Cycling UK Forum

aflook

Life is full of unexpected steep bits, my cycle routes doubly so, but I don't think it's the fault of Cycle.travel.

Does anyone know why Cycle.travel won't let me route through Abney in Derbyshire? the road is closed to cars but open to pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists. A bit frustrating as a lot of my routes from Sheffield pass that way and it's harder to calculate distance or requires two separate GPX files.

Still use Cycle.travel as my route planner/castles in the air site...

aflook

My last long tour I decided to dispense with front panniers. The load was lighter and easier to manage if I used a hotel or train, but I suspect that the amount of time I spent trying to fit the day's food etc. into the space available was more than the time saved by cycling slightly faster. For me, it's not just about the cycling, but also about enjoying the stops on the way. Each to their own and who are we to criticize? But I am thinking about cutting the handle off my toothbrush

aflook

irc wrote:I've done a few gravel roads in the USA on my rim brake Long Haul Trucker with 700x37 Marathon Supremes and camping load. . The bike handles well. Very stable steering, Caution needed for loose gravel of course due to lack of knobblies for braking or steering. Those were mainly road tours though. With 700x42 tyres with a bit of tread (it takes 700x42 with guards) it is an OK gravel tourer.

But if I was starting from scratch and wanting a bike for gravel road tours I would want something that took tyres a bit wider.

P1000963_flint_hills.jpg

c-up-n-down.JPG

These pictures are fantastic. Particularly the Cottonwood Canyon. When I spent a year as a student in Kansas in the early 80s I wasn't interested in cycling. Seems a waste now.

aflook

PH wrote:
aflook wrote:I'm still humming and ha-ing,

Yes, it isn't easy!
I expect some of the differences are more subtle than you may be thinking.
The thing that strikes me in this thread is that the 20kg camping load has been a given. Now, I ain't telling anyone what to carry - I ain't buying it and I certainly ain't pedalling it. But if I was, I'd be asking myself if I was sure the kit should be dictating the bike, or if there was any compromise there. Whether taking a bit less might improve the bike choice, whether some of the bike money might be better spent on kit that saved a bit of weight. On most bikes I've owned, I can carry 15kg, carefully distributed, without it having an adverse effect and I weigh as much as you plus your kit to start with!
I'm not looking, but if I was, the Elan with a steel fork, 5 kg on the front, maybe in Gorilla cages and stuff sacks, and 10 kg on a lightweight rear rack would be something I'd want to check out, I don't know how that'd work out and there's only one way to find out.
I have been in the position of owning a the perfect expedition touring bike, absolutely loving it for that and resenting it for the other 95% of it's mileage. Choices, choices...

Indeed, indeed. The load is pretty much a given. I've tried different ways of reducing the weight, and I'm always a sucker for Ti camping gear, but in the end it's largely a matter of food. I can't afford not to cook for myself (nor would I want to) and always have to carry a reserve: being diabetic I worry, perhaps unduly, about getting caught without sufficient to keep me going. I also tour to enjoy the cultural landscape and carry clothes appropriate for visiting towns and villages. The altitudes necessitated warmer clothes, too.Plus all the cool-bags for the insulin, the pumps and sensors... Might ditch the coffee pot next time. I stopped using it last year when the temperatures climbed into the 40s and I wanted to get away in the cool of the morning.The first 15 or 20k felt pretty long sometimes when I was desperate for that first Espresso of the day!

aflook

PH wrote:
Bonefishblues wrote:I'll leave this here:

https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-r ... 22-touring

Pretty close to the best of both worlds, I'd suggest

They're a very nice frame, but in the 700c incarnation might fail the OP's tyre clearance requirement, although the spec says 37mm + guards, it's only 35mm with my idea of suitable clearance, I've just sold mine for that reason.

I'm close to the Hathersage shop, too, though I did try 2 different pedals and they corroded very quickly. Did you enjoy the bike other than the tyre clearence issue?

aflook

I'm still humming and ha-ing, butI have looked at all the advice given on this thread and and very useful it is. I've rejected the idea of the Elan, because although I would enjoy riding it a lot, it's probably not at it's best with a full load - which is the big demand. I've gone back to the idea of a custom Heritage or perhaps the Spa Wayfarer, which someone has already suggested and which Spa offer in a long or short form. I'm thinking, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that while it might not be (or at least feel) as lively as the Heritage, it could be a lot smoother on the rougher tracks I've been facing, and will take nice wide tyres. Plus the hugely lower price would mean that I could afford some really good wheels, a new seatpost (I like carbon) and other bits and bobs. Plus it's a lovely blue finish and, as a former art teacher, I cannot sniff at the aesthetic side of things...

Again, thank you all for the input.

I'm definitely not buying a horse.

aflook

djb wrote:Horses for courses right?

Now you won't get me on one of those. I don't trust anything witha leg at each corner unless it's a table. And some of those can be a bit dodgy....

aflook

Thank you, djb, that is good advice and more or less what I was deciding on. I have 20.5 - 117.5 gear inches which has taken me over a few mountains. No knee trouble yet, touch wood. I plan on using the same drive train on the new frame.
I met a guy a couple of weeks ago who was telling me about a tour (albeit supported and on a carbon road bike) of most of the Swiss alpine passes. Turns out he was 79 so there's hope for me yet.

aflook

iandriver wrote:Most gravel frames now days will be thru axels. I suspect any existing kit will make up your mind for you, if that's the route you plan.

Existing kit will matter but I'll need new wheels anyway for the disc brakes. I have no idea if through axles offer any advantage. you can adapt them for QR, Ithink?

aflook

slowster wrote:And that illustrates why your request for suggestions of tyres to try that will fit the 37mm limit of your Condor is probably a flawed approach.

I agree- but it's a way of trying out a different approach before I make a huge investment.

aflook

slowster wrote:I was able to buy some very good supple wide tyres at a bargain price (35mm and 37mm Vittoria Hyper Voyagers)

Are these similar?
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVOWT/ ... wired-tyre

aflook

reohn2 wrote:'d go with 700 x 50's,a nice quick,supple and comfy touring tyre and still weigh only 620g

After what I'm used to, that would seem as wide as a small motorway!.... My current wheels will take 35s or possibly37s so I'll give that a whirl first.

aflook

slowster wrote:When I wanted to try wider tyres, I was able to buy some very good supple wide tyres at a bargain price (35mm and 37mm Vittoria Hyper Voyagers). Those tyres are now discontinued, but they are so good that when they wear out I will be prepared to pay the much higher price of Schwalbe Marathon Supremes, which I think are the nearest equivalent. So in answer to your question, I would fit 700 x 35 Schwalbe Marathon Supremes.

Those are good tyres but I managed to shred a pair of 32s in Italy. Too many rocks for the sidewalls. Luckily I got home before they finally fell apart.

slowster wrote:If I were you I would take a trip to Spa and test ride their Wayfarer and the Surly Disc Trucker. The Wayfarer can take 47mm tyres with mudguards, and so can the Disc Trucker (certainly Surly say the imminently available new version can). If you had time you could also test ride the Elan.

Good plan. They do some Genesis bikes too.

aflook

Thank you all for your suggestions.
To see what sort of difference the tyres alone make, what do you thing I should try that won't cost an arm and a leg (in case I go all white and shaky at going above 32

?
I don't want to go to flat bars - I like the shallow drops I have and use all the hand positions.
As I head deeper into my 60s I can't see myself bivvying!
So the question remains, which frame? I would get the steel fork option if I went with the Elan, and I still envisage touring on at least 50% road. I'm just aiming at a little more comfort and fun on the off-road bits. Maybe I should spend my money on a little more wine??!! I end up carrying so much weight largely because I'm paranoid about running short of food, being type 1 diabetic, which also requires me to carry all sorts of gubbins such as pumps, sensors, cool bags..... which no doubt immediately cancels out any weight advantage of Ti. Deep joy.

aflook

This is a great thread. Will increase the variety of my diet no end.
If I buy a bag of rice it lasts too long and I get sick of it. Different pastas work well (especially in Italy!). I generally buy the evening meal as I go along. I get the pasta boiling, set it aside - that tip about a pot cosy is a good one, Mr Benton - whilst I cook onions, lots of garlic and some fresh veg such as mushrooms or courgettes. I add a tin/jar of pasta sauce if I've been able to find a small one, tomatoes if not, and often a tin of anchovies and/or chilli flakes (not a whole tin!). I bring the pasta back to the boil to finish off and voila. When I'm sick of that I eat out. I once managed to tip a whole load of spaghetti out with the water which was frustrating at the end of a long day when my blood sugars were low. Onto dirt. Still gives me nightmares.
Bon apetit, everyone.

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