a fishing trip and will one day ride to TX but with drop bars.
__________________
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
Classtime is offline  
Likes For Classtime:
Old 03-26-22, 02:09 PM
  #35  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,093 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
I plan on riding long distances for 3-4 weeks around 50-100 miles a day and ideally I’ll have tent (ideally under 2 pounds) with a sleeping bag, and I will probably will need basic cooking tools but I’ll have only one weeks of food at a time and have someone send me food and I will pick it up. I’m not sure how I can fit a month of clothes tho, that’s something I’ve not figured out yet.
You aren’t proposing anything out of the ordinary in terms of bicycle touring. 50 to 100 miles per day is fairly normal although 100 miles is on the high side for most people. It’s tough to ride that far and then make camp, clean up, cook food, clean dishes, etc.

You also seem to be misunderstanding some of the ideas of bicycle touring. Yes, shelter and food preparation are important but you don’t need to carry a week of food at a time nor have someone send you more along the way. Personally, I carry 3 days of food (evening and breakfast) and purchase replacement as I travel. I find that trying to purchase food each day is difficult as I’m not near a grocery store every day. I can usually find something along the way every few days.

As to clothing, you don’t need to carry a month of clothing. Lots of people wash every day…something more to add to the list of things that are hard to do after 100 miles of riding. I can’t stand doing laundry that often. I carry 3 sets of bicycle clothes (and wear one) along with one set of “street clothes” (and some extra underwear and socks). At the end of about 3 days, I do the laundry all together in a machine at a laundromat, hotel laundry, or laundry at a commercial campground.

My clothing, by the way, is packed individually in either bags or zip locks so that all I have to do it to grab a bag in the morning to get dressed. I find organization is far better than just throwing stuff into a bag and rummaging through it.

Be flexible and experiment.

Finally, on bicycles, don’t be afraid to consider aluminum touring bikes. Cannondale has made great bikes for a long time.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Old 03-26-22, 02:22 PM
  #36  
Dfrost 
Senior Member
 
Dfrost's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,988

Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione

Mentioned: 166 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 464 Times in 255 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
…I’m not sure how I can fit a month of clothes tho, that’s something I’ve not figured out yet.
When my wife and did several 3-week tours (all in the credit card fashion), we carried three days of riding clothes and a two sets of off-bike clothes. Typically we’d wash the day’s bike clothes in the evening before dinner and let them air dry on a twisted pair elastic clothesline overnight, stretched across the hotel room. Three changes meant that we didn’t have to do laundry every night. The off-bike clothes didn’t need as much laundering - maybe did those twice in that time.

For the trip you’ve described, you could plan to stop at a laundromat every few days if there are no hotel stops.

Miyata 1000 or 615, or the Fuji Touring Series would be other excellent choices like the Treks mentioned. The ‘92 Klein Performance I used on those trips was fantastic with a rear load (18”/45.7cm chainstays!), plenty stiff but also great fun unloaded. I used it for everything for 38,000 fantastic miles over 11 years - fast solo and group rides, many centuries including a double and several Rides Around Mt. Rainier, those tours, etc. Those older aluminum Cannondale just mentioned are very similar and more readily available. All are often available in our C&V Sales sub-forum, as well as lots of used bikes emporiums.

Do a few practice trips of a few days close to home to refine your packing list, riding/camping styles and expectations.

Last edited by Dfrost; 03-26-22 at 02:34 PM.
Dfrost is offline  
Likes For Dfrost:
Old 03-29-22, 10:43 AM
  #37  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Hey guys, I feel exhausted trying to find a touring bike! Here are things that I found and I am thinking about Gitane or the first bike in this post, but let me know what you guys think. Either way I think that I will have to change wheels regardless of the bike to have 700x35 tires



Velosport model unknown for $100 56 cm frame and I am 5'11
here are more pictures https://imgur.com/a/2Mw5rgV, it looks rusted (not sure if wheels & breaks need to be replaced with the tires)

CCM Concorde 60 cm frame for $180 27'x1.3/8 wheels,Simplex derailleur, 12 speed,


more pics https://imgur.com/a/nWsmdIG

Raleigh Grand Prix 10 Speed Road Bike 65 cm $320, I know its a road racing bike but has the frame: here i the listing https://www.kijiji.ca/v-velo-de-rout...5cm/1610692150

Gitane Grand Sport Deluxe 57 cm $170 cad (more pics) https://imgur.com/a/WwswfA8, this looks like a touring bike but I dont know how I would put a backrack as it doesnt appear to have the holes on top.




Empire le tour $230 58 cm, 10 speed


also I found gold velo sport prestige 58 cm for $400 but I think thats more of a racing bike
Frenzen is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 11:11 AM
  #38  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,093 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
Hey guys, I feel exhausted trying to find a touring bike! Here are things that I found and I am thinking about Gitane or the first bike in this post, but let me know what you guys think. Either way I think that I will have to change wheels regardless of the bike to have 700x35 tires


Velosport model unknown for $100 56 cm frame and I am 5'11
here are more pictures https://imgur.com/a/2Mw5rgV, it looks rusted (not sure if wheels & breaks need to be replaced with the tires)

CCM Concorde 60 cm frame for $180 27'x1.3/8 wheels,Simplex derailleur, 12 speed,

more pics https://imgur.com/a/nWsmdIG

Raleigh Grand Prix 10 Speed Road Bike 65 cm $320, I know its a road racing bike but has the frame: here i the listing https://www.kijiji.ca/v-velo-de-rout...5cm/1610692150

Gitane Grand Sport Deluxe 57 cm $170 cad (more pics) https://imgur.com/a/WwswfA8, this looks like a touring bike but I dont know how I would put a backrack as it doesnt appear to have the holes on top.


Empire le tour $230 58 cm, 10 speed

also I found gold velo sport prestige 58 cm for $400 but I think thats more of a racing bike
Any of those might work but all of them are going to take significant amounts of work to make them suitable. All of the above have lots to steel (i.e. heavy) steel parts. None of them appear to have triples which means fairly tall gears. Looking at them, about all you would keep is the frame and fork, then you would spend lots of money on new parts. That’s going to add up to a lot more than what the bike is worth.

I know this is “Classic & Vintage” but perhaps you should be looking for something more modern. Granted it has upright bars but a Trek FX 1 would probably be cheaper than trying to fix up an old bike. A Specialized Sirrus 1.0 would also be something to look at.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Likes For cyccommute:
Old 03-29-22, 11:29 AM
  #39  
non-fixie 
Shifting is fun!
 
non-fixie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
Posts: 11,003

Bikes: Yes, please.

Mentioned: 277 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2182 Post(s)
Liked 4,526 Times in 1,743 Posts
Originally Posted by Classtime
I have noticed this same thing and it frustrates me because to fit my handlebar bag on a front rack and maintain room on the tops for my hands, I need to position the rack way out front and/or use a short stem and or raise my stem beyond my preferences.
I have found this rack for mrs non-fixie. Although she uses a rather short stem on this particular bike, there is definitely room for a longer one before running into problems with hand positions.



For a really big bag you'll need a bit of head tube, though. I don't think I'd be able to fit this to any of mrs non-fixie's bikes:

__________________
Are we having fun, or what ...



non-fixie is offline  
Likes For non-fixie:
Old 03-29-22, 01:19 PM
  #40  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute
Any of those might work but all of them are going to take significant amounts of work to make them suitable. All of the above have lots to steel (i.e. heavy) steel parts. None of them appear to have triples which means fairly tall gears. Looking at them, about all you would keep is the frame and fork, then you would spend lots of money on new parts. That’s going to add up to a lot more than what the bike is worth.

I know this is “Classic & Vintage” but perhaps you should be looking for something more modern. Granted it has upright bars but a Trek FX 1 would probably be cheaper than trying to fix up an old bike. A Specialized Sirrus 1.0 would also be something to look at.
thank you I guess I will keep looking and look for triples because the ccm concorde was marketed as touring bike but only has 2 chainrings!

Last edited by Frenzen; 03-29-22 at 01:23 PM.
Frenzen is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 02:39 PM
  #41  
Dfrost 
Senior Member
 
Dfrost's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,988

Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione

Mentioned: 166 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 464 Times in 255 Posts
@Frenzen,
Where are you? We C&Vers love to help you spend your money and will happily peruse Craigslist postings on your behalf.

Maybe I missed it in an earlier post, but what is your most comfortable frame size?

You might appreciate this thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...d-sequoia.html
Dfrost is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 03:05 PM
  #42  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Dfrost
@Frenzen,
Where are you? We C&Vers love to help you spend your money and will happily peruse Craigslist postings on your behalf.

Maybe I missed it in an earlier post, but what is your most comfortable frame size?

You might appreciate this thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...d-sequoia.html
I am in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and I am 5'11, so I am looking for something between 56 to 58 cm but I dont mind riding something bigger as 60 if its a touring bike! In Canada we also have Kijiji if you wish to help lol! Thank you for the thread and your help
Frenzen is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 03:33 PM
  #43  
Dfrost 
Senior Member
 
Dfrost's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,988

Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione

Mentioned: 166 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 464 Times in 255 Posts
You’re in Marinoni land! You might want to include that information in your visible personal data.

Are you sure about 56cm? That might be a bit small for many of your height. FWIW, I’m a very leggy 6’0 and ride 63cm frames. Bigger frames, especially with horizontal top tubes, make it easier to get the bars close to level with them saddle, which you’ll appreciate on the kind of trips you’ve mentioned.
Dfrost is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 03:46 PM
  #44  
tricky 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Upper Left, USA
Posts: 1,953
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 634 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times in 298 Posts
Originally Posted by Frenzen
https://imgur.com/a/Ayg2lsd

Not the best pictures but they will have most of their pieces and wheels, and as for sport touring does that mean i need to have smaller or lighter pannier bags?
Let me know what you guys think.
Thank you

It would probably require more speeds tho as they are usually 14 or 15 speed
Do you know what size bike you need? Picking the right style of bike is important, but fit is just as important if not more, especially if you are spending long days in the saddle on tour.

Edit: Just saw your comments on frame size. Sounds like you have it in mind!
tricky is offline  
Old 03-29-22, 03:57 PM
  #45  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Dfrost
You’re in Marinoni land! You might want to include that information in your visible personal data.

Are you sure about 56cm? That might be a bit small for many of your height. FWIW, I’m a very leggy 6’0 and ride 63cm frames. Bigger frames, especially with horizontal top tubes, make it easier to get the bars close to level with them saddle, which you’ll appreciate on the kind of trips you’ve mentioned.
I have ridden 58cm before so I assumed 56 wasnt too far off! Yes I will update it
Frenzen is offline  
Old 06-08-22, 08:30 PM
  #46  
Frenzen
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Posts: 179
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Dfrost
You’re in Marinoni land! You might want to include that information in your visible personal data.

Are you sure about 56cm? That might be a bit small for many of your height. FWIW, I’m a very leggy 6’0 and ride 63cm frames. Bigger frames, especially with horizontal top tubes, make it easier to get the bars close to level with them saddle, which you’ll appreciate on the kind of trips you’ve mentioned.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...lotoureur.html

I think I found something at last!
Frenzen is offline  
Old 06-08-22, 11:16 PM
  #47  
alcjphil
Senior Member
 
alcjphil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Posts: 5,869
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1792 Post(s)
Liked 1,671 Times in 955 Posts
Low gears are important for touring bikes which often use mountain bike cranks and derailleurs in order to have low enough gears to get up big hills. This Bertrand was built in Hull Quebec and has been set up like that. This bike is the stiffest steel bike I have ever ridden and unless you have at least 700x 30 tires it will rattle your fillings out
alcjphil is offline  
Old 06-09-22, 06:42 AM
  #48  
Jeff Neese
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,486
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1080 Post(s)
Liked 681 Times in 438 Posts
After a few months, you're still looking. That's good - it means you're waiting for just the right machine to come along.

You started off saying that you're "looking into doing long distances of riding a bike" but that can mean a lot of things. If you're really thinking of loading up and hitting the open road, I'd suggest a bike that was originally sold as a dedicated touring bike, like the Treks that have been mentioned or a Miyata 1000, something like that. I owned and toured on an '84 Trek 720, and can tell you that a purpose-built bicycle designed to carry loads of stuff, makes all the difference. But, are you really going to do that? There's a lot more investment in gear that you need to make if you're going to do loaded touring. Assess your true needs. You definitely need a triple if you see yourself trying to haul a heavy bike up a long hill. Or you can just walk, which I've done plenty of times even with a granny gear.

As an aside, I had a second set of lightweight wheels with skinny road tires for my 720, which I put on when I wasn't touring. It turned it into a fun everyday bike and the low center of gravity made it handle really well. Very comfy of course with that nice long wheelbase and Reynolds 531 frame - I could ride that bike all day.
Jeff Neese is offline  
Likes For Jeff Neese:
Old 06-09-22, 07:20 AM
  #49  
GhostRider62
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,094 Times in 1,311 Posts
A touring bike is simply a bike that one tours on. There are no rules.

My circa 1985 heavy duty touring bike has 48 spokes 4x rear and 40 spokes 3x front with a long wheelbase and front and rear racks. It is bulletproof but not something I would tour on anymore. I do like a long wheelbase, lots of trail, and no more than a couple inches of drop from saddle to the bars. Barcons over DT shifters. Long wheelbase usually gets you the clearance for big tires and fenders. I also like a stiff frame, most wont

My preference now is much, much lighter gear with bikepacking bags and "Brifters"
GhostRider62 is offline  
Old 06-09-22, 08:22 AM
  #50  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
Based on his other posts, the OP seems to be finding a lot of bicycles that aren't well suited for grand touring. So, I went to Kijiji Montreal and without going through the thousands of bicycle listings, I simply searched on "Touring". Most weren't grand touring bicycles and those that were, are too small for the OP's 5'11" height, with one exception, a Velosport Alpin.

This is a true grand touring frame. It has relatively slack angles and a longer wheelbase and chain stays. It accommodates two sets of water bottles and has eyelets for both racks and fenders. It even comes with fenders and two Blackburn racks. The frame appears to be Tange Mangaloy 2001 which was a double butted carbon-manganese alloy.

It does have a triple crankset, though it is swaged and it does have cantilever brakes. It appears to have been upgraded to indexing with a new rear derailleur and some cheap clamp-on shift levers. The pedals are touring appropiate quasi-platforms with toe clips and straps.

It appears to be the 1984 model, so the wheels would only be 27", which would make spares more difficult. Still, it's a good, mid-range, grand touring bicycle, that appears to be close to the OP's size and doesn't break the bank at $350 CDN, in what is an expensive market. It's been on the market for 1-1/2 months, so could probably be acquired at a discount. I think it is worth a visit to check out the condition and fit. It has the potential for being a great grand touring starter bicycle for the OP. However, I would ditch those shift levers for some bar end shift levers, to complete the transition.

Here's the link to the Kijiji ad; https://www.kijiji.ca/v-velo-de-rout...cle/1613495612

Last edited by T-Mar; 06-09-22 at 08:25 AM.
T-Mar is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.