Endurance or Touring Bike

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
markjohnobrien
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by markjohnobrien »

tatanab wrote:Depends what you mean by touring bike. Some think it must be a tank of a machine such as German trekking bike sometimes are with the picture in mind of a very heavily loaded bike at the edge of a windswept desert. To others, like me, a touring bike is the general club riding machine and possibly also used for racing, easily suited to benign western Europe touring. Such as this - DSC00604.JPG
What is the difference to an "endurance" bike? The equipment can be the same if you wish, but the touring bike will carry full mudguards to keep you dry in a week of rain. I think an endurance bike is simply a marketing niche of taking a modern iteration of a road bike and making it a little more comfortable. (Road bike to my generation was used to ride road races).

I'd go for a traditional British club riding lightweight touring bike ( a.k.a Audax these days), as pictured.



That Roberts is lovely: wish I hadn’t sold mine☹️
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
tatanab
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by tatanab »

markjohnobrien wrote:That Roberts is lovely: wish I hadn’t sold mine☹️
It will be for sale, just not with the equipment in that picture, once restrictions are lifted so that people can move around more freely. I am thinning my herd.
PH
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by PH »

Would you consider secondhand? Good quality traditional steel touring bikes are out of fashion and fetching a small proportion of their new value. It might not end up being your ideal bike for life, but it would be an excellent first step in finding out what that is. I've seen several for sale on this forum recently that would have originally cost four or five times the asking price. It is always possible to buy a bad one, but generally those with decent bikes have looked after them.
How light a bike is best for your riding is something you can only work out for yourself. One factor often not considered is the riders weight, I'm tall and at the heavier end of the spectrum, the difference between a full on steel tourer or Audax bike, with the same tyres, is minimal and what difference there is, is in terms of feel rather than speed. Someone 30cm shorter and 20kg lighter is likely to have a different experience. If you don't get it perfect and end up with a bike that's a bit heavier than need be, it won't be as nice to ride, if you go too light, you might find it unpleasant enough to spoil the trip.
scottg
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by scottg »

Bmblbzzz wrote:Don't obsess about the details! Especially not at the beginning; you'll form your own knowledge from your own experiences.


A year of experience will tell you what your next bike should be. (note, there is always a next bike. :) )
{further note, bikes multiply to fill available shed/storage space}
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markjohnobrien
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by markjohnobrien »

scottg wrote:
Bmblbzzz wrote:Don't obsess about the details! Especially not at the beginning; you'll form your own knowledge from your own experiences.


A year of experience will tell you what your next bike should be. (note, there is always a next bike. :) )
{further note, bikes multiply to fill available shed/storage space}


Very true: n+1 is always around the corner.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
iandusud
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by iandusud »

The "endurance" bike will typically be lighter and have less clearance for wider tyres and mudguards. A lighter bike with lighter tyres will definitely have a bit more get up and go which will be noticeable for example when commuting with all the stop and start if you're interested in getting away from the lights a fast as possible. However over long days in the saddle the added comfort of a touring bike will be a huge bonus and the difference in overall speed will be negligible (Wider section tyres don't have to be heavy and draggy. There are some very fast riding tyres in wide sections). A touring bike would also make for a much more practical commuting bike IMO with wider section tyres, good mudguards and better suited to carrying panniers. I have a couple of "endurance" bikes, one equipped with mudguards, which I use for my weekend club rides (remember those?). However I commute daily on either my Moulton or on our Tandem on the 2 days a week my wife works with me. They are much better suited to the job in terms of comfort, weather protection and carrying capacity. They are also much better suited to touring.

My two cents worth :D
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mjr
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by mjr »

And I think another big question is what do you dislike about your folding bike and how much?
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Jamesh
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by Jamesh »

iandusud wrote:The "endurance" bike will typically be lighter and have less clearance for wider tyres and mudguards. A lighter bike with lighter tyres will definitely have a bit more get up and go which will be noticeable for example when commuting with all the stop and start if you're interested in getting away from the lights a fast as possible. However over long days in the saddle the added comfort of a touring bike will be a huge bonus and the difference in overall speed will be negligible (Wider section tyres don't have to be heavy and draggy. There are some very fast riding tyres in wide sections). A touring bike would also make for a much more practical commuting bike IMO with wider section tyres, good mudguards and better suited to carrying panniers. I have a couple of "endurance" bikes, one equipped with mudguards, which I use for my weekend club rides (remember those?). However I commute daily on either my Moulton or on our Tandem on the 2 days a week my wife works with me. They are much better suited to the job in terms of comfort, weather protection and carrying capacity. They are also much better suited to touring.

My two cents worth :D


Commuting to work on a tandem with your wife and working with her.... Spells divorce in my world!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers James
iandusud
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by iandusud »

Jamesh wrote:Commuting to work on a tandem with your wife and working with her.... Spells divorce in my world!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers James

You know what they say about tandems, which ever way your relationship is going you'll get there quicker on a tandem. :D
Jdsk
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by Jdsk »

iandusud wrote:You know what they say about tandems, which ever way your relationship is going you'll get there quicker on a tandem.

In nearly forty years of tandeming I have never heard that. Thank you. Excellent.

However I very rarely share a tandem with my wife... but often with children, grandchildren, others...

Jonathan
Cymro74
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by Cymro74 »

Touring bike will serve all your needs. Look at Spa Cycle 725 tourer. It is easily the best value for money steel tourer around. It feels very comfortable, and the long wheel base smoothes out a lot of bumps. I can ride all day fully loaded even over hilly terrain here in Wales.
My aluminium road bike is lighter and a bit quicker but I don't care about speed very much. The road bike can't take much load, is not so good at climbing and can't cope with gravel tracks like my tourer.
pwa
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by pwa »

For commuting purposes it would be the drop bar tourer for me. Okay, some days you may just be taking your sandwiches, but on other days you may have a lot of clobber to take or bring home and having a rack on and being able to slap a couple of full size panniers on with hardly a thought is handy.

But for decades I had two fully operational bikes, one being a drop bar tourer and the other an Audax bike. The latter was similar to an "Endurance" bike in most respects. The tourer got 90% of the use but I liked having both.

I no longer do cycle commuting and Audax so I have gone to just one bike, and it is Spa's titanium frame tourer with my own selection of components. I do rides of up to 60 miles now, usually in Wales where I live, and the tourer does the job nicely. It allows me to sit comfortably and enjoy the world as it goes by.
iandriver
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by iandriver »

Do look at the Spa Elan https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes ... 25-review/

Combines the best of both worlds unless you plan to do camping with all the comforts the cycle camper can take.
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
Nessie23
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by Nessie23 »

That Spa Elan is a lovely bike. I had never considered Spa as thought they were only full-on tourers. A bit disappointed they don’t participate in Cyclescheme.
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Paulatic
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Re: Endurance or Touring Bike

Post by Paulatic »

Jdsk wrote:
iandusud wrote:You know what they say about tandems, which ever way your relationship is going you'll get there quicker on a tandem.

In nearly forty years of tandeming I have never heard that. Thank you. Excellent.

However I very rarely share a tandem with my wife... but often with children, grandchildren, others...

Jonathan

Years ago I would ride with the Cumbrian Tandem Club. A lovely couple used to ride out with them on solos. One ride I recall them coming out on their tandem. Let’s say relationships were a little strained that day.
I’ve met them since on my travels in other parts of the U.K. Riding solo , lovely couple. :D
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