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Touring mountain bike - advice please!

Old 08-03-21, 05:42 AM
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grubby_urchin
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Touring mountain bike - advice please!

Hey,

I'm on the hunt for a mid-range hardtail mountain bike, which I could use to do trails and go cross country off roading with, but also use as an on-road touring bike. So something that is nippy, strong and lightweight enough for long distance cycling. With gearing, and handling that would be a happy medium between road cycling and off-roading up and down steep trails.

Any advice, recommendations, or ideas of what to look for greatly appreciated. I'm thinking budget wise £1000 - £1500 new.

I know this might be asking a lot from one bike, but I'd love a bike I could go touring with, but then diverge off road with!

The bikes I've been considering are the trek x-caliber 9 and the trek roscoe. Any advice on these bikes for this use, as well as other bike recommendations, greatly appreciated!
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Old 08-03-21, 06:53 AM
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The geometry of the Niner SIR 9 makes it fit your specifications. It's not as long and slack as more modern MTB's which makes it a better fit for road and longer distances. Also has plenty of mounts for bags. Budget wise it may not be a contender nor do I know if it's available outside the US.
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Old 08-04-21, 05:01 AM
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If you like the x caliber, then look at Canyon too.
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Old 08-04-21, 05:26 AM
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Not sure how available Surly's can be in the UK, but I'd go with an Ogre if you want the best of both worlds. My wife and I have them, and they are hugely capable. My only caveat is that I think the Ogre is under-geared for me. I'm no tree-trunk-legged pedal masher, but its pretty easy to spin out at 20mph. The Ogre comes with a 32T chainring, and I'd like to swap mine for a 36, which would be just about right. Other than that, a very capable and comfortable bike. I have Jones Loop H-bars on mine.
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Old 08-04-21, 08:14 AM
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You really need to decide whether you want front suspension, it makes a big difference in the kind of bike you are going to shop. The rigid bikes are much more touring-oriented, and you would load them up much differently, with stuff on the fork legs and/or a front rack. Plus tires are a fad that is passing now, I liked them but they are becoming rarer. I find the tires matter way more to road performance than having a suspension fork. The tires that came on my Timberjack had many small lugs and rolled a lot easier than the Nobby Nic tires I have now.

Both of the bikes you list (X-Caliber and current Roscoe) are the same frame. They have the screw holes in the frame to mount standard racks or kid seats, and fenders, and the quick release axle will mount a trailer hitch without modification. Some people here will dis them as not "serious" because they do not use thru axles and are built to a pretty low spec, although I think they hit a pretty sweet spot. This Roscoe is going away for MY2022 and the new one is much more like other newer trail focused $2000+ hard tails, like the Timberjack and Fuse. Much updated geometry and 29er only. It also goes up a huge chunk in price. They might leave the X-Caliber in place in the $1000-1500 niche.

Among Surly dirt touring bikes I'd pick a Bridge Club before an Ogre, they are very similar but the BC lacks a lot of the extra features most people don't need on the Ogre, and the Ogre this year is only a hybrid build. Another great bike in this vein is the Jones LWB.

There are lots of other brands and availability is definitely a problem this year, so I'd advise you to find something in stock, not getting your heart set on a specific bike that isn't very unique and then waiting a year for it.
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Old 08-04-21, 09:35 AM
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Just an FYI, the 2022 Roscoe's the 7 and up are different bikes now with different geometry. Not sure if there are any 2021's left unless you are getting a used one.

This past January I was going to order a Roscoe 7 and was told nearly a year wait.

You may want to keep your options open on various bikes that may be available.
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Old 08-04-21, 11:39 PM
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Surly is a great option or if you want a little nicer those Niner SIR bikes are pretty freakin' cool. I am quite happy with my Salsa Timberjack Ti but they don't make that frame no longer so you would have to go with Al-you-min-ee-yum or 'loominums if you are in 'murica which ain't for me. Steel is real, Ti is fly and aluminum and carbon don't rhyme so they must have done the crime.

However I will say on my Timberjack it is more a bike packing bike than a touring bike and no outright mounts for racks but a good frame builder could add them and there are also plenty of other options to carry stuff. I got their frame bag because it was on sale and while I haven't used it much for actual bike packing it would work great and with my seatbag and maybe a front roll I would be pretty set. Though I don't have plans to bike pack much on it mostly mountain biking but I like the versatility because why the heck not?!
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Old 08-04-21, 11:55 PM
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The Timberjack has a rack option. I think it still works with the new one.
https://salsacycles.com/components/c..._rack_standard

A front suspension bike has a smaller capacity frame bag. Just a matter of real estate. It goes with frame size too. 7L for a medium and about 1L per size. The handlebar and tail bags are each about double that
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Old 08-05-21, 06:04 AM
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Suffering from a flash of inspiration as I was waking up this morning, here is a pic of one of the mid-school MTBs I rebuilt into a tourer. Forgot all about these bikes. I used to make a lot of them, and never had a customer complaint. As far as I know, every one of these I built is still with the original owner.


Miyata Ridge Runner. Plain ol' steel fork on it, but I could swap in a Surly or Soma fork in a heartbeat, and get all the barnacles.




The older Gary Fisher stuff is really good.



For comparison, here is my old LHT.


Trek 930. Nice bike, and an easy conversion.
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Old 08-06-21, 02:00 PM
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Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread.
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Old 09-01-21, 03:39 PM
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Salsa Fargo seems like the obvious choice.
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Old 09-02-21, 11:42 PM
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Late 80s mountain bikes are great platforms to build a strong, fast off road tourer that is also pavement friendly.
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Old 09-10-21, 02:13 PM
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For spending time traveling distances on the road a gravel bike is going to be much better than a mountain bike. Rolling resistance is considerably higher with a MTB and the bike will be heavier and the gearing a lot more limited. With a full load and hitting long steep grades I want the extra low gears of a 2x drivetrain.
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Old 09-13-21, 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by grubby_urchin
Hey,

I'm on the hunt for a mid-range hardtail mountain bike, which I could use to do trails and go cross country off roading with, but also use as an on-road touring bike. So something that is nippy, strong and lightweight enough for long distance cycling. With gearing, and handling that would be a happy medium between road cycling and off-roading up and down steep trails.

Any advice, recommendations, or ideas of what to look for greatly appreciated. I'm thinking budget wise £1000 - £1500 new.

I know this might be asking a lot from one bike, but I'd love a bike I could go touring with, but then diverge off road with!

The bikes I've been considering are the trek x-caliber 9 and the trek roscoe. Any advice on these bikes for this use, as well as other bike recommendations, greatly appreciated!
get flat bar graveler....
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Old 09-13-21, 10:14 AM
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Something like a salsa fargo or similar off road touring drop bar gravel bike would be suitable
.
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Old 09-13-21, 12:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Moisture
Something like a salsa fargo or similar off road touring drop bar gravel bike would be suitable
.
Drop bars are a huge advantage for going up long grades with our without touring kit. Straight bars cost you at least a quarter of your pedal power and the longer the grade the more apparent this will be. There is a reason why gravel bikes usually have drop bars and road bikes always do.
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Old 09-14-21, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Calsun
There is a reason why gravel bikes usually have drop bars and road bikes always do.
Yes. Aerodynamics at higher speed on the flats. Not an advantage for climbing long grades.
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Old 09-14-21, 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by prj71
Yes. Aerodynamics at higher speed on the flats. Not an advantage for climbing long grades.
Its not just aerodynamics. The leaning forward position can help with efficiency at higher power outputs, when more of your weight is out of the saddle and in the cranks.
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Old 09-24-21, 09:19 AM
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If you ever considered some rigid fork hybrids with 27.5x2" tires, there are some like Norco Indie, Devinci Cartier, Jamis Sequel, KHS Urban X, Brodie Tesla, Surly Bridge Club etc.
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Old 09-24-21, 02:00 PM
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Heads up re: Surlys

Some of the otherwise attractive Surlys mentioned in this thread are still QR/disc.
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Old 09-24-21, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Calsun
Drop bars are a huge advantage for going up long grades with our without touring kit. Straight bars cost you at least a quarter of your pedal power and the longer the grade the more apparent this will be. There is a reason why gravel bikes usually have drop bars and road bikes always do.
And, why MTBs used to have bar ends. I toured for five weeks on dirt and pavement on my Specialized StumpJumper back in the 90s. Only thing I did to it was use my second (better) wheelset, and 2.5 Avocet Cross tires.

Sure, it wasn't as fast as a road tourer, but it suited my needs perfectly for five weeks.
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Old 09-26-21, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by shelbyfv
Some of the otherwise attractive Surlys mentioned in this thread are still QR/disc.
Attractive? Really?

Surly works on a long product cycle. Most of the frames here were last updated in 2017 or so, and are the "do everything" models not the "trail MTB" models. Surly also cleaned out its lineup this year but has yet to introduce replacement bikes.
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Old 09-26-21, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Attractive? Really? Surly works on a long product cycle. Most of the frames here were last updated in 2017 or so, and are the "do everything" models not the "trail MTB" models. Surly also cleaned out its lineup this year but has yet to introduce replacement bikes.
The attractiveness quotient of Surly bikes, especially their frame colors, are fairly meh. They make a bike that will take big tires, and they can play in some pretty rugged country, but attractiveness is not one of their primary attributes, imho. Surly and other brands coming out of Taiwan were whacked pretty hard by the pandemic. We all know this now, but it doesn't lessen the sting of it. I've been looking for a small Ogre frame for a few months now - since June at least. There are none to be found, and anyone who has one is commending a high price, which I would pay, but there simply aren't any around. The LBS I bought my ogre from, only got seven Surlys allotted to them for the 2021 season, and ZERO Surly fatbikes for the winter season this year. Pretty slim pickings.

This is far off topic, but the nature of the bike biz is somewhat unstable right now. Our beloved bicycle companies are suffering from greed and all of the other trappings of corporate business strategies. I don't think the bike boom was predicted, because it kind of started to happen just before covid hit us. I think bike companies were experiencing slow sales, and they were caught with their pants down. The component, accessory, and apparel industries were doing just enough to provide a small margin of forward movement, but they were sort of just dawdling along. Then the pandemic hit and all of a sudden everyone wanted a bike or wanted all the parts to rebuild their existing bikes. Parts and components - which were already in short supply - were sucked right up. Replacement stock just sat on the docks and on the ships, and didnt get unloaded for months. All the while, the pandemic raged and the demand for bikes and all their related items increased.
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Old 09-26-21, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by J.Higgins
I've been looking for a small Ogre frame for a few months now - since June at least. There are none to be found, and anyone who has one is commending a high price, which I would pay, but there simply aren't any around. The LBS I bought my ogre from, only got seven Surlys allotted to them for the 2021 season, and ZERO Surly fatbikes for the winter season this year. Pretty slim pickings.
Try the Salsa and Surly trader group on FB. Shops watch it, and there are also fans who always want the latest thing and then sell it off quick. That's where I got my barely-used Stormchaser after they immediately sold out.
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