touring

Comment by Robert Harris on April 15, 2010 at 3:02pm

Here is a rather long list of touring bikes made by different manufacturers.

I have no idea how many of these are available in Australia.

Touring Bike List

Comment by Robert Harris on April 15, 2010 at 3:05pm

And an equally long list of 26" tourers:

26 Inch Tourers

Comment by hartleymartin on April 16, 2010 at 12:39am

I tend to agree that a 26"-wheel touring bicycle is better for going anywhere, especially if you are going overseas into remote areas. If you were going on extended touring throughout Australia, I'd get in contact with your local bicycle shop, and ensure that they have stock of all the spares that you would need and are prepared to express post them to you, where-ever you are. If going overseas, 26" is the way to go.

I've actually bought a Fuji Touring bicycle as a frame and forks only. It has given me the chance to built it up exactly as I want (read: I'm scrounging parts to built it up). I want to get Nitto Noodle bars for it. I already have Cane-Creek levers for V-brakes. Just need to get wheels, a front derailer, shifters and a few other odds and ends to complete it.

Comment by Kim on April 18, 2010 at 7:23am

Having seen the inside of many bike 'shops' in 'remote' areas and even large cities of some overseas countries, I doubt having the same wheel size as the local bikes is going to get you out of trouble if there is something wrong with your wheel. Being anxious that something might go wrong with your bike is a natural part of going on a bike tour but really, if something happens, it happens and it is all part of the journey. Instead of making statements about what bikes people should be riding, let's go out and ride those countries and experience their hospitality and learn a thing or two about the way most of the world lives.

Comment by hartleymartin on April 19, 2010 at 12:59am

Kim - the concern is mostly to do with the worst-case-scenario that you basically destroy a wheel and need a complete replacement. It is easier to get 26" wheels even if only cheap ones intended for MTB's that will be suitable for load-carrying. Most 700C wheels, especially in remote areas or smaller bicycle shops, out there are racing-oriented and do not have the strength required for loaded touring.

All that said, most good touring bicycles now come with a holder for you to put spare spokes so should you break a spoke you can insert a new one as an on-the road repair (it's nowhere near as hard as it may initially seem).

I'll have to say though, that if you are riding around Australia, this shouldn't be an issue. You are never too far away from a phone or internet access and it is possible to order a wheel from somewhere and get it express-posted to your nearest post-office. At worst you'll be 1-2 days behind on your long tour.

I tend to go for shorter tours - weekend and holiday stuff rather than spending months on the road. If my bicycle stuffs up badly, it's usually not too hard to bail out and go home.

Comment by noelbike on April 19, 2010 at 9:52am

Harley, 700C rolls better than 26". Partly because tyres are generally narrower. But mainly because the radius of 700 is bigger so bumps are made to seem smaller. The bigger wheel is better except when it is a small frame and not able to be made short enough due to wheel clearance issues.
The case for 26" is generally a case for off road touring as 26" offers wider tyres. But it has to be really off road or 700 is still better. 700*32 and 35 for example are fine on stretches of unpaved road if they are not really rough or sandy. Most of us won't venture there anyway. Or not for long. The case for 26" being a good choice because of availability in 'remote' areas would need more detail to convince me. For example, I wonder which 26" size you would say is likely to be available..the 559 size (MTB), the 597 size (1-3/8 that was used in the British colonies and is eg readily available in India), or the 584 size (650B) that was used in the French colonies. Would you also suggest no gears or internal hub rather than derailleur gears on the grounds that you can't get replacement rear derailleurs in most places? And if you can they won't be the 9 speed long cage you are likely to have.

Comment by Dabba on April 19, 2010 at 11:01am

I agree Noelbike. I've only toured in Oz and NZ, but the only problems that I've had so far have been getting tyres, and fixing a broken spoke. I always carry a spoke spanner and 3-4 spokes taped to my rear rack, so it was no problem. I always carry a spare tyre, but in a couple of cases after the spare has been put to use, I've been able to get tyres express mailed to a place where I can collect them - usually in a couple of days. I'd do the same with any other bits that were not able to be replaced locally.

Comment by hartleymartin on April 19, 2010 at 6:16pm

Noelbike,

I was refering to the 559mm rim diameter - ie MTB wheels. It seems that cheap (and often nasty) MTB's and spare parts are fairly common. The only major problem with 700C wheel format is that touring specific wheels and tyres are a bit harder to come by, as most 700C stuff available is road-bike (ie racing/sport) oriented. 700C does offer a larger rollin diameter. The actual diameter of the most popular tyre size for touring is 26" x 1.75" (approx. 653mm) whilst 700x35c is about 692mm. The larger rolling diameter is certainly of benefit.

Case in point, it is possible to get knobby and slick 559 tyres just about anywhere, even if they are crappy, but for 700C, alot of places will only stock 23, 25 and 28mm wide tyres. The wider 32 and 35 (and even 38mm) tyres used by most tourers are usually to "special order" (hanging around for several days waiting to get them).

I personally prefer internally geared hubs. If I could afford it, I would put a Rohloff 14-speed hub on every bicycle I own, but I just don't have the $2,000+ to get one, and they are such an attractice target for knowing bike thieves that I could never leave it locked up outside for long (I have heard tell of someone cutting the rear spokes in a locked wheel just to steal the hub!)

But as Dabba has commented, if you're only around Australia (and NZ) then it's usually not too much bother to get touring-specific parts express posted to you. I bought a Fuji Touring Bicycle framset, and I will be building it up with the 700C wheels it was designed for (jury is still out as to whether to go for 32 or 35mm tyres, but I have decided I want Schwalbe Duremes).

Of course, throwing another spanner in the works, I have been riding around on small-wheeled bicycles a lot lately, and I will be building up a second "light tourer" that will run on 20" wheels with an 8-speed hub. I use the term "light tourer" as I do not think that it will be able to handle the same weight as my heavy trekking bicycle, and the gearing will be less favourable for hills, but it will do.

Comment by Dabba on April 19, 2010 at 6:26pm

The only major problem with 700C wheel format is that touring specific wheels and tyres are a bit harder to come by, as most 700C stuff available is road-bike (ie racing/sport) oriented.

I think that your statement is a bit generalised. Velocity make a number of good rims suitable for touring as well as tandems. I use their Dyads as my touring wheels and their Razors for around town, but I'd be quite happy to use the Razors touring. Both of these rim sets are double walled and quite robust. A few years ago I laced up a 48 spoker for my tandem and it was bomb proof.

Comment by hartleymartin on April 19, 2010 at 6:31pm

Yes, but how many bicycles shops can you go into and buy them off the shelf? I'm putting it out there on the perspective that you're out somewhere remote and you pull into a local town where the local bike shop. Touring-specific gear isn't always available off-the-shelf.

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