Cycling UK Forum

3spd wrote:Spa Steel Tourer

That yours? Looks very pretty if I may say so myself. Not keen on the look of some of the Spa bikes (I think their decals need an update) but that is an exception.

How does it ride? And did you have to do anything special with the setup (frame size/stem length etc) to use a flat bar?

3spd wrote:Spa Steel Tourer

Confused.

Looks like a sloping top tube in that pic but in the link to the frame above it looks like a horizontal top tube.

bohrsatom wrote:

3spd wrote:Spa Steel Tourer

That yours? Looks very pretty if I may say so myself. Not keen on the look of some of the Spa bikes (I think their decals need an update) but that is an exception.

Must admit, find it odd that decals should be an issue one way or the other on a tourer.

Or most bikes to tell the truth.

What about a Ridgeback World expedition....they're from the same stable as Genesis, steel reynolds frame and flat bars..great value !

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bikes/tourin ... expedition

Sweep wrote:

3spd wrote:Spa Steel Tourer

Confused.

Looks like a sloping top tube in that pic but in the link to the frame above it looks like a horizontal top tube.

The pic is Spa's own photo on their website. As fas we know it is described wrongly as their 26" wheel version. It is most probably the 51 cm 700c version. It is indeed a sloping top tube and the frame illustration is an optical illusion.

Sweep wrote:

bohrsatom wrote:

3spd wrote:Spa Steel Tourer

That yours? Looks very pretty if I may say so myself. Not keen on the look of some of the Spa bikes (I think their decals need an update) but that is an exception.

Must admit, find it odd that decals should be an issue one way or the other on a tourer.

Or most bikes to tell the truth.

I'd agree, but the aesthetics are important to some people and it's their money.
I think the Spa decals, like the Surlys, are not under any lacquer, so half an hour with a hair drier and you can remove them without causing any damage. You could then of course put your own on, though I like the look of a bare frame.

bohrsatom wrote:This whole exercise has made me think more about drops, but I like the upright position of flat bars and twinned with bar ends

I have drop and flat bar bikes. They are set up (as close as I can get) with identical riding positions. Same bar height and reach. I ride on the hoods mostly on the drop bars and on the bar ends mostly on the flat bars. For drop bars I use compact drops. Not too big a stretch to use the drops.

With a long uncut steel steerer and a suitably angled stem getting drop bars high (level with saddle) is not a problem.

As for the LHT. A superb loaded tourer. I find it OK riding unladen. But then I use 700x35 tyres not pumped up too hard and I'm 17 stone. A much lighter rider would probably find the LHT much stiffer than needed unladen. Even at my weight I've noticed a surprising difference in responsiveness riding my new (to me) Surly Pacer. Slightly lighter more flexible frame. No rack or panniers fitted. Very slightly lighter wheels. It all adds up.

The suggestion for the CrossCheck as a do it all bike is good. I'm not sure about the horizontal dropous but other than that.

I have a Spa steel tourer framed bike, although I have compact drops on it and not flat bars. All the sizes even the smallest have a 72 degree seat angle which suits me fine. The ride is extremely good.

I have a Spa Tourer and alternate between compact drops and straight bars. Maybe I'm 'different' or incorrect, but I can't see why some see the need to have a shorter top tube voicing the reason 'so I can fit drops'. IMHO drops are used to give a more aero position which will by definition be more 'stretched out'. If a rider wants the bars close then the answer is simple - just fit straight bars! The 2 styles of bar give quite different positions - what's the problem?

The CrossCheck has 425mm chainstays. I get heel strike unless my panniers are as far back as possible on my current bike and the chainstays are 445mm long so it is out of contention sadly. Otherwise it would be the perfect frame (notwithstanding the weird dropouts).

The Ridgeback Expedition has 26" wheels and I'm looking for 700c. It seems that the previous models of this bike were very highly rated, but this year Ridgeback decided to replace the rim brakes with hydraulic discs. Mechanical discs I could understand, but hydraulics seem a strange choice given the bike's intended use.

I called Spa about the steel tourer. They reckon it's good for both flat and drop bars, and much nimbler compared with the LHT. Going to get in touch with Oxford Bike Works tomorrow and try to find out why they think their Model 1 is worth an extra £275.

As for decals, they aren't going to sway my decision either way but sometimes you see a frame and think: "wow". The Spa frame is nice but it doesn't grab my attention in the same way as the Tour de Fer or Velo Orange Campeur frames do.

Regretfully I am giving up on the LHT as although it's a fantastic tourer I'm not convinced I will be happy with it as a day-to-day ride. Will defer getting one until there is space for more bikes!

The CrossCheck has 425mm chainstays.

I wonder where they measure that to? As it has horizontal dropouts it may possibly be the minimum chainstay length and more could be had with the axle right to the back.

meic wrote:

The CrossCheck has 425mm chainstays.

I wonder where they measure that to? As it has horizontal dropouts it may possibly be the minimum chainstay length and more could be had with the axle right to the back.

Good question. According to the Surly website it is to the middle of the non-existent vertical dropouts: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check/geometry

fastpedaller wrote:I have a Spa Tourer and alternate between compact drops and straight bars. Maybe I'm 'different' or incorrect, but I can't see why some see the need to have a shorter top tube voicing the reason 'so I can fit drops'. IMHO drops are used to give a more aero position which will by definition be more 'stretched out'. If a rider wants the bars close then the answer is simple - just fit straight bars! The 2 styles of bar give quite different positions - what's the problem?

You could argue that your hands are at exactly the same location but the grip is different and that is why people like drop bars, as well as the flexibility of having other positions around the bars. After all, if you wanted more stretch, you can just a get a longer stem for your straight bars (and lower them perhaps as well). The reason it's an issue is that you cannot of course get your drops as close to the saddle as you can with straights once you've run out of stem length to chop.

Scroll down to the second page of this Thorn PDF:

http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/SetUpHiRes.pdf

But it's a fair point that you make and I would like to see further views in response to it.

bohrsatom wrote:
I called Spa about the steel tourer. They reckon it's good for both flat and drop bars, and much nimbler compared with the LHT.

Thanks for sharing that - it's important. Surly make no secret of the fact that it is a very solid kitchen sink tourer:

The Long Haul Trucker was designed in all aspects to go the distance in relative comfort, and to be able to haul a bunch of stuff. Its low bottom bracket and long chainstays provide comfort and stability. We gave it ample tire clearance for larger tires (larger tires soak up a lot of road static) with room for fenders. The frame’s tubing is thicker-walled and larger-diameter than standard road and sport-touring frames, and this pre-tunes it for the weight of cargo.

The fact that it takes larger tyres (up to 40mm?) and has a 135 OLN compared to the Spa's 132.5 tells you it's a solid beast designed with heavier wheels in mind.

That Spa tourer is £435 more than the Roux Etape I linked to also on the Spa website, you can buy a new R725 frame for near enough that price diff alone so I wouldn't call the Spa steel tourer the best VFM tbh not at that spec.