Are touring bikes old fashioned?

[BikeBuddha]

Thanks for that last post. Nice understanding.

Unfortunately, OBW can no longer honour the quote they gave me until April. The bike is slightly lower spec, and costs £300 more than what i was quoted in december..

Its thrown me a bit. I think OBW frames are british steel, rather than tawainese. They are probably lighter and more flexible and comfortable than the thorn. And i was custom fitted for it.

A big decision to take.

Wish i had not procrastinated.

Thanks again, everyone. Pretty gutted.

[slowster]

I too would be upset if I had hesitated, only for the price to go up. But not for long. And that's the important thing: you need to accept what has happened and move on. Instead it seems to me that you now intend to wallow in regret and self-recrimination. That would be a pointless, negative thing to do: it won't change things and it won't make you feel any better.

It's 15 degrees outside now, the sun is shining, and I am going to go out for a ride. While I am out, I will enjoy the scenery, the warmth of the sun on my face, the sensation of my bike gliding along, and the discomfort when I struggle uphill because I am so unfit. I won't be thinking about how much I paid for my bike, or whether it would be better with a different headset or whatever. My bike is 'good enough' and I just enjoy riding it.

If the extra £300 would not put you in financial difficulties, I suggest you simply say to yourself 'stuff it!', and order the bike from OBW today. In the long run the extra cost will not matter. In future when you are riding the bike over the crest of a hill or through some sleepy village, you will not give that £300 a thought. Ordering the bike will stop you wasting more time and mental energy thinking about it, and I suspect will help to break what appears to be a vicious negative cycle of thought processes.

It's Spring and the weather is getting better and better. Every day that you waste prevaricating and agonising over your decision, is another day lost when you could have enjoyed a nice bike ride. Once you have made the decision, you can stop worrying about it and do something enjoyable, like go out for a walk.

[BikeBuddha]

I too would be upset if I had hesitated, only for the price to go up. But not for long. And that's the important thing: you need to accept what has happened and move on. Instead it seems to me that you now intend to wallow in regret and self-recrimination. That would be a pointless, negative thing to do: it won't change things and it won't make you feel any better.

It's 15 degrees outside now, the sun is shining, and I am going to go out for a ride. While I am out, I will enjoy the scenery, the warmth of the sun on my face, the sensation of my bike gliding along, and the discomfort when I struggle uphill because I am so unfit. I won't be thinking about how much I paid for my bike, or whether it would be better with a different headset or whatever. My bike is 'good enough' and I just enjoy riding it.

If the extra £300 would not put you in financial difficulties, I suggest you simply say to yourself 'stuff it!', and order the bike from OBW today. In the long run the extra cost will not matter. In future when you are riding the bike over the crest of a hill or through some sleepy village, you will not give that £300 a thought. Ordering the bike will stop you wasting more time and mental energy thinking about it, and I suspect will help to break what appears to be a vicious negative cycle of thought processes.

It's Spring and the weather is getting better and better. Every day that you waste prevaricating and agonising over your decision, is another day lost when you could have enjoyed a nice bike ride. Once you have made the decision, you can stop worrying about it and do something enjoyable, like go out for a walk.

Dude.

[Vorpal]

I hope that it does not make you more anxious or indecisive, but with supply shortages, the price of your bike could continue to go up. I understand your frustration with the price increase, but this is happening everywhere. There is a global supply shortage and bike shops are having difficulty getting components.

I agree with slowster that it is better to pick one and start riding it. Either is a good bike.

Is one of them closer to you? Access to them for help and service is as good a reason as any to select one shop over the other. To be honest, OBW's patience with you seems like a good indication of providing good service, and that would rank highly for me.

I do understand the difficulty making a decision, but you have narrowed it down to 2 bikes, and the difference between them are personal preference types of choices, and people doing expedition touring, do it with both bikes and similar ones.

[mattheus]

I hope that it does not make you more anxious or indecisive, but with supply shortages, the price of your bike could continue to go up. I understand your frustration with the price increase, but this is happening everywhere. There is a global supply shortage and bike shops are having difficulty getting components.

Yes.
If your delay has already cost you £300, imagine what another 3 months might cost you? Plus missing possibly the best bits of the year!

(I've been procrastinating about a new bike since about 2018: the difference is, I do have several bikes that I am enjoying daily; I can have fun and adventures without the new one! Nevertheless, I still curse my indecisive nature sometimes ...

[doodah]

Well hello to one and all - especially Bike Buddha,

I cannot describe how much I resonate with the clarity of thinking of the posts from 'slowster'. I do believe he has nailed it, 10/10

If it will help you Bike Buddha, I will be relocating to the Dumfries & Galloway region in late May /early June. I will be happy to cycle up to you and discuss the pro's and con's of my limited cycling experience and my total faith in a Thorn expedition bike.

I cannot ever guarantee the weather, the country, the eco - socio conditions of those countries that I have cycled through... but I can guarantee the reliability of a Thorn bike. Biased?...Yes, based on total reliability.

I will give you a nod when I relocate and see if I can be of assistance - providing there is a pub nearby.

All the best to you.

Doodah

[BikeBuddha]

Well hello to one and all - especially Bike Buddha,

I cannot describe how much I resonate with the clarity of thinking of the posts from 'slowster'. I do believe he has nailed it, 10/10

If it will help you Bike Buddha, I will be relocating to the Dumfries & Galloway region in late May /early June. I will be happy to cycle up to you and discuss the pro's and con's of my limited cycling experience and my total faith in a Thorn expedition bike.

I cannot ever guarantee the weather, the country, the eco - socio conditions of those countries that I have cycled through... but I can guarantee the reliability of a Thorn bike. Biased?...Yes, based on total reliability.

I will give you a nod when I relocate and see if I can be of assistance - providing there is a pub nearby.

All the best to you.

Doodah

Hopefully i get a bike, Doodah... and look forwards to meeting up.

[Bmblbzzz]

The OP’s mistake or misunderstanding is down to thinking that selecting the best bike for yourself is possible through data sheets and opinions. Data sheets and opinions might be a guide towards the right direction but ultimately one has to buy something that’s in the right ball park, use it to see what needs to be changed for your use, change it, use the bike some more, see what else needs to be changed, change it, retest and so on until what you have is near enough right for your needs. There is no such thing as perfection, there are only things that will do the job well enough for you.

This to the max. Reading is good but doing is better.

[Carlton green]

The OP’s mistake or misunderstanding is down to thinking that selecting the best bike for yourself is possible through data sheets and opinions. Data sheets and opinions might be a guide towards the right direction but ultimately one has to buy something that’s in the right ball park, use it to see what needs to be changed for your use, change it, use the bike some more, see what else needs to be changed, change it, retest and so on until what you have is near enough right for your needs. There is no such thing as perfection, there are only things that will do the job well enough for you.

This to the max. Reading is good but doing is better.

Thank you.

Another thing that I’ve found, that overlaps but hasn’t really highlighted, is that selection criteria can easily be flawed, and sometimes badly so. So the would be purchaser matches data sheets and written opinions against the wrong selection criteria, good luck aside one needs the right criteria or else the selection process is never going to have a happy outcome. The assumption that data sheets and written opinions are completely accurate is also flawed and can catch you out

One has to start somewhere, and obviously one doesn’t want to waste money, time and effort, however it’s important to accept that there are limits to how useful pre-conceived ideas and theory are. Eventually one has to get involved with learning in practise; so buy something, use it, see what’s wrong, change it, modify selection criteria, and repeat the iterative process until a workable outcome is in use, etc.

Oh, and one other thing for the OP. With every hobby and job that I’ve had the limitations - both high and low - on what’s possible to achieve have almost always not been due to tools and equipment but rather due to the skill and experience of the user. Some relatively inexpensive items have, with intelligent and skilled use, produced very good results. It’s what you actually do with what you have that matters ...

[CJ]

I would like it [hub generator with USB transformer) to charge some kind of camera, that takes RAW images, which I can edit at my leisure wherever I am.

I've started another thread about that.

[Thehairs1970]

Bike Bhudda - I mean this in the nicest way. Do you think your prevaricating over the bike is you nervousness getting the better of you and giving you a get out. If you are at all unsure, buy a reasonable second hand bike and just get out there. Come back for the OBW bike if you really need it.

[rareposter]

Wondering how helpful this might be or if it could potentially be confusing things even more but here's a recent video of a round the world bike build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgYXoM84H04

I think more than anything it just shows the comments above - that there is no such thing as "the perfect bike" - to be absolutely true. At some point there's going to be a match between what you want, what you can afford and what does the job. And so long as that all matches up nicely, the bike will be right for you.

Right from the start where the guy selects his saddle just shows how much of it is personal preference. Equally, how much can be changed on the road.

[BikeBuddha]

Hi

This will sound crazy. I looked at Stanforth, and hopefully will try and get a bike through a bike to work scheme. In this way, a stronger bike for less money. Not looking promising though.

Simon, like Richard at OBW, was really cool. The bike's are more expensive.... but, made to measure, rather than being off the peg.

USes Reynolds 631 steel. Sounds good?

I am worried about the forks, because you cannot take much more than a 2" wide tire. Do any of you ever use anything bigger when crossing deserts, etc?

Lots more colour options. Seems that the paint works on the bike are also more durable.


I will run rim brakes, but can have the frame DiSC Brake Ready at extra cost, for after any said expedition. Not sure this is worth the extra £120+.

I am going for Rohloff, but, again at extra cost, can have frame ready to fit a derailleur. Not sure if this is necessary. Once you go with Rohloff, you never go back, some say.

The above two option are inspired by the Thorn Nomad, which is derailleur ready, roholoff ready, disc (rear only) ready, rim brake ready, and has a split in the frame for a belt drive.

However, different opinions from different bike builders. One says that the split does not create a weekness in the frame. The other, that it does. Also, another suggests that the weakness also comes when you lug your bike on the back of a truck, and you could take a side impact, which could break the split.

For stanforth, i would have no need for a gate drive. The bike is built for expedition. I could go with disc to start, then switch to V in a couple of years, when I have saved enough to go on the big trip.

It all seems crazy, but a bike will last for years, providing it doesn't get nicked. Oh, the anxiety

Just thought I would keep everyone updated. Half of me is up for this, half is thinking, what a fool. I am just hoping it is not all traffic and mahen on the trip, but nice leisurely rides as well.

[cycle tramp]

Hi

I am worried about the forks, because you cannot take much more than a 2" wide tire. Do any of you ever use anything bigger when crossing deserts, etc?

I've never crossed a desert, and generally speaking I've found it impossible to cycle through loose dry sand. If you were looking to undertake such a trip then you may want to look at a surly pugsley...
...however I have cycled on forest tracks, muddy tow paths, farm tracks, gravel forestry tracks and wet beaches. I find that 1.75 to 2 inch wide tyres do just fine. If you look at touring tyres, most will be in the 1.75 width size, some will be in the 2 inch size, anything wider than thus and you're looking at mountain bike tyres, which from memory for a 26 inch wheel tend not to go beyond 2.25 - 2.35 size.

....speaking as someone who's been cycling for 25 years, I understand that you're looking for the perfect bike.. and I've no wish to increase your anxiety but there just isn't a perfect bike... ..when I first got into cycling the perfect bike was one which allowed me to cycle as fast as I can... and then I got bored with trying to maintain an average speed of 18 mph, and started to notice the countryside and the views so my next bike was one that I could go touring on and simply go places with, and then during the third week of a three week tour I got bored again.
So I knew long distance touring* really wasn't for me... I've now worked out that for me the joy of cycling is the random things, those one off incidents which are just as likely to take place on a long tour as they are at home.
..so now I just use a bike for shopping and visiting and stuff...
...the thing is you don't really know what sort of cyclist you are until you go cycling, and when you go cycling you get a better idea about the type of bike you want..
...whilst the bike in your head sounds amazing, its going to be of limited value to you, if you go cycling and through cycling you find that really what you enjoy is going as fast as possible inches above the ground on a 3 wheeled recumbent, or even that while you enjoy being outdoors the whole traffic thing is too much, and suddenly the idea of canoeing pops into your mind.

At this point, I'd recommend watching 'fight club'. Still a good film.
'I say never be complete. Let the chips fall where they may'
Tyler Durden

(* I still like the idea of a touring weekend or even a few days, but I don't think I'd do anything longer than a week)

[nirakaro]

This discussion's been going on, on various threads, for nearly three years. I imagine it wil still be going on well into 2025.