Hi, I would like recommendations for a touring bike. I have been looking at the Genesis Tour De Fer 20 but I really cannot justify the cost of a new one and there aren't many secondhand.
I would prefer a steel frame.
If possible a max price of £750
Any help would be appreciated.
Derek
Recommendation for touring bike
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derek, have you done a search on the forum? There are no shortage of discussions about this topic!
To get good information, you'll need to supply some more information.
For example
Do you have a bike?
Are you used to cycling?
Any bike mechanic skills?
Where do you want to tour?
For how long?
What type of surfaces? Roads/cycle paths / the wild open?
Do you plan on using public transport?
Camping, hotels, both?
Carrying a lot of gear or the very bare minimum?
"Touring" means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Sometimes it means different things to the same person!
Depending on what you have and where you want to go and for how long, the cost of the bike is only one aspect of the budget. You'll need bags/panniers, racks possibly, probably clothing, perhaps some tools, maybe spare parts, perhaps a gps or navigation subs, camping gear? As well as the cost of the tour(s) itself.
I toured for years on a no name hybrid. I now tour on a converted 90's MTB. Working on a budget I was able to build up a bike to my own specs for my own needs to suit my own style. All the while I was learning about the mechanicals and what I wanted/needed/didn't like.
It's really important to get a good idea of what you want before you go looking online. Once you start looking you'll be bombarded with ads and suggestions confusing the whole issue. Of course, the question may be "What do I want?" For every component of a bike there are advantages and disadvantages. It's a matter of figuring out what is important to you.
CrazyGuyOnABike is a good place to read journals from real people with real bikes.
At the end of the day, I believe that you can tour on just about any kind of a bike. Some bikes will be more comfortable, some will be limited in where they can go, some will be limited in what they can carry.
Touring on a bike is fabulous! There are no limits to where you can go.
Good luck!
To get good information, you'll need to supply some more information.
For example
Do you have a bike?
Are you used to cycling?
Any bike mechanic skills?
Where do you want to tour?
For how long?
What type of surfaces? Roads/cycle paths / the wild open?
Do you plan on using public transport?
Camping, hotels, both?
Carrying a lot of gear or the very bare minimum?
"Touring" means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Sometimes it means different things to the same person!
Depending on what you have and where you want to go and for how long, the cost of the bike is only one aspect of the budget. You'll need bags/panniers, racks possibly, probably clothing, perhaps some tools, maybe spare parts, perhaps a gps or navigation subs, camping gear? As well as the cost of the tour(s) itself.
I toured for years on a no name hybrid. I now tour on a converted 90's MTB. Working on a budget I was able to build up a bike to my own specs for my own needs to suit my own style. All the while I was learning about the mechanicals and what I wanted/needed/didn't like.
It's really important to get a good idea of what you want before you go looking online. Once you start looking you'll be bombarded with ads and suggestions confusing the whole issue. Of course, the question may be "What do I want?"
For every component of a bike there are advantages and disadvantages. It's a matter of figuring out what is important to you.CrazyGuyOnABike is a good place to read journals from real people with real bikes.
At the end of the day, I believe that you can tour on just about any kind of a bike. Some bikes will be more comfortable, some will be limited in where they can go, some will be limited in what they can carry.
Touring on a bike is fabulous! There are no limits to where you can go.
Good luck!
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derekn wrote:Hi, I would like recommendations for a touring bike. I have been looking at the Genesis Tour De Fer 20 but I really cannot justify the cost of a new one and there aren't many secondhand.
I would prefer a steel frame.
If possible a max price of £750
Any help would be appreciated.
Derek
For that budget I would look at Spa's offers (some ex-demo). They may or may not have your size but they will tweak the parts for ones you want.
https://spacycles.co.uk/offers/index.php?cat=1
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
I know that I say this ad nauseam but I'm keen that posh new bikes, or lack of, don't stop people touring. I started touring 3 years ago (after a lifetime of hillwalking and backpacking) using my then 15 year old Raleigh Pioneer. I subsequently had it motorised and do 3 or 4 week long trips a year, mostly in the Highlands.
John
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
After getting a skinny racer as advised by some knob, I swapped the tyres on my old MTB for some Schwalbe Land Cruisers and set off on a 500 mile tour, it was great! If you have some sort of bike and its pretty solid just put a rack on it and go. Then you will know what sort of bike to buy. No need to spend a fortune...
Al
Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
You could do a to worse than this.
viewtopic.php?f=40&t=131791
My last tourer was based on a 90s mountain bike frame and components that I bought for £45. I had to buy wheels and a new chainset but it did 15 years of touring now gets occasional use in icy conditions in the winter and the odd potter about in the summer, yesterday's WI cake sale .
My current tourer is a Surly LHT that was £500 second hand, it took my two years to find one at this price. As it only gets a couple of weeks use a year that's as much as I wanted to spend and should last me years.
viewtopic.php?f=40&t=131791
My last tourer was based on a 90s mountain bike frame and components that I bought for £45. I had to buy wheels and a new chainset but it did 15 years of touring now gets occasional use in icy conditions in the winter and the odd potter about in the summer, yesterday's WI cake sale
. My current tourer is a Surly LHT that was £500 second hand, it took my two years to find one at this price. As it only gets a couple of weeks use a year that's as much as I wanted to spend and should last me years.
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
HobbesOnTour wrote:Derek, have you done a search on the forum? There are no shortage of discussions about this topic!
To get good information, you'll need to supply some more information.
For example
Do you have a bike?
Are you used to cycling?
Any bike mechanic skills?
Where do you want to tour?
For how long?
What type of surfaces? Roads/cycle paths / the wild open?
Do you plan on using public transport?
Camping, hotels, both?
Carrying a lot of gear or the very bare minimum?
.....................
Touring on a bike is fabulous! There are no limits to where you can go.
Good luck!
Many thanks for your informative reply HobbesOnTour and to all the other people that posted suggestions. It is much appreciated.
I did a search on the forum but didn't see anything appropriate.
Do you have a bike? - yes I have a very old Muddy Fox mountain bike. One of the original bikes made by them.
Are you used to cycling? - Been a few years since I sat in the saddle.
Any bike mechanic skills? - I am mechanically minded but haven't needed to put my skills to the test on a bike!
Where do you want to tour? - South east England and maybe nearby parts of France and Belgium.
For how long? - Probably no longer than 5 -6 days at a time.
What type of surfaces? Roads/cycle paths / the wild open? - Most likely roads and cycle paths.
Do you plan on using public transport? - Only to cross the English Channel
Camping, hotels, both? - Maybe both
Carrying a lot of gear or the very bare minimum? - - not sure how to answer that one!
I would also prefer straight bars.
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Spa Cycles (Harrogate) are often recommended on this forum because they provide very good well thought out touring stuff at a reasonable price. You can't usually get the same level of bike any cheaper.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p400 ... ar-8-Speed
Don't be put off by this bike only being 8 speed. That's enough gears and some people actually prefer 8 speed because it is claimed to have stronger chains. They do 9 speed too but that's dearer. The frame tubes are top notch for a tourer and the wheels are going to be better made than anything you will find on the High Street. (Be aware the pic is a bit misleading, featuring a rack and mudguards that aren't listed.The leather saddle in the pic is not the saddle it comes with, which is a cheaper but fairly well regarded "normal" saddle. Ask Spa what is and isn't included just to be sure. But the bike is still a lot of bike for the money.)
I suggest you put this on your list then find a few other contenders for comparison.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p400 ... ar-8-Speed
Don't be put off by this bike only being 8 speed. That's enough gears and some people actually prefer 8 speed because it is claimed to have stronger chains. They do 9 speed too but that's dearer. The frame tubes are top notch for a tourer and the wheels are going to be better made than anything you will find on the High Street. (Be aware the pic is a bit misleading, featuring a rack and mudguards that aren't listed.The leather saddle in the pic is not the saddle it comes with, which is a cheaper but fairly well regarded "normal" saddle. Ask Spa what is and isn't included just to be sure. But the bike is still a lot of bike for the money.)
I suggest you put this on your list then find a few other contenders for comparison.
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
pwa wrote:I suggest you put this on your list then find a few other contenders for comparison.
+1 Given the OP wants a new flat bar steel tourer for £750, this is almost perfect. And yes, absolutely agree on 8 speed.
They also do three colours and have all sizes in stock.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
pwa wrote:Spa Cycles (Harrogate) are often recommended on this forum because they provide very good well thought out touring stuff at a reasonable price. You can't usually get the same level of bike any cheaper.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p400 ... ar-8-Speed
Don't be put off by this bike only being 8 speed. That's enough gears and some people actually prefer 8 speed because it is claimed to have stronger chains. They do 9 speed too but that's dearer. The frame tubes are top notch for a tourer and the wheels are going to be better made than anything you will find on the High Street. (Be aware the pic is a bit misleading, featuring a rack and mudguards that aren't listed.The leather saddle in the pic is not the saddle it comes with, which is a cheaper but fairly well regarded "normal" saddle. Ask Spa what is and isn't included just to be sure. But the bike is still a lot of bike for the money.)
I suggest you put this on your list then find a few other contenders for comparison.
Many thanks paw. This is the sort of bike I had in mind except I would have preferred disc brakes. BUT I will make a note of the model..... thank you
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derekn wrote:
Many thanks pwa. This is the sort of bike I had in mind except I would have preferred disc brakes. BUT I will make a note of the model..... thank you
I wondered that myself when I thought of what you had in mind. Naturally I would say forget the discs, they're going to put the price up and you don't need them. Basically you get a robust, simple bike with huge in-built comfort*, steel frame, immense luggage-carrying ability and cheap, easy to fix, replacement parts (8 speed). What you won't get is visible bling.
* That'll be relaxed geometry, low gears and uncut steerer for starters.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
If you want discs you want discs, but they will tend to cost more, so either you up the budget or accept that for your stated (very reasonable) price point disc brakes will come at the expense of quality elsewhere on the bike. And the disc brakes won't be the best either. Also, wheels with disc brakes have to make room for the disc by having the left and right side spokes closer together, which makes the wheels at bit weaker. And stronger wheels are more reliable on long tours. Just a thought.
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derekn wrote:
Do you have a bike? - yes I have a very old Muddy Fox mountain bike. One of the original bikes made by them.
Are you used to cycling? - Been a few years since I sat in the saddle.
Any bike mechanic skills? - I am mechanically minded but haven't needed to put my skills to the test on a bike!
Where do you want to tour? - South east England and maybe nearby parts of France and Belgium.
For how long? - Probably no longer than 5 -6 days at a time.
What type of surfaces? Roads/cycle paths / the wild open? - Most likely roads and cycle paths.
Do you plan on using public transport? - Only to cross the English Channel
Camping, hotels, both? - Maybe both
Carrying a lot of gear or the very bare minimum? - - not sure how to answer that one!
I would also prefer straight bars.
I thought Muddyfox used to be a good brand before its present demise? Maybe some more knowledgeable posters can help? It's possible you have a decent base to put together a touring bike on your hands already.
In any case, you have a few leads, so best of luck in your journey!
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derekn wrote:This is the sort of bike I had in mind except I would have preferred disc brakes.
Spa sell that steel tourer frame for £375. They also sell the Tour de Fer frame for £395, and their own disc braked steel touring frame ('Wayfarer') also for £395 (link to frames).
The drop barred version of their steel tourer is £985. If they can put together a flat barred version with 8 speed for £750, that suggests to me that they may be able to offer a Wayfarer or Tour de Fer with a similar lower cost 8 speed set up for a similar reduction compared to the £1090 price of the drop bar standard build Wayfarer.
I would choose the Wayfarer in preference to the Tour de Fer, not least because it has bigger clearances, e.g. up to 47mm tyres with mudguards instead of 38mm for the Tour de Fer.
Re: Recommendation for touring bike
Derekn wrote:Hi, I would like recommendations for a touring bike. I have been looking at the Genesis Tour De Fer 20 but I really cannot justify the cost of a new one and there aren't many secondhand.
I would prefer a steel frame.
If possible a max price of £750
Any help would be appreciated.
Derek
I have a 56 cm 2015 model year Tour de Fer, which I'm considering selling. I believe it was the first year they were made, before the 10,20,30 differentiation appeared. Good condition, disc braked, with drop bars. Still googleable on the Evans and Rutland Cycling websites. The only change since new was to swap to Vittoria Voyager Hyper 40mm tyres, highly recommended on here. Thinking of selling because I never got round to the sort of loaded touring I was thinking about when I bought it.
Feel free to PM me if you're interested.