Karpuz

Hi everyone. I want to buy a bike for touring, commuting and wandering around. I have some options and I think I'm overthinking, could you please help me choosing one?
Let me explain my expectations first. I'm planning to use my bike mainly for commuting but also I want to make some tours with my tent etc which is 1 - 2 weeks long maybe. Or some 2- 3 day weekend tours.

I have 3 options so far; Giant Escape RX 3, Giant Escape 3, Specialized Sirrus 1.0. I want v-brakes because of its simplicity, ease of maintenance and lightweight.
I like the Giant Escape RX 3 most because of its components and frame but I have some hesitations. Escape RX 3 has double butted ALUXX SL frame, Escape 3 has single butted ALUXX frame. My main concern is if double butted one would be weaker for loaded tours?
Giant only gives this information about general purpose riding maximum weight limit; rider - 300lbs/136kg, luggage - 55lbs/25kg with total - 355lbs/161kg.
Specialized has this limits; rear cargo - 55lbs/25kg, front cargo 30lbs/14kg with total 300/136kg. I assume I can throw some additional weight to front rack of Giant as well, as long as not exceeding the total weight limit.
Also RX 3 has 28 spokes and hasn't got rack mount on the fork but I can change these if needed.

Since I live in Turkey, my options are limited. I'm open to suggestions and recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

10 Wheels

The Choice is All Yours.
Buy one and have many Happy Safe Miles.

Germany_chris

Go here https://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/ pick one that fits the budget.

saddlesores

i'll second the VSF fahrradmanufaktur recommendation. i bought a VSF zwitter, 64cm steel-frame hybrid 700c with 3x9 mtb gearing in berlin.
super awesome do everthing bike. rack/fender braze ons, accepts wide tires. came with rear rack & fenders, dynamo light and internally routed light cable.
was great in the city, on cobblestones, 100-mile rides in east germany, and later rocky/sandy dirt roads in texas.

timdow

Given a choice between what you provided, I'd go for the Giant as it has a triple with lower gearing. It also has a front rack eyelet.

dvdwmth

Don't let all the epic tours on the web mislead you. 1-2 weeks is pretty long tour. Flat bars will be hell. Triple rings, fatter tires, something other than flat bars.

If you're on a tight budget then KHS and Fuji make inexpensive touring bikes. If you are good with mechanical stuff you could alter a 90's mountain bike. You might also be able to find something used.

But then again, you cross paths with people riding all kinds of things when touring. If you're going to stay in hotels you probably don't need a full on touring bike.

MarcusT

You may want to consider the Riverside Touring 520 from Decathlon. It has disc brakes, but finding rim brake wheels is becoming harder and harder, which may be a sign of the times

Karpuz

Thanks everyone for great answers. Last week I bought Trek FX 2 after test ride of Giant Escape and Specialized Sirrus. FX was not on the list because of its relatively high price but after I tried it was the most comfortable one. Other two didn't fit me well and felt like a bit small. I'm pretty happy with the FX right now.

Next stop is choosing a rack that I can use with all of the panniers. I'm gonna choose one from Ortlieb Rack 3, Racktime LightIt/StandIt, Topeak SuperTourist or Ibera. If you have experience with one of them I would like to hear.


Germany_chris saddlesores MarcusT

Great bikes but unfortunately we don't have them in Turkey. I wanted to buy after test ride.


dvdwmth

Bikes with dropbars was a bit exceeding my budget. I'm planning to use barends for alternated hand positions.

Tourist in MSN

For touring, I use a Tubus Logo EVO or Racktime Addit. The Tubus is steel, the Racktime is aluminum. For the heavier loads, I use the Tubus rack.

That said Ortlieb, Racktime and Toppeak are all good companies and make good stuff.

I prefer racks that have the lower mounting points for the panniers, lower center of gravity.

Germany_chris

They have VSF in Turkey which is why I recommended them.

I default to Tubus racks