Selecting aTouring Bike

There seem to be a countless number of bicycle manufacturers and each one has at least a half-dozen models and some of the major companies have many more. Yet the number of bikes designed specifically for touring is limited. I guess it makes sense; lots of people ride casually and very few take multi-day trips loaded down with 50+ pounds of gear.

There are however some touring bikes that are fairly popular and have been available for years.They include the Surly Long Haul Trucker, Trek 520, Jamis Aurora, and Novara Randonee. Any of these bikes would be a good choice, but none met all of the criteria I had established.  Fortunately, a few other companies are offering touring bikes now. Here's what I considered:

Specialized Tricross: There are 3 variations of this and as the name implies, it is intended for cyclocross, but it can also be used for touring. Canti brakes, triple crank, and good quality components make this an attractive choice. It has an aluminum frame and that's great for weight savings, but perhaps a bit too stiff for really long rides.


Co-Motion Americano - Co-Motion is best known for their tandems, but they also make some great singles. The Americano is their touring bike and it has all of the features I'm looking for: steel frame, available disc brakes, touring triple crank, and bar-end shifters. Unfortunately the price is much too high for me, a first time tourer. Still, I gave it some thought, but then found out that it would take too long to get it built. I really should have started shopping last fall rather than now when everyone is thinking "new bike."

http://co-motion.com/index.php/singles/americano

Crank Daddy's Bicycle Works http://crankdaddys.com/ (with which I have a family relationship) suggested the Salsa Vaya. Salsa makes some great off-road bikes. The Vaya is set up for mixed surface riding and has all the necessary components to make it a capable touring bike. At a complete bike price of about half of the Americano, it was definitely a possibility. Two problems: First, the 34/48 chainring and 11-32 cassette doesn't give me the serious granny gearing I want. That could be corrected, but the second problem was the fact that they had recently expanded their retail outlets and the increase in demand meant I couldn't get a bike for a couple of months. My fault; again, I should have shopped in mid-winter.

I was starting to think that I'd have to compromise on my specifications. Then Andrew at Crank Daddy's suggested the Gunnar Grand Tour. Gunnar doesn't build complete bikes, just the steel frames. The Grand Tour is designed to do exactly what the name says. This was looking good, but then I found out it couldn't be fitted with disc brakes and by now I had pretty much decided this was a minimum requirement. Back to square one? Almost, but then I saw that Gunnar also makes the Fast Lane, a do-anything frame that can be used for light touring both on and off road. This frame and fork are built to handle the added stress of disc brakes. And yes, they could build it for me with a early May delivery date.

By buying the frame, fork and all the components separately, I know this isn't going to be an economy ride. However it does let me customize everything from the gears to the saddle.

One thinks of bicycles as being rather simple machines, but there are lots of decisions to make in building one from scratch: wheels, spokes, tires, cassette, crank, sadddle, shifters, brakes, brake levers, pedals, and then all of the optional items like lights, bags, and cyclometers. Let the fun begin.

Criteria for a Touring Bike

I did a bunch of reading on what type of bike would be best for a long distance ride. Naturally, a "touring bike" is the right answer, but there are countless varieties of touring bikes. There are bikes designed for paved road touring, off-road, and mixed surface touring. Tour with a credit card, or pack enough stuff on your bike to make it a virtual mobile home. Spend a bunch or go the economy route.

I plan to stay on the pavement, carry enough so that I can camp most days, and neither break the bank or wonder if I saving a few a dollars would be forgotten when the ride became uncomfortable or unreliable.

So here are my criteria for my touring bike:

• Low gear-inch number of 22 or below. For going up those long mountain climbs, no one ever complains that their gearing is too low. Lots of bikes that are supposedly for touring have gearing that is too high for anything but rolling hills. Here's a good site for calculating gear inches: http://www.jbarrm.com/cycal/cycal.html
• Great brakes. When you are packing an additional 50+ pounds and heading downhill for a couple of miles, you want to know you can slow to make the curves. V-brakes are pretty much standard for touring bikes, but disc brakes have some benefits and are becoming more popular.
• Built for comfort, not for speed. Road bikes are lightweight and built for speed. Every ounce saved is potentially a speed improvement. On a touring bike you can save pounds by simply packing lighter and the distance you cover is not so much a measure of speed, but rather riding time. Most everyone says that steel frames are more giving and accordingly more comfortable for a long day on  the saddle. Riding position should be a bit more upright too. I want to be able to enjoy the scenery and at the same time not put excessive strain on my back.
• Reliable. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of speed and technology for a bike that doesn't need lots of maintenance and repair. I'm not interested in mastering roadside bike repair through experience. The key potential problem areas are flat tires, broken chains, non-functioning derailleurs, and broken spokes. So sturdy and simple seems to be the order.

 OK. I have a pretty good idea of what I want in a touring bike. Time to go shopping.

Where to Ride

The Adventure Cycling Association offers all kinds of intriguing long distance rides. I love the challenge of long distances, having ridden a motorcycle to all corners of the US. There's also a feeling of accomplishment to be able to say you've ridden from one border to another.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/RouteNetwork.pdf

North to South? East to West? I like the idea of crossing the country best, but I'd rather not fight a prevailing headwind or ride in temperatures that make dehydration a constant concern. There are at least 3 different routes across America on the Adventure Cycling map. I've basically driven the Southern and middle route a number of times and would like to see a different part of the country. Obvious choice, as the blog title indicates, is the Northern Tier. This should also be cooler compared to the other routes. Winds obviously can change from day to day and certainly across the many states of the Northern Tier. Nevertheless, if there is an "average wind" it seems to come from the Northwest.

Another plus: this route, with a small detour, will let me visit my brother and his family in Wisconsin. 

An Idea

I'm not sure what prompted this, but I've decided to go on a long bike ride.

For the last couple of years, I've been riding pretty consistently, pedaling an average of 100 miles per week. In that time, my endurance and speed have steadily improved. A lightweight Specialized Roubaix certainly helped.

About a year ago I found the Adventure Cycling Association site and printed the national map of routes. The map was sitting on my desk and every once in a while I'd look it over, wondering if I'd be able to actually ride one of those edge-to-edge routes. A long rainy winter with fewer opportunities to get out and ride had me looking at that map more and more. I started reading articles about touring, the equipment needed, and the physical conditioning of long distance riders. It seemed to me that a successful tour wasn't so much about speed and strength, but rather a reliable bicycle, a reasonable steady pace, and time.

The more I thought about it, there really wasn't anything to prevent me from taking on the challenge. I've got the time, I'm in pretty good shape for 59 years of age, and know how to ride a bicycle. I just needed to decide on a route and get the gear for a long distance self-supported ride.