ElaineB wrote:Actually one of the reasons I bought my first Cinelli hobo was because it had a short wheelbase (1001cm) and was described as having Cyclecross geometry but it also had very little toe overlap, which as you folk may know is usually a real problem with small bikes. My previous ‘touring bikes’ were, Roberts, Thorn, Cannondale and a Van Nicholas which had such bad toe overlap I fell off in a car park when a small dog ran out in front of me. I now consider any bike with rack eyes will do as a ‘tourer’ for me, I am very light and even with lightweight camping gear I probably only weigh 80k all up, the weight of most average men. If the op is a heavy man and wants to expedition tour then his choice of bike is another story compared to mine. I have had a spoke break but I just taped it to the next one until it could be replaced. One can’t cover for every eventuality that may happen when touring but with common sense and a positive attitude most things can be overcome! Nobody should be put off touring because they think they don’t have the ‘right’ bike with the ‘right’ geometry. Ok my Tern aluminium 20in folding bike was a tad harsh for distance riding I must admit, but it had the advantage of making trains and ferries so much easier, I just did a different type of ‘touring’.
My wife used to tour with me on a frameset that was basically built for racing but with the ability to take guards and a rack. Reynolds 753. And probably because she was light (still is) and on a small frame with relatively short tubes the frame was easily stiff enough to handle okay with panniers. The same tubes in longer lengths would have given me, with my extra height and weight, very uncertain handling with panniers.
While a variety of bike types can be modified for touring, I would advise anyone to replace their existing wheels with something better suited to the job if their existing wheels aren't particularly suited. It is a bad idea to tour on weak wheels.
A Touring Bike or Tourer is a bike specifically designed for touring, so it should require less mucking about and compromise to get it ready for a tour. But practically any bike can be used for touring, some more easily than others.