Temple Cycles Adventure Disc 3

The Temple Adventure Disc 3 takes the best of the old and the new to deliver a sumptuous long-distance cruiser that lives up to the ‘adventure’ in its name. The frame may be the familiar Reynolds 725 chromoly steel, but this oh-so-elegant tourer has thru-axles and disc brakes to bring it into the 21st century. The result is an extremely comfortable and well-equipped machine, and its understated looks turned heads wherever I went, among cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

> Buy now: Temple Cycles Adventure Disc 3 for £1,588 from Temple Cycles

Temple Adventure Disc 3: Ride

I got in a lot of miles on the Temple Adventure Disc 3 and it never failed to impress, regardless of the conditions or the terrain.

The combination of a steel frameset and wide tyres is one that always promises comfort – and in this case it delivers on that. But its poise and control together equal the comfort.

While the Temple has a weight north of 13kg, this is pretty typical for a touring bike and it’s something you’re rarely aware of. True, you’re never going to fly up hills, but then again, I pretty much never fly up hills.

This is where the 20in bottom gear becomes your best friend. Even loaded up, and even with my creaking knees, I could drop into that gear and ‘spin’ (well, maybe not exactly spin…) up the climbs.

And while the Temple is every inch the touring bike, the geometry is slightly less extreme than you’ll find on some of its competitors, bikes such as the Surly Disc Trucker and the Genesis Tour de Fer 20.

While the Temple’s frame angles are touring bike typical, with a slack 71.5° head angle and 73° seat angle (the Surly is 72°/73°, the Genesis 71.5°/73.5°), it’s noticeably shorter than the other two bikes – 6cm in the case of the Genesis – and most of this is down to the Temple’s shorter rear end.

The Temple also has a lower stack than both. The front end is still high enough that you’re in a lower back-friendly upright riding position that also lets you take in your surroundings, but it makes the ride just a little livelier, and the handling that bit quicker.

In many ways the Disc 3’s geometry – top tube length, frame angles, that shorter wheelbase – resembles that of a gravel bike. And take off the rack and mudguards and fit 35mm tyres and you’d get the weight down to something not far off that of a gravel bike costing about the same.

As it comes, it’s a ride that lets you get in kilometre after kilometre, mile after mile, league after league (a league is around three miles, apparently – you live and learn) in total comfort and complete control.

The bar tape is good, though I’d possibly double tape if going on tour, and the flared bar is great for control when the going gets rough. The tyres, too, are more than capable of handling off-road forays without complaint. My old commute used to take in around 10 miles of canal towpath, and the tyres shrugged off that unsurfaced route and local light gravel surfaces without grumbling. Unlike my knees…

The gravel-inspired handlebar proved an equally good choice, the extra width of the flared drops bringing with it extra control. It was comfortable too, as was the Temple Bristol saddle.

If I was using the Temple as a day-to-day bike, mainly on decently smooth tarmac, I’d consider going down to slicker 35mm tyres, which could trim off a chunk of weight – potentially well over half a kilo – without noticeably sacrificing comfort.

Overall, the ride is pretty much pitch perfect. It’s comfortable when you’re cruising and carries weight without issue. The brakes make it confident on descents, even if the cable discs lack the lightness of action of hydraulics.

Temple Adventure Disc 3: Frame and fork

At the heart of the Temple is a Reynolds 725 frame that’s TIG-welded in Vietnam (which might kibosh any plans Temple has to export to the USA) before being painted in Europe, and it’s all very neatly done.

But while Reynolds steel is about as old school as it gets, this frameset is very much designed for the third decade of the 21st century, with both the frame and fork having 12mm thru-axles and disc brake mounts.

And talking of mounts, the Temple comes with plenty of bosses for carrying bottles and touring/bikepacking kit. There are no bento box bosses on the top tube – which is perhaps slightly surprising, though not a major issue – but you get three pairs of bottle bosses on the main frame, with one pair under the bottom of the down tube, and a pair on each fork leg.

The fork and frame also get mudguard threads, with the rear getting separate rack mounts at the top of the seatstays.

Temple Adventure Disc 3: Groupset

Triple chainsets may be slowly disappearing into cycling history, a bit like rim brakes, but they’re still hanging in there for the moment, at least in the somewhat niche world of cycle-touring. And for good reason.

Yes, you can get the same range with a two-ring setup thanks to today’s wide cassettes, and something close to the range with a single chainring. But the triple allows you to achieve both the maximum range of gearing, with a low bottom gear the absolute essential, while only having small jumps between gears.

The Temple has a largely Shimano 9-speed setup accompanied by Temple’s own Corinthian Triple chainset, with the rings reminiscent of Stronglight’s. I think the use of silver rather than black is good too, helping with the bike’s classic looks.

Temple told me that it chose 9-speed because it would enable you to pick up spares pretty much anywhere in the world. Whether you’re in Bulgaria or Bangkok you should be able to find a bike shop with 9-speed Shimano bits and bobs.

The chainset’s 48/36/26T chainrings are paired with a similarly wide 12-36T cassette, a combo that delivers a 20-111in gear range. This will cover all eventualities, with the 27 ratios ensuring that you can always find the perfect cadence.

Shimano’s Sora provides the STi levers and front and rear mechs, and all worked without issue.

Braking comes courtesy of Tektro’s TRP Spyre disc brakes with 160mm rotors. These are cable-actuated rather than hydraulic, and I’m very happy with that choice.

They’re very effective even with their stock pads – once they’ve bedded in, of course. The action is smooth and they are sufficiently powerful to stop you and a loaded bike safely, even if it requires more effort on your part than hydraulics would. With upgraded pads – Patrick on off.road.cc went for Race Matrix disc pads from Uberbike – braking would be better still.

As I’ve said in previous reviews, if I was by the roadside in Woop Woop or somewhere similar, I’d much rather not have hydraulic fluid leaking everywhere. Cables I can deal with, even with my so-so spannering skills.

The other advantage of discs, whether cable or hydraulic, and one I’ve also mentioned before, but one I think that is often under-appreciated, is that they work even if the rim is dinked out of true. And believe me, if you’ve ever racked up the miles on washboarded or corrugated roads of outback Australia while heavily laden, even the best wheels can be knocked out of true.

Temple Adventure Disc 3: Finishing kit

Part of the genuinely head-turning appeal of the Temple is down to the carefully chosen kit, with the shiny cockpit components rather than the usual black, and the saddle and bartape that complement each other.

There’s nothing exceptional about the stem and seatpost, which are familiar from pretty much every bike around this price. The saddle and handlebar are a little more distinctive.

Temple lets you choose from a few saddles including the Cambium and B17 from Brooks; I like the Cambium but I’m less keen on the venerable company’s leather saddles, which I find unyielding even after riding them in.

In the end I went for the standard-spec Temple Bristol leather saddle, which has a look and shape resembling the Charge Spoon, though the Bristol’s groove is deeper at the rear. I not only found it comfortable, its look also works well with Temple’s bar tape.

This is wrapped around a bar that also has a modern, gravel influenced shape to it. It measures 44cm (centre to centre) before flaring out to a control-increasing 48cm across the bottom of the drops.

To bring our bike up to a touring spec, Temple fitted our Adventure Disc 3 with a Tortec 25kg capacity rear rack (£47) and German-made SKS Bluemels mudguards (£45). The rack’s 25kg capacity is more than enough unless you’re genuinely masochistic or plan to carry your life’s possession with you on tour.

Both mudguards have rubber mud flaps for increased protection, with the front fender featuring the ‘ASR safety system’, which ‘uncouples the stays should branches become trapped between the spokes’. This may seem like a small thing, but I think it’s an absolute essential for a front mudguard to have something like this for maximum rider safety.

Temple Adventure Disc 3: Wheels and tyres

The theme of the wheelset follows the thinking behind the rest of the bike: a tough and practical pairing of Shimano and Schwalbe.

If you’re planning to go on heavily laden touring over poor roads you might want to consider wheels with a higher spoke count than the Shimano’s 28 spokes per wheel, but these arrived true, stayed true and I’ve every confidence in them staying that way for the long term.

The RS171s are a descendant of – you won’t be surprised to hear – Shimano’s RS170 wheels, which Stu rated highly a few years back, praising them for their brass nipples and calling them a ‘wheelset that’s happy to take some abuse’.

The 171s have a wider rim than their predecessor, 19mm compared with 17mm, which can take tyres from 25-42mm, and the hubs are well sealed against the elements.

The downside of that toughness and strength is that they’re pretty heavy, though on a touring bike this is a good deal less important than it would be on a racier road bike. The plus they come with is a 120kg/18st 12lb maximum weight limit.

And it’s pretty much the same with the tyres too, which weigh in at a claimed 670g each.

Schwalbe describes its Marathon Mondial as the ‘ultimate touring tyre’. The Performance Line Raceguard versions fitted here have a ‘Reflex’ reflective strip (a big thumbs up from me), a tread that works well on a variety of surfaces and a double layer of defence against punctures.

The 40mm tyres measured a marginally slimmer 39mm when fitted, which is neither here nor there, and I feel it’s about right for most touring, unless you’re carrying a spectacularly heavy load. There’s a big enough volume of rubber and cushioning air between you and the road or trail and going wider would add even more mass.

Value

At its full, near-£2,000 price, the Temple Adventure Disc 3 is okay value, but it’s been discounted heavily since the end of last year to £1,588 (without the rack and mudguards) and at this price I think it represents very good value.

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For instance, the similarly equipped Surly Disc Trucker – chromoly steel, 3×9-speed Shimano, TRP Spyre disc brakes – was £1,900 when I tested it in 2021, but it’s a now more wallet-worrying £2,400.

Dave really liked the Spa Cycles Wayfarer when he tested it – once he’d changed the tyres. This has a Reynolds 725 frame, Shimano Sora with a triple chainset and it’s still only £1,575. It’s also available in loads of sizes.

Dave also rated the Thorn Club Tour, which cost £1,870 back in 2020 but it’s now a little dearer, starting at around £2,050. It’s available in 10 sizes and loads of customisation options are possible, including having a front V-brake and disc rear for the maximum balance of comfort and braking.

The Genesis Tour de Fer 20 is a lot of bike for £1,499.99, which includes front and rear racks. And while it only has a double chainset, it does include a touring-friendly bottom gear.

If you’re on a tighter budget, you could consider the aluminium Ridgeback Tour that I’m testing at present, which impressively manages a tour-friendly triple setup, full-length mudguards and a rear rack for just £899.99.

Conclusion

Bristol’s Temple Cycles has delivered a top-notch tourer with very few faults and at a reasonable price – even more so when discounted. It’s extremely comfortable, sensibly and very soundly equipped from tip to toe (well, if a bike had tips and toes…) and it’s ideal for very big days out or extended adventures, with all the 9-speed components available pretty much anywhere in the world. And while its raison d’etre is touring, the Temple Adventure Disc 3 would also make a great day-to-day bike and long-distance commuter, a machine capable of covering a lot of bases and at a reasonable price too.

> Buy now: Temple Cycles Adventure Disc 3 for £1,588 from Temple Cycles

Verdict

Very well-thought-out machine with an excellent gear range, good components and finishing kit and a lovely, comfy ride

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