Cycling UK Forum

Folks, I spend a few odd weeks in the year using an old bike for touring about on. (No camping gear, I hostel it or B/B with small ish panniers and a handlebar bag. ie travel fairly light)
As I have just enrolled on our bike to work scheme, i want to spend a bit on money, maybe £1300/£1400.
I first looked at Dawes and Ridgeback bikes, and whilst I realise Steel may be best for a touring frame, im a bit put off by the weight and the fact that those bikes seem to have running gear/brakes that arent the "Shimano's finest" (Not that im a parts snob, but I was a bit shocked when i saw the components lists !)
I dont mind a bike with discs on, but id like to have my gear changers on the brakehoods and not on the bars (It seems a few do)
One other bike that I like the look of is the Ribble CGR. Its alloy, seems to have better components than those above, but doesnt seem to be an out and out tourer.
Theres too much choice out there !!!!!!
Can anyone comment on the above please, or any helpful tips at all ?
Thanks guys

Too much choice

Is it necessary to spend far more than a thousand? Is the bike scheme just another way to boost the economy, like the scheme to scrap old cars for new ones?

How about a Trucker or Disc Trucker frame and build it up with the parts you want?

Firstly, the reason many tourers have bar-end shifters is that they use mix-and-match road and MTB groupsets to get low gears for load-hauling. MTB components won't work with road shifters (thanks Shimano).
Bar-ends have the added advantage of being as simple as a knife and fork. When in the middle of nowhere that's a comfort, especially with a few hills to climb with a touring load and nightfall coming on.

Secondly, the top-end Shimano stuff trades strength for weight-saving. For example, the XT and XTR hubs are weaker and have smaller bearings - they are simply not designed for the punishment of touring.

The best way to think about it is to decide what kind of riding you intend, then try to spec up the right bike. Some options for starters:
1 Day rides when the weather is nice with nothing more than a spare tube, debit card and water bottle
2 Extended days out with extra clothing and food whatever the weather, fully independent.
3 Overnighting in hotels / B&B
4 Weekend with light camping kit
5 A week or more away camping with some home comforts.
6 Commuting all year round

None of these is wrong, but they demand slightly different bikes. For 1 a light, sporty road bike with top-end bits would be a delight, and a heavy tourer like riding a bus. For 5, the road bike would risk damage or be unridable, but the tourer would lap it up.

Which shops can you use?

Honestly, if you aren't doing camping or expedition touring, it may not be worth spending the money on a touring bike. I would recommend looking at audax bikes, instead. They are ideal for the sort of riding you describe.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p320 ... -Double%29

If you want to pick up a ready made bike and don't want to build your own ......https://www.spacycles.co.uk/

Go old fashioned ....RING THEM !! Tell 'em what you are looking for and they will build it, well within your budget n'all.

Really, you won't go far wrong.

Vorpal wrote:Which shops can you use?

Honestly, if you aren't doing camping or expedition touring, it may not be worth spending the money on a touring bike. I would recommend looking at audax bikes, instead. They are ideal for the sort of riding you describe.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p320 ... -Double%29

.......Great minds......... .............

Look at the entry level CX bikes - most will take guards and racks, have Sti's fitted, lowish gearing and not weigh a ton - oh and come in well under a grand!

Not looked for a bit but the likes of Focus, Cube and even the big three (Spesh, Trek and Gigant) are good starting points.

Without wanting to start a 'steel is best war' again, I'm with the OP regarding steel tourers, a good quality moulded Al frame can be more comfortable, lighter and cheaper than steel. My most used bikes cover all bases, a steel audax machine, Al tourer and CF 'race' bike so I can make an actual direct comparison on the same roads.

Thanks for all your input guys, it makes good reading

Keep the answers coming though . . . . .

+1 for a Spa audax or tourer. Under Budget. They are the go-to place for wheels so ask them to make you a really decent set, possibly with a dynamo hub.

You will not be disappointed.

Downside of spa is they don’t do cycle to work schemes...

I have a 2015 Dawes super galaxy and it’s brilliant for full loaded cycle touring. You can pick up slightly older models (which have better spec than the current versions) online for a hefty discount. Check out https://www.bikesheduk.com/bikes/touring-bikes/dawes-super-galaxy-853-2015 for example

Bmblbzzz wrote:How about a Trucker or Disc Trucker frame and build it up with the parts you want?

Might be overkill as he doesn't carry a load of note.

I'm still using a relatively light aluminium 10 year CX bike with an upgraded rear wheel, carbon forks and suitable gearing to tour fully loaded (20kg load) and despite my early reservations and after numerous tours it hasn't snapped.

I've got a Surly Long Haul Trucker and it's a great bike. But the name is really descriptive and I use it for touring with full camping gear.
I also usually do a week long UK b&b tour every year and use an aluminium Kinesis Racelight. Last weekend I went to Wales and camped using a Specialized S-Works Tarmac with Dura-Ace carbon fibre wheel and a bottom gear of 39-27.
The point being as noted above it depends on what type of riding you will be doing. If you want a bike where you can spend a week b&Bing but also want a relatively light bike to ride the rest of the year a cyclo-cross or audax style bike should fit the bill. If you look at the for sale section there's an Enigma that might suite of it fits.

I agree with whoof it sounds as if a CX type bike such as the Ribble CGR would suit light touring as well as give a lighter bike for general use and Ribble do the Cycle to Work scheme without a premium [ Planet X charge an additional 15% for Cycle to Work].

For similar light touring I built a flat bar tourer based on the PX London Road/XLA frameset with carbon forks using Shimano trekking running gear [TX series] to give a wide gear range for loaded touring - I would struggle on normal road range gears. It copes very well loaded even on off-road tracks where the hydraulic disks give more confidence on steep descents - recently did the Via Augusta where the 4 mile descent of the Fernpass on the mountain bike trail included about half a mile at 15% on loose gravel without brake fade.

honesty wrote:Downside of spa is they don’t do cycle to work schemes...

They don't? I didn't know that & I thought I had seen the logo on their site.

SJS do, although the Thorn Audax is a little over budget. http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/THORN ... ECIPES.pdf