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Ridgeback Voyage vs Ridgeback Expedition??

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  • July 29, 2015 at 12:51 pm #24516
    lauram

    Hello!
    Looking for any help or advice on whether the Ridgeback Expedition is worth the extra ££ over the Ridgeback Voyage? I realise it’s a better bike (obviously!) but wondering whether it’s worth the extra £100 odd. I’d be using it largely for commuting around London, around 5 or so miles each day, with quite a few 2-3 day cycling expeditions and the odd longer tour around 3-4 weeks. Maybe a really long tour if I really enjoy them!

    Here’s the Expedition specs
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/expedition-2015-touring-bike-ec059663

    And the Voyage
    https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/p73683/ridgeback-voyage-2015-touring-bike

    Also the new 2016 range will be out soon I think, but I don’t know much about it 🙂 Oh, also, I can only find the 2015 expedition in 47cm, I’m 5’3″ with 30.5″ inner leg measurement. Not sure whether it would fit?

    Thanks in advance for your help 🙂

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  • July 30, 2015 at 4:11 pm #855369
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    Rod Marton

    The best bike for you is the
    The best bike for you is the one that suits you most, so I don’t like to be too prescriptive. But a few ideas…

    Anything described as “cross”, “adventure” or “gravel” is a good place to start. These are becoming fashionable, so there are a good few around. Practical things to look for are mudguard and rack mounts, and clearance for at least 32mm tyres with mudguards. Smaller manufacturers/own brands often give better value, so worth looking at these. For example, my winter commuter is an Eastway CX2.0, which is great fun to ride and would probably meet your requirements. More popular possibilities would be Pinnacle Arkose, even Boardman CX. But go to your LBS and have a look. Mail order is OK if you know exactly what you want, but if you don’t you need to try them out.

    July 30, 2015 at 10:07 am #855367
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    lauram

    Thanks heaps for that, that
    Thanks heaps for that, that was really helpful.

    I guess commuting would be the main use because I’d use it everyday for that! I get so confused with all the specs I couldn’t work out how much better the expedition would be. Although I thought for touring bikes the cantilever brakes were the way to go due to ease of fixing if something goes wrong. Any popular bikes you could recommend that would be suitable? :/

    July 30, 2015 at 8:02 am #855365
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    Rod Marton

    It’s quite a close call. The
    It’s quite a close call. The frames look the same, the Expedition has slightly better components, which should be a bit more durable, but the main difference is that it uses bar-end shifters rather than STI. Nothing wrong with bar-end shifters, they work perfectly well, but they can be a bit more fiddly to use, especially in urban traffic.

    As to fit, only you can answer this, and the best way to do it is to try it. I find the most critical dimension is the top tube length, there isn’t much adjustment on length on a bike. For height you can always put the saddle up and down.

    From these two, if commuting is your priority I’d go for the Voyage, if touring I’d prefer a little more confidence in components and go for the Expedition. But you could probably find better alternatives to both at a similar price. For a start I would go for something with disc brakes: these are a big advance over cantis. Genesis CdA might be a good alternative, but there are plenty of “adventure” bikes around now and any of these would meet your needs.

    July 29, 2015 at 6:34 pm #855363
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    lauram

    Anyone??
    Anyone??

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