meyers66

Hello,
I've read the specs on many touring bikes over the past few years. The major problem is the gearing is too high. That's a deal breaker for me so I thought I'd approach this as a question to see if readers know better because I may be missing something. This is my wish list: steel touring frame, STI shifters (prefer group set above Tiagra), disc brakes, 24-36-48 in this range, rack eyelets front and back. Most bikes have bar end shifters which I'm not real fond of.

I currently have a Volpe, with 28-38-48 and don't see enough difference in gearing with other bikes to buy a second bike. The low gearing is for steep inclines.

The bikes that have caught my eye are the Trek 520 and the Kona "something"?

Any suggestions?

Tourist in MSN

You could probably put a 24T chainring on your Volpe.

mstateglfr 

The Volpe already has STI shifting, a steel frame, and mounting eyelets. The '07 Volpe came with an awesome Sugino XD500 crank which is really good looking and super adjustable. You could swap out current chainrings for new ones in the sizes you want.
If you wanted to change to a group above Tiagra, then switching to 105 will require new STIs, cassette, chain, and freehub since its currently 11speed. You could switch to 5700 105 group which would be 10 speed and the conversion would be a little simpler.
But if the Tiagra STIs work well, there really isnt much to be gained by going to 11speed 105.




If you want a new bike since you want disc brakes...
The Kona Sutra is steel, has eyelets for mounting, and has disc brakes. But it has bar end shifters which you would have to change.
There are lots of touring bikes on the market which are steel and have disc brakes.

One suggestion- buy a frameset and swap over a lot of what you have on your Volpe. Or sell the Volpe and help fund a personalized new build.
Saga Disc Frame Set | SOMA Fabrications This is Tange Prestige tubing, disc brakes, touring geometry, mounting points all over the bike, and you could dress it up in 105 or Ultegra components and the crank of your choice.
Cranksets, Road Cranksets, Sugino Alpina 2 Triple Crankset 48/36/24|Bike Touring News I have read this crank would handle 10 speed. Not sure if it can handle 11 speed since the chain is narrower? Running a wide range triple with an 11 speed rear just isnt done much...at all...at least I havent read about it so I dont know if its been done.
Perhaps sticking with 9 speed or getting 10 speed at most is best?

bradtx

meyers66, Bianchi started putting mid mount forks on their later Volpe models. Order one from your local dealer. The crank set can be modified with different chain rings or another crank set, and perhaps a new bottom bracket, can be substituted for gearing you'll prefer. All for much less than a replacement bicycle would cost.

Brad

bikemig 

+ 1 on putting a smaller chainring on your volpe. Great bike and the price is right. I don't think the advantage of disc brakes is worth the price of a new bike.

fietsbob

Bike = frame + Interchangeable parts .. I agree with the others; Riding the Volpe feel like the right bike? tweak the gearing

toured for decades with a 24:32 or 34t low.. new cassette wheels with a 12t high gear maybe MTB cranks will appeal.. all 3 chainrings are smaller .

Doug64

I really like the Volpe as a touring bike. It is more nimble than most touring bikes, and handles a load very well. If you don't have large feet, the Volpe's shorter chainstays are not a problem, just a bonus. I have 2 other touring bikes besides a Volpe: 2010 Cannondale T2, and a Surly LHT, both with STI shifters. I just can't pass up good deals. I prefer to ride the Volpe.

I also have a lot of experience with the Tiagra shifters and FD. The Tiagra 4503 FD is probably one of the most versatile FD made. It handles the 44/32/22 chainring combination beautifully. We have used Tiagra shifters on 6 of my family's touring bikes. I won't try to estimate the total miles, but it is a bunch—all without any issues. The only problem we ever had on a tour was with bar end shifters, and my daughter asked me to change them to STI shifters when we returned home. I'm looking for a set of 9 speed Tiagra STI shifters to replace the bar end shifters on our other daughter's LHT.

I would put the Volpe in the same class as the 520. I've had one since 2007, and have done some touring with it. This is my 2007 which I rode across the U.S. The drivetrain and wheels have been upgraded. I use a 44/32/22 Sugino DX 500, which is different from the XD 500 and out of production now.


My 2007 frame was damaged and Bianchi replaced it with this 2013 frame. The only things remaining from my stock 2007 bike are the seatpost,bars, shifters, and stem. It does not have disc brake; but the Paul cantilever brakes do an excellent job of braking.


The post 2007 forks with the mid fork braze-ons are built a little sturdier. The fork blades are about 3 mm larger in diameter than older models at the widest point.

Doug64

Brad is correct. I wanted a little higher bars to dial in the fit, and ordered a new uncut fork from a Bianchi dealer. I wanted one with an uncut steerer tube. The bonus was the mid fork braze-ons. The downside was that the new fork was a blue 2013 model.

However, the saga only starts there. I had the green Volpe at the time, and the fork they sent me was the same blue as the 2013 model pictured above. So I had the blue fork powder coated green to match the 2007 color.

About a year later I damaged, and replaced the 2007, green frame. Bianchi replaced it with a 2013 blue frame and a shortened blue fork. I wanted to put my green fork, which started as a blue fork with the uncut steerer tube, on the new frame. Now I had a blue frame with a green fork, ugh!! So off again to my local powder coating folks. This time I had it coated black—it will go with anything.

Do I like my Volpe or what

BlarneyHammer

How big is your cassette? You should change your cassette every so often anyway, and from my experience, it's almost always easier to change the rear end of a drivetrain than the front end. If you're running 11-32, you could probably find a 12-36, which would make about the same amount of difference and save you the trouble. And the cost of a new bike.
I think some MTB cassettes go as high as 40? Combined with a 28 up front, that would be hard to go fast enough to stay upright! A big cassette should get you as low as you need.

Disc brakes are neat, but not worth an entire new bike.

meyers66

I’ve read the above posts. Thanks for the feedback. I agree with the basic argument that disc brakes aren't worth a new bike. I'll look into replacing the drive train and the options listed above.
I like Doug64's comment about the "44/32/22 Sugino DX 500". This sounds interesting with the lowest gear at 18".
My Volpe '07 has the "Sugino XD 500". I think I'm running a 11-32 in the rear.
Thanks again.

bikemig 

The smallest inner chainring that a 110/74 bcd crank like the sugino xd500 and 600 can take is 24 teeth. Doug is talking about a crank that looks to be no longer in production. Your best bet if you like 44/32/22 chainrings is to go with one of the shimano trekking cranks. I do think that a 44/32/22 chainring combo is a smart set up for touring. I have this on one of my bikes and really like it.