Expedition Tourer on Budget

[Joe.B]

Like others who have posted here I’ve converted an old steel framed mountain bike into a terrific tourer & all-round cycle.
In my case it was a Trek 820 I bought 13 years ago.

[The Mechanic]

I have a Specialised Rockhopper I bought new in 1993. I converted that to a tourer/commuter with mudguards, rear rack and panniers. I used it for commuting for a number of years. It still has the original drive train, including cassette and chain so I am reluctant to use it now until I can get around to an overhaul. The frame is bomb proof. I MTB raced it for the first few years of its life. It has a butted chromo frame and fork.

[pga]

Plenty of 2nd hand bikes for sale on CTC and EBay sites - 531 or similar steel with brazings for front and rear carriers, and MG's if needed, and, preferably, 135mm rear ends for strong rear wheel hubs (eg Deore). Steel is still best for comfort and ease of repair. Front and rear panniers with tent strapped across top of rear panniers should suffice. Trailers are too cumbersome. Kit has to be ultra light and minimalist

Remember the old adage - use only the tried and proven. Run everything in well before embarking on big adventures.

Bon chance

[garibeet]

I bought a Revolution27 last year as a run around and to do some touring on, I figured that I could replace parts as they wore out etc.
Now I didn't do a massive tour but I did a few multi day tours, including outer hebrides south-north with full camping kit. I was amazed at how well it coped with a load, and I have yet to replace any parts yet, they made a very good job of picking gear for it. Deore etc for the running gear, amazing for the price. Pretty good for the price I think, give it a look.
I have put a link to my flickr set with some pics to see it loaded.

Good luck with whatever.
Gari

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42035618@N ... 976731211/

[6foot6]

I recently built up solid tourer from a new Surly LHT frame. Being 6'6" I needed a big frame with long chainstays and couldn't find a suitable mountain bike to convert. The rest of the bits didn't work out too expensive though - certainly cheaper than the pre-made 'expedition' bikes out there. I could probably have done it for cheaper but I'm planing to spend a year on the thing.

[largeallan]

How did the final price compare to buying a LHT off the peg?