mike455555

if you were to build a touring bike from scratch (being buying parts), what would be your ideal bike? (you have a midrange-high budget for all items), what seat handlebars gears frame panniers ect would you have?

wahoonc

Pretty close to what I have now...

Steel frame 4130 or one step up to 531 or whatever the current equivalent tube set is. Saddle will be a Brooks Flyer. "gears" whatever works the best for my situation at the time. I currently have one bike set up with older Shimano Deore LX, another set up with Suntour XCM. I have a third bike that I will be trying a Shimano Alfine 11 speed on soon. I use Nitto, Bor Yeuh, Blackburn and Jandd Expedition racks. For bags I have Carradice, Ortlieb, and Lone Peak at the moment. Handlebars range from steel north road style to no name alloy drop bars to butterfly/trekking bars.

There is no real one size fits all. My first long tour was on a slightly upgraded 1974 Motobecane Nomade that was mild steel gas pipe. The wheels were handbuilt by me prior to the trip using Wolber 58 rims and Sansin hubs. They are still rolling pretty true after 36 years and some 15,000 mile of riding.

You can tour on just about anything, for me it is more about the mindset rather than the equipment. I chose equipment based on value for my dollar versus the use I want it for.

I have several bikes and literally tour on all of them depending on where I am and where I am going. They range from a 1971 Raleigh Twenty folder to a 2007 Redline 5.3.1 fixed gear.

Aaron

bikeguyinvenice

I'd probably look for a Trek 520 Touring frame. Maybe something like a road triple with 28/38/52 chainrings, whatever gearing for the back, Shimano brifters for the brake levers and shifting. Maybe Old Man Mountain racks front and rear, Ortlieb panniers. Some nice 36 spoke wheels laced up to Phil Wood hubs. Some shallow drop alloy bars. It's not really about the bike, more about the trip.

Losligato

If the planned tour involves flights I'd build a folding bike like a Bike Friday, Brompton, Dahon, Tern or the really nice REI Novara Flyby. The ability to pack it in a flight-legal sized cardboard box and fill it to the maximum allowable weight with gear could save the cost of the bike after just a few flights. Our next tour will likely involve a fair bit of flying so we're building up second-hand Bike Fridays.

Tansy

BF Pocket LLama pulling a Carry Freedom Y-frame with a big rubbermaid bin. Done.

rifraf

Almost finished my Surly Ogre bike. I went with Brooks Flyer Special which I find comfy. I dont like rust so I've gone with Tubus stainless steel racks (Cosmo and Nova). I saved up and went with a Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub, Velocity Dyad rims with Sapim Cx-Ray spokes (36 per wheel). Two BBB XL Fuel Tank water bottle cages with Nagleen 1.5 liter water bottles. Stainless Gilles Berthoud fenders. Schwalbe Big Apple tyres. I went with BB7 disk brakes and Son28 disk dynamo hub to power my Edelux headlight, phone and Edge 800 gps. Ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag. Titec J-bar currently until I can spare the dosh for a genuine Jeff Jones loop handlebar. XT Trail PD-T780 pedals which are clip in on one side and flat on the other. Thorn cranks and chain ring. Sram PC870 chain. Thomson Masterpiece seat-post and X4 stem. Hope headset spacers. Avid Speeddial 7 brake levers. Cane Creek 40 headset. Shimano UN-73 bottom bracket. Bound to have forgotten something but thats the gist of if.

Here she is without the big water bottles, headlight or yet to be installed fenders (awaiting stainless fittings).



Got the front on yesterday as a mock up, but still waiting on a special stainless joiner and fork crown bolt which have proved hard to source locally. I'm in the process of moving so cant order online.


If I get on ok with the Ogre I'll be getting S&S couplers for her to make for a more travel friendly package - she's bloody huge compared to my Moulton.

skilsaw

Rifraf,
That bike rocks!

rifraf

Thanks Skilsaw,
I'm quite chuffed with it.
Spent ages trying to find a noise coming from the front end today.
turned out one of the stainless bolts I'd used on the front caliper was minutely longer than the one it
replaced and would touch the brake caliper.
I thought at first it was my adjustment of the new fender - lol - was kicking myself for starting a second job without properly checking the completion of the first.
I'll be riding after the lights gone instead of an afternoon ride in the sun.
Never mind, at least I'll be riding.

rifraf

Love my Carry Freedom Y-frame (20 inch wheel version).
Its such a versatile trailer and pretty much can handle big loads on tarmac.
Loses a few points off road but its hard to beat on it.

LeeG

My ideal bike would have drop bars at a particular reach and drop, it would be easy to ride hands off. It would be dark green with a bit of metallic glint. It should be able to carry a rear only load well or a heavy load front and back. It should feel secure descending. Wheels and tires up to the task with no discernible hop. I hate hoppy tires and rims with grabby seams. Everything else is minor or easily acquired.

ironwood

I like my RBT, but I've changed components and accessories a lot in twenty years. I changed the original 52-42-30 set up to46-36-26 ; I have a Brooks B-17 in place of the original; I have Blackburn racks, but if I were starting over I'd look at the VO Campeur racks or some of the Nitto steel racks; I've kept my Bar-end shimano shifters but prefer friction like the Silver shifters that Rivendell sold or that VO sells; The RBT came with Araya rims without eyelets, I'd recommend eyeletted ones. Nitto bars and stems of course.

I don't camp any more, so allI need would fit in low riders and a saddle bag and maybe a front bag on a rack.

Ronno6

I am in that very process now.
Start with a 27" (yup...68.5 beautiful cm) Cannlndale T-1000 from '93 or '94.
Deore drivetrain 44/32/22 (would like 180mm or longer) with 11/32 cassette 9 sp
Barcon Shifters w/cables routed to the stem
Dyad rims on PW hubs (I'm using Velo Orange Grand Cru Touring Hubs) Sapim DB spokes
Panaracer PAsela TG tires 32c
Nitto Noodle bars or VO Grand Cru Rando bars 46cm
Brooks B-17 saddle
Cantilever brakes (Coda is on the frame now, we'll see...) and Kool Stop Salmon pads
If $$ is no object, Tubus Racks and Arkel Panniers
I already have Topeak Explorer rear rack and Axiom Lowrider front rack and Lone Peak paniers
Jand Touring handlebar bag w/QR mount
Esge Fenders, although I may go VO on those.
Don't know about brake levers, stem, or seat post
Shimano A-530 pedals

bradtx

mike455555, I already have, but it was kept at a fairly low tier group level 'till I could determine if I liked the idea of riding a touring bike. As it turned out, two years later, I do and yet I have no burning desire to "upgrade" anything.

I like Cannondale's road bikes so I bought a used Cannondale 3.0 touring bike. The frame set is the most important part so use whichever manufacturer that you like. I kept some of the parts from the bike and the rest was from the parts bin or bought new.

My build: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ghlight=bradtx . The bike has evolved since the initial build up, primarily fitment items and the OMM rack was able to be mounted. For me the info that the experienced touring riders provided to me was invaluable in the initial success of my build. I decided not to use the trekking crank set as the 22-32-44 works quite well in a variety of situations.

Brad

ironwood

I forgot to mention fenders. I've been satisfied with SKS plastic with an aluminum layer sandwhiched inside. SKS Longboards have a flap; very useful. Metal is probably better.

Booger1

This:

bikemig 

I think the idea of starting with a frame that is easy to take on a plane is a good one. The surly trucker deluxe is a good starting place. For a crank, I'd get a 110/74 bolt hole crank like a sugino with a square taper bb. I'd give serious consideration to building the bike up with phil wood parts for the BB and hubs. After that, I don't think it matters all that much as there are lots of good choices out there. Personally I'd go with 9 spd bar end shifters but I know a lot of people like their STIs.

MichaelW

My Bob jackson World Tour is supposed to be tip top but can be improved.
The rear horizontal dropouts lack a defined front lip which you need to operate the current roadside cassette removers. It can force the tool down , even bending the skewer.
The frame tubes are a bit narrow compared to modern tubesets, not as stiff when loaded.
The canti brakes suck, mainly because I cant get a decent hanger that fits anywhere.
The threaded headset looks nice but allen key adjustment wins out over style.

I would fit some 3TTT ergonovas, bar end shifter, long pull brake levers.
SKS chromoplastic, tubus racks, SON/B&M lighting
Bags would probably remain a carradice/ortlieb mix.

I would rebuild the wheels with thicker spokes to resist chain damage better.

fietsbob

Did ... built for 700c 622-40 tires..

2_ 3/4" tubes form both chainstays and are Mandrel Bent to continue as the seat stays
and pass by the sides of the head tube.. head tube wider than seat tube
so they are wider than parallel, going forward.
where they are joined behind the head tube with a Plate Gusset.
[advantage, too, the frame pump fits between the 2 tubes.. ]
(more common the tubes converge , to join behind the head tube)

Perhaps lighter than the .049" wall tube would do, But the materials were adopted
from a Cargo Bike builder's Tube sets.

maybe an Ovalized tube would do as well , vertical for the downtube ,
horizontal for the top tube ..

+ Like Ian Hibbel's last Bikes .. Rack part of the frame.

Having the top tube laterally stiff , but vertically compliant would be ideal..

Had excellent reliability using a 40/48 spoke wheel set for my past bikes ,

now I'm a Rohloff Hub convert ..

they now offer a 36 hole hub-shell , so for a 26 or 700C wheel I'd Go that way

on my Bike Fridays 20" wheel , 32 hole is perfect.

rzldzl

Booger1,

What rear rack is that?