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What to pay attention to when buying low-ish – end touring / commuting bike?

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  • November 19, 2015 at 3:09 pm #25072
    SaladButt

    I bought my first not-shitty bike earlier this year (Whyte Malvern) only to have it stolen this Sunday 🙁 Anyway, that means I’ve got to get a new one as soon as possible because it’s quite essential to my car-less / living-not-cenrally combo life.

    I use bicycle for everyday commute (~12 miles daily) as well as touring. I’m quite new to the latter, having done only several day trips and one longer 1400 mi journey, but I definitely anticipate more +1000-milers sometime in the future. As much as I enjoyed riding the All-terrain Whyte I feel that given my circumstances I should really look into geting a tourer but I have no idea what things I should be paying attention to. Even if I did, I don’t have enough awarness of what’s out there to be able to compare all the different shifters, derailleurs, breaks etc. Can you recommend anything I could look into getting?

    My budget is around £650 for a bike + fenders + back rack (but willing to go up to ~£900 if it’d make a huge difference). Also I’d be getting it under my company’s CycleScheme so it’d be great if the bike was available online on Wiggle, Evans Cycles or Chain Reaction Cycles.

    So far I like two in particular: a Fuji Touring 2016 and a Jamis Aurora 2016. How do they compare to each other and to general specs I should be aiming for? I quite like the look they both are going for – simple, straight, stable.

    Appreciate any help!

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  • November 29, 2015 at 9:15 pm #863159
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    MuddyPete

    How about an On-One Inbred

    How about an On-One Inbred 29er with bar ends/tri-bars/drop bars, but with Geax Tattoo 2.3″ (road) tyres instead of MTB tyres? Approx £650 with hydraulic discs & front suspension at the moment. It takes a rack and crud catchers can be fitted. Frames are pretty tough, but just flex nicely when loaded and bouncing across rough stuff. Better value than a Salsa Fargo (or a ‘normal’ tourer, for that matter).

    November 23, 2015 at 9:20 am #863157
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    Rod Marton

    Touring is going to more

    Touring is going to more demanding than commuting and you have suggested a couple of classic-looking touring bikes. On the face of it both of them should do the job. Some important things to look for:

    Frame: traditionalists would say steel, it’s got a lot of advantages for touring but a well-designed aluminium frame should be fine.

    Tyre clearances (with mudguards): Depends what sort of touring you are planning. 1000 miles and not too heavily laden, 28mm is fine; longer and more demanding you might prefer 32mm; off-road expedition touring will need wider tyres.

    Gearing: For touring I prefer a triple chainset with 7 speed casette: I know you can get the same range of gears with a double and 10/11 speed casette but everything is lighter and more breakable – and you want reliability for touring. Also the triple avoids large jumps in gears, which are hard work on a laden bike.

    Brakes: Disc brakes are perfect for touring, however you can get cantis to work almost as well though they are fiddly to set up. Both your suggestions have cantis, I would suggest swapping supplied cantis for Suntour SEs, the best canti brake ever made – you can get them from SJS Cycles.

    But the most important thing is that you are comfortable on the bike and happy riding the bike for extended distances. And you are the only one who can decide on that.

    November 22, 2015 at 9:35 pm #863155
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    Jacobi

    It may be worth looking at

    It may be worth looking at the Cube Peleton SL available at Chain Reaction.

    The specs are way, way superior to the Fuji or Jamis – combination of Shimano 105 andUltegra – 11 speed 11-32 cassette eats hills –  ideal for touring. 

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-peloton-sl-compact-road-bike-2015/rp-prod127979?gs=1&gclid=CKqp_f_8pMkCFdEYGwodGLoIIw&gclsrc=aw.ds

    November 22, 2015 at 6:12 pm #863153
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    barbarus

    Good tyres on the jamis too.
    Good tyres on the jamis too.

    November 22, 2015 at 4:34 pm #863151
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    gmac101

    Nobody has commented on the

    Nobody has commented on the bikes you’re thinking of. Well I’d go for the Jamis.  It’s got mounts for front panniers and I prefer the flat top bar style.  The chrome/polished components have a nice retro look and tend to age a bit better than the black trim ones on the Fuji. It’s also easier to get chrome/polished accessories to match.  I like the coordinated mudguards getting them pre fitted will save an hour or two and possibly some foul language. The tektro brake blocks are often a bit wooden and replacing them with some swissstops or similar will improve braking. The cables and outers on the lower end bikes aren’t great and replacing them after 12 months or so will make it feel like new 

    November 21, 2015 at 5:50 pm #863149
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    barbarus

    Also, although cyclescheme is
    Also, although cyclescheme is good, bikes bought through it must be sold full price so you may be better off getting a discounted bike through a shop on finance. If you shop around you may be able to get 0%

    November 21, 2015 at 3:51 pm #863147
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    barbarus

    +1 for ridgeback. I would
    +1 for ridgeback. I would also consider genesis cdf or charge plug for disc brakes; you will appreciate them loaded with panniers in the wet.

    November 20, 2015 at 2:29 pm #863145
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    rojre

     Ridgeback touring bikes are

     Ridgeback touring bikes are worth a look! and they are readily avalable i would think in most UK regions.

    November 20, 2015 at 10:18 am #863143
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    rosiel

    I guess I’d be looking at

    I guess I’d be looking at something that (from a frame / forks perspective) looked reliable and could comfortably take large panniers etc to give you more flexibility.. Also if you ended up doing foreign trips to anywhere isolated, a frame which can be easily fixed?

    November 19, 2015 at 7:56 pm #863141
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    BBRAP

    Have a look at the Ribble

    Have a look at the Ribble 7500 CR1, starts at £550 and you can spec what bits you want.  I’ve had a number of Ribbles over the years and all have been good value and quite well put together. If you spec the above with Tiagra and Aksium 25mm wheels it will still be under £700 and it comes with guards (select the wide 35mm ones). 

    November 19, 2015 at 5:34 pm #863139
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    SaladButt

    All the bikes I got in the

    All the bikes I got in the past were second hand and in general I’m all for the idea. However, my company’s CycleScheme applies only to new bikes and gives me the opportunity to not only get it tax free but also spread the payment over 12 months.

    That, and it would be simply logistically very dificult for me to find a reasonable bike. I have to get everywhere using public transportation or walking and I’m working late everyday :/

    November 19, 2015 at 5:26 pm #863137
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    Cumisky

    Just a thought, but why not

    Just a thought, but why not look into getting something secondhand to see how you get on.
    A couple of months ago I picked up a 1980 Dawes Galaxy for £45 from a local charity shop.
    I average 40 miles a day on her and she hasn’t missed a beat, though I did treat her to a full new cable set recently and it made a big difference.

    http://bicyclejunky.com/index.php/2015/10/10/an-early-morning-bike-test/

    Since then I found another classic tourer, a Scwinn Le Tour even cheaper at £25 in another charity shop, though she is a little large for me so I haven’t spent much time riding her yet.

    http://bicyclejunky.com/index.php/2015/10/18/schwinn-le-tour/

    Both are a little heavier than a more modern bike, but I do live at the base of the Pennines and daily climb up and down, albeit, slowly.

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