Show us photos of your inappropriate touring bike

[cycle tramp]

In this day and ago of you tube videos, where cyclists tell people about the equipment they should be using for cycle touring, and following Bike Buddha's post, I thought we could all take a step back and share our photos of the (inappropriate) bikes we've used to tour on just to remind everyone that you may not actually need especislist equipment but just a willingness to go and explore.

[speedsixdave]

Here's my 1992 Kona Kilauea on Fully Loaded Touring, lots of good examples on that. This snap was taken in 2001, two months' cycle camping mostly round the French Alps. I think that's on the Iseran. I was never really into the mountain biking and the Kona slowly turned into a touring bike in the late 1990s - in this late iteration it has drop bars, cantilever brakes, 26x1.6ish semi-slicks, 3x9 gears with probably 24x32 bottom gear. The frame was never ideal for heavy touring - chainstays too short, top tube too long, head-tube too low - but with a bit of fettling it did really sterling service for a few years and had it not been nicked in about 2004 I see no reason why I wouldn't be touring on it still. 50mph downhill on the Ventoux on that trip. We did good miles together and I still miss it.

[speedsixdave]

And here's my current beau, a 2018 Moulton Jubilee, in the Pyrenees. I view this as a completely appropriate touring bike - because it is - but no end of folk have told me that it must be slow because of the small wheels etc etc etc. If I knew I was heading for lots of miles of unsurfaced tracks and off-road I might choose a different bike, but for predominantly tarmac-based touring it's absolutely my first choice. And I can't remember a tour on this or any other bike where I haven't ended up on a rocky track or a woodland path somewhere along the way. You might have to be a bit more careful on 406x28mm slicks but, as the late great Sid Standard used to say, it's all rideable... (And if it's not, there's always Shanks' Pony!)

[colin54]

Keeping the small wheel vibe going; if material could think; the Bickerton's canvas bag might be wondering why it couldn't have been born into being a colourful and chic, synthetic French wind filled sail, instead of an inelegant dirty green canvas and rubbish filled British bar-bag. You could fold the whole bike up, put it in the bag and then carry it.
All that weight on the front might explain why the frame hinge broke and the forks developed alarming amounts of play subsequently.
Not long after this picture was taken I had to wrest the bike from the arms of a local bike thief (velo-voleur ?), who was attempting to put it into the back of his car whilst I was having my liquid petit-dejeuner in a local bar.
I went to watch The Tour de France on a whim, but had neglected to study any of it's route at all, and navigated by a tiny map in a tourist brochure I found in a rack on the ferry, I also found that 'Le Tour' wasn't passing through Boulougne that year ! I did see a bit of it on a bar's TV though, a fun trip .

I almost bought another Bickerton recently, fitted with the later Mk 3 hinge (stronger) and Mk 2 modified forks (bolted at the top of the fork legs rather than being pinned horizontally with rolled steel pins through the thin aluminium tube fork legs, and with proper headset bearings rather than the plastic bushed affair fitted on the earlier models), fortunately I gave myself a stern internal talking to and did not buy it
I was on a short bus and bike tour in Cheltenham when the frame hinge finally cried 'Enough !', and dumped me onto the ground in a car park .

[velorog]

Continuing the small wheel theme, here is my home built ‘mini-bike’. The pic was taken on the Furka Pass (7969 ft) on route from Basel to Como. That morning I had crossed the Grimsel Pass and was heading to the Oberalp Pass before turning south over the Lukmanierpass. I was 66 at the time. There is a trend on the continent to drive to the foot of a pass before riding to the summit. Older riders get a lift to the top and ride down. No doubt the many roadies that passed me on the climbs thought my steed most in-appropriate, but it suited me fine.

[Mick F]

Sorry.

Raleigh Chopper.

Rundlestone Cross.JPG (65.98 KiB) Viewed 1553 times

Gorse.jpg (62.32 KiB) Viewed 1553 times

[brumster]

Interesting how we get a few posts on here with examples of small wheeled bikes - clearly they are as appropriate as any bicycle for touring !

[iandriver]

My Kinesis Pro5 old CX race rig frame. Bottle cages p clipped on as no bosses as is a Rubus fly rack. Bull horns and bar ends, it got me down the Italian part of the Via Francigena very nicely with lots of Strada Bianchi thrown in.

[rotavator]

Interesting how we get a few posts on here with examples of small wheeled bikes - clearly they are as appropriate as any bicycle for touring !

While I was cycling Lon Las Cymru for my first time (on my B'twin 520), I met a lady who was enjoying doing it on a Puch shopping bike, and why not

[m-gineering]

touring in 1975

lights which failed on the first downhill
28mm tyres
wobbly rear rack and bags falling off at bumps
front rack which was about to break
42-28 low gear!
thread-on freewheel hub with axle which would bend
one small bidon
cleated shoes you couldn't walk on
map 1:1.000.000 (=whole of France ie 4"/day )

[Norman H]

touring in 1975

lights which failed on the first downhill
28mm tyres
wobbly rear rack and bags falling off at bumps
front rack which was about to break
42-28 low gear!
thread-on freewheel hub with axle which would bend
one small bidon
cleated shoes you couldn't walk on
map 1:1.000.000 (=whole of France ie 4"/day )

Nice Baguette though.

[simonineaston]

A nice thread that has helped lift my spirits, following a trudge back from the spot where I saw I had a p******* in one of my trusty Marathons - I can't remember the last time I had one - years ago - 2013, maybe !! and so had got out of the habit of always carrying the necessary - I was "only going to the shops", after-all !! That'll teach me!

[Jdsk]

A nice thread that has helped lift my spirits...

I was just thinking how pleasant it was. Please keep them coming.

We once rode from Amsterdam to Leeuwarden on city bikes rented at the station. No gears, back-pedal brakes, rucksacks in the front baskets, and a child's play tent from a department store. Bought our first decent bikes and tent when we got home.

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

Edam it ! you Gouda have a good bike...

[simonhill]

My bike. All very acceptable now, but when I first joined this forum it would have been considered totally inappropriate (flat bars, 26" wheels, etc).

Taken on tour about a month ago - what joy.