Purchasing my first touring bike.

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cymro
Posts: 2
Joined: 19 Sep 2009, 2:44pm

Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by cymro »

Hi guys, after years of road racing I am looking at buying my first touring bike although Scaning he web im no closer to deciding what bike to go for. I obviously would like the inevitable mixture of keeping the costs down and also decent bike performance. At a push I could save the pennies and splash out for a decent machine next spring although im undecided about this so realistically im looking at around the £600ish budget .Ihave looked at the usual suspects such as Dawes,Thorn,Raleigh but nothing has caught my eye. Are there any other manufactures/models out there that would suit my needs ? I know I'm limiting my choices with a budget of £600 but as I said earlier if push came to shove I could wait until next spring to go for something higher up the ladder. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Gareth Wyn
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robwa10
Posts: 311
Joined: 2 Apr 2008, 9:04pm
Location: North Derbyshire/South Yorkshire

Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by robwa10 »

Gareth

Go to the To Good To Lose thread and there's a very exstensive post on touring started by myself. Paul gives a wealth of info to digest and consider. If you still have thoughts or questions then feel free to ask away. :D
Just Rob please.
rualexander
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Joined: 2 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
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Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by rualexander »

Unless you've got an upcoming trip planned, I would wait the few months for your budget to increase, as hopefully this will be a bike you will have for many years and will take you to great places. Spend the next few months refining your choice of bike.
cymro
Posts: 2
Joined: 19 Sep 2009, 2:44pm

Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by cymro »

Thanks for that guys. A great thread by the way ! :)
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by thirdcrank »

Remember that if you do decide to wait, you are taking a bit of a gamble with prices. Nobody seems to be in agreement over the extent or causes, but over the last year or so bike prices have taken a big hike upwards. IMO the exchange rate must have something to do with this and a big recovery in the £ might see prices stabilize - nothing much seems to bring them down. OTOH, if the £ should take another hammering - and at the rate the printing presses are churning them out that's always possible - then any increase in your budget might be cancelled out. This is the time of year when shops tend to be clearing last season's models to imrove cash flow and make room for next season's stuff. You might spot a bargain.
saudidave
Posts: 583
Joined: 16 Jan 2009, 12:22am

Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by saudidave »

If you have been road racing for many years, presumably you have a modicum of knowledge about bicycles.

For £600, you could buy a very nice and little used, "pre-owned" touring bike. Why buy a new one?
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syklist
Posts: 1243
Joined: 19 May 2008, 6:43pm

Re: Purchasing my first touring bike.

Post by syklist »

cymro wrote:Hi guys, after years of road racing I am looking at buying my first touring bike although Scaning he web im no closer to deciding what bike to go for. I obviously would like the inevitable mixture of keeping the costs down and also decent bike performance. At a push I could save the pennies and splash out for a decent machine next spring although im undecided about this so realistically im looking at around the £600ish budget .Ihave looked at the usual suspects such as Dawes,Thorn,Raleigh but nothing has caught my eye. Are there any other manufactures/models out there that would suit my needs ? I know I'm limiting my choices with a budget of £600 but as I said earlier if push came to shove I could wait until next spring to go for something higher up the ladder. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Gareth Wyn

The VSF T400 is within budget if you are prepared to shop around. Well equipped bikes, steel frame, hub dynamo and lights, lowrider mountings in front forks. We have the Rohloff versions of the same bike (same frame) and we like the way they ride. The frame takes tyres of up to 54mm wide, (maybe more).
HTH
Stan
So long and thanks for all the fish...
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