Multi day touring / adventure bike

[gibbo]

Seeking some advice from the experts here. The wife and I are keen to do some multi day rides (10 - 15 days).

I am wondering about the type of bike that would be best. I am thinking either a touring bike or gravel/adventure bike, I there much difference between them? It will need to have the capacity for front and rear racks and full fenders. I am leaning towards a steel frame to keep the budget reasonable as we will be purchasing quite a bit of gear like tent, sleeping bags, ect.... Riding surface will be a mix of gravel and pavement.

I have been looking at Kona and Bombtrack online, are there other brands you think are better that I should check out?

Do you think 650 or 700 wheels would be better?

Any advice from experienced multi day tourers out their would be most appreciated!!

Thanks :banana:

[bikinchris]

Look at the SOMA Saga touring bike frame. Very well made bike. Not a ton of money. You can choose your own components because you buy the frame and parts seperately.

[jtakeda]

For a true touring and adventure only bike I would look no further than Tumbleweed.

http://www.tumbleweed.cc/store/prospector

Disclaimer--I know Daniel and hes a great guy and an excellent mechanic. You can read about his philosophy and watch the short doc of him riding thru the Peruvian Andes--but his whole thing is "if it breaks when I'm out there will I be able to limp home, fix it or get it fixed at a shop ANYWHERE"

He designs the bikes with those and comfort in mind.

[oliver1850]

Are you thinking new or used? What is your budget range? I'm guessing that your location may play into the equation.

Surly LHT is probably the most popular touring bike right now in the USA.

[Louis]

For a true touring and adventure only bike I would look no further than Tumbleweed.

http://www.tumbleweed.cc/store/prospector

Disclaimer--I know Daniel and hes a great guy and an excellent mechanic. You can read about his philosophy and watch the short doc of him riding thru the Peruvian Andes--but his whole thing is "if it breaks when I'm out there will I be able to limp home, fix it or get it fixed at a shop ANYWHERE"

He designs the bikes with those and comfort in mind.

Interesting.

What's the gearing range on those?

[ColonelJLloyd]

It will need to be capable of carrying sleeping setup and and multiple days of food and cooking rig?

[jtakeda]

Interesting.

What's the gearing range on those?

Not 100% certain--They are touring right now so not sure if theyll be able to answer but I remember when they did Peru and Mongolia and those are some steeeeeep mountain passes.

[gibbo]

It will need to be capable of carrying sleeping setup and and multiple days of food and cooking rig?

Yes, the plan is to do a mix of camping and BnB (real bed and showers).

Also, I forgot to mention we are located in Australia.

[AllesWirdGut]

Especially since you're in AUS, it's hard to ignore the Curve Kevin of Steel. Well worth checking out among the nearly endless options in the category these days.

[ChristianWong]

His and hers?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49672656268_6bcff0e756_b.jpg

[Likes2ridefar]

Ive been on a surly midnight special for a few months now and love it. I’ve been using it as a go anywhere road/gravel/trail bike and it does not disappoint.

It is one of the best handling and riding bikes I’ve been on.

[Smitty2k1]

Jamis Renegade?

The new Surly Disc Trucker?

Soma has some nice offerings too.

[JAGI410]

Salsa Fargo or Marin Four Corners

[Burning Pines]

All on roads or some off road? And paved or unpaved? That’s a huge point of divergence in touring/bikepacking setups, and will determine what bike and racks/bags you purchase.

Oh and gravel/adventure bikes are a huge category, some are suitable for touring and some aren’t, just depends.

IMO 650b is nice if you like fat tires because between saddlebags, racks, and fenders clearance can be tight with 700c

[Toddtwenty2]

I'll second the Saga. I probably have 20k miles on mine so far, and it still handles anything with aplomb... Including kid hauling these days.

Mine was the first generation - back when everyone was concerned that disc brakes would leave you stranded on your backwoods tour of Tanzania. I am sure that the current disc version is even better.

I am a huge fan of Arkel panniers, as well. The attachment is simple and very solid, customer support is incredible, and I like being able to organize a bit.

[arimajol]

As the responses show, there are a lot of choices. Your question about wheel size depends on the type of surfaces you'll ride on. If I was staying on paved roads I'd stick with 700c, but if you think you'll be riding unpaved roads a good amount of time, the wide tires you can get with 650b might be a good benefit.

[Ken Robb]

As the responses show, there are a lot of choices. Your question about wheel size depends on the type of surfaces you'll ride on. If I was staying on paved roads I'd stick with 700c, but if you think you'll be riding unpaved roads a good amount of time, the wide tires you can get with 650b might be a good benefit.

I think the size of bike and rider might figure into choosing wheels size.

[Likes2ridefar]

I think the size of bike and rider might figure into choosing wheels size.

Agree there, my 56cm midnight special takes 650 so I tried them out, I’m 6’ and 160ish lb. I was disappointed with how they felt. Felt slower and not much other gains aside from volume where it is clearly superior in some use cases like a trail or very gnarly gravel.

My takeaway is if you like to go fast and can deal with 38-45mm 700 it’s a much better choice for the taller rider.

[charliedid]

Buy a Kona Sutra.

[slowpoke]

It will need to have the capacity for front and rear racks and full fenders. I am leaning towards a steel frame to keep the budget reasonable as we will be purchasing quite a bit of gear like tent, sleeping bags, ect.... Riding surface will be a mix of gravel and pavement.

Most modern mixed-terrain bike touring rigs (aka "bikepacking") are paired with lightweight camping gear to reduce the need for the traditional 4-pannier setup. Tents, which might've traditionally taken up an entire pannier or two are now rolled up in front of the handlebar. And sleeping bags can now be compressed into a seatbag.

How much you're willing to spend on ultralight camp gear will dictate your luggage requirements.

Personally, I would spend money on lighter gear and move away from the older 4-pannier setup because the bike rides so much nicer with less weight--especially rear weight.

[David in Maine]

While I can certainly see the appeal of the newer bikepacking style with ultralight camping gear there are definitely some trade-offs. My wife and I tour with the typical 4 pannier load and enjoy the spaciousness of our 3 person tent, the comfort of our full length inflateable pads, and having space in our panniers to shop for real food and wine on the road to feast on in the campsite. My wife's custom touring bike is built around 26" wheels so she can run wide tires and full fenders without toe overlap. Toe overlap on a loaded touring bike is a bad idea!

David

[slowpoke]

Yup, I think the tradeoff is whether a person is optimizing for when they're riding or camping. That said, modern tents can be lightweight and spacious, but at the price of your wallet and durability.

Also, there is a middle-ground of only having large front panniers and a frame bag, and a large seatbag for lighter-weight compressibles.

[Johnnysmooth]

Seen some nice touring bikes over at Co-Motion
Been thinking about such myself as I haven't done any touring since rt after college when I took a 5month jaunt across Europe, camping in fields, on farms and even in a coupe of caves. An unforgettable trip

[gibbo]

Road surfaced will be a mix of pavement and gravel.
The capacity for full racks is a must.
I am wondering if a Roloff internal rear hub can provide enough gear range?
I am thinking Dynamo front hub for power, any thoughts on this?


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[charliedid]

Road surfaced will be a mix of pavement and gravel.
The capacity for full racks is a must.
I am wondering if a Roloff internal rear hub can provide enough gear range?
I am thinking Dynamo front hub for power, any thoughts on this?


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Rohloff will generally be totally suitable for touring but it is very heavy. You also mentioned "reasonable" budget. A Rohloff will be a minimum of $1200 for the hub and very few bikes if any come stock. Maybe the Tout Terrain but I can't recall. Co-Motion would be a bike to look at and they also do Pinion as well. That said they are great but expect a bike built to handle this hub to be $5000 minimum. I've sold a pile of Sutras and we often built a dyno front wheel at the time of sale with the same rim to save cost. Dyno is super nice to have on a touring bike.

Also shifters are an issue with Rohloff and I think a twist shift is still the only option though co-motion made a slick one for a drop bar.

[gibbo]

Rohloff will generally be totally suitable for touring but it is very heavy. You also mentioned "reasonable" budget. A Rohloff will be a minimum of $1200 for the hub and very few bikes if any come stock. Maybe the Tout Terrain but I can't recall. Co-Motion would be a bike to look at and they also do Pinion as well. That said they are great but expect a bike built to handle this hub to be $5000 minimum. I've sold a pile of Sutras and we often built a dyno front wheel at the time of sale with the same rim to save cost. Dyno is super nice to have on a touring bike.

Also shifters are an issue with Rohloff and I think a twist shift is still the only option though co-motion made a slick one for a drop bar.


Thanks for that info, I had no clue the Rohloff was so expensive! External gears it is!


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[thekenoshakid]

Don't know what the availability/cost is like in Australia, but Niner's RLT steel has all the mounting points you'll need and rides well loaded up with panniers without giving up much to ride nicely unloaded on dirt or paved too.

[Cornfed]

I've done a number of mutli-day/week trips on the Salsa Vaya and you couldn't ask for a more comfortable and functional touring bike, imo. Clearance for big tires, fenders, and mud. A plethora of mounts everywhere, including the fork. Disc brakes for the loaded downhills, and wide gearing for the loaded uphills. Just a great bike for any adventure and very reasonably priced.

One suggestion: see if you can't make do with frame bags instead of panniers. Lighter, quieter, and easier to move and modify to suit.

Have fun!

[charliedid]

Don't know what the availability/cost is like in Australia, but Niner's RLT steel has all the mounting points you'll need and rides well loaded up with panniers without giving up much to ride nicely unloaded on dirt or paved too.

It's a great bike but it is no loaded touring rig to be sure. light to moderate bikepacking in the hills sure...of course people ride all sorts of things as touring bikes and do fine I guess. Pretty stark differences if you compare wheelbase and chainstays on those two bikes. Just my 2 cents.

[buddybikes]

For a true touring and adventure only bike I would look no further than Tumbleweed.

http://www.tumbleweed.cc/store/prospector

Disclaimer--I know Daniel and hes a great guy and an excellent mechanic. You can read about his philosophy and watch the short doc of him riding thru the Peruvian Andes--but his whole thing is "if it breaks when I'm out there will I be able to limp home, fix it or get it fixed at a shop ANYWHERE"

He designs the bikes with those and comfort in mind.

Perhaps, but... We toured significantly on 700c wheels, good Reynolds frame with eyelets. One bike worth mentioning anyway is the Lynskey touring frame. Just finished riding it this eve.

[Geeheeb]

Check out https://www.cyclingabout.com/ for a lot of info and reviews of touring bikes. Great youtube channel too.

[559Rando]

Agree there, my 56cm midnight special takes 650 so I tried them out, I’m 6’ and 160ish lb. I was disappointed with how they felt. Felt slower and not much other gains aside from volume where it is clearly superior in some use cases like a trail or very gnarly gravel.

My takeaway is if you like to go fast and can deal with 38-45mm 700 it’s a much better choice for the taller rider.

I respectfully disagree. I'm a few inches taller and more than a few pounds heavier and I love 650B wheels (that "B" is important). There are other factors here, such tires, wheels, bearings, terrain, tubes or no tubes, etc.

Check out https://www.cyclingabout.com/ for a lot of info and reviews of touring bikes. Great youtube channel too.

I've found this to be a mixed resourced, like calling trail "fork trail", but I think he means well and if you can think critically, I'd consider his opinion, but not weigh any more than anyone you trust on this forum, knowledge friends, etc.

A few years ago, there was good reason to recommend 26" bikes for touring, but now the supplies of good tires and rims are fewer (selection is best if you can order and have it shipped but not so hot if you're counting on rolling into a store for a spare). These days, I'd probably go to 650B since it's more available and you can go wide. 700C is jim dandy and if you have wheels, tires, and tubes on hand, that'll save you some money, but my preference would be to go with a wider tire on a smaller diameter wheel.

[buddybikes]

Bar end shifters for reliability. Shimano SPD with platforms built in. Compact MTB crank (XT).

[charliedid]

Bar end shifters for reliability. Shimano SPD with platforms built in. Compact MTB crank (XT).

But then you have bar end shifters...the only thing I hate about so many touring bikes these days. It's 2020 and even so shifters are not really a problem. People just keep repeating it. I'll take my shifters in the integrated form thanks.

Just My 2c

[weisan]

People just keep repeating it.



Bingo!

[gdw]

But then you have bar end shifters...the only thing I hate about so many touring bikes these days. It's 2020 and even so shifters are not really a problem. People just keep repeating it. I'll take my shifters in the integrated form thanks.

Just My 2c

Horses for courses. Brifters are great and should be adequate for the short tours the OP is planning. That said if you search this forum you'll find numerous threads discussing all kinds of problems that our members have had with various Shimano, Campy, and Sram models over the years. Frayed and broken cables, poor shifting, broken internal parts etc. Barcons are simple, ultra reliable, and aren't plagued by any of those issues and are justifiably popular with the folks who do extended tours especially if they are traveling in areas where bike shops are scarce.

[charliedid]

Horses for courses. Brifters are great and should be adequate for the short tours the OP is planning. That said if you search this forum you'll find numerous threads discussing all kinds of problems that our members have had with various Shimano, Campy, and Sram models over the years. Frayed and broken cables, poor shifting, broken internal parts etc. Barcons are simple, ultra reliable, and aren't plagued by any of those issues and are justifiably popular with the folks who do extended tours especially if they are traveling in areas where bike shops are scarce.

Sure

On the other hand I've toured thousands of miles since 1975 and never had a major problem with any of my bikes. Buy good stuff and keep it in good order. Between running my knee into a barcon and having to take my hand off the bars in a less than ideal situation fully loaded, tired from a long ass day on the bike through hills, I'll stick to "brifters". They work, but I get the aversion warranted or not.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Buy good stuff and keep it in good order.

Heard

[josephr]

I recall an article about Dave Wages and his wife taking a long tour with spectacular views and really cool bikes. Maybe a 'rental' might be an option?

[slowpoke]

A few years ago, there was good reason to recommend 26" bikes for touring, but now the supplies of good tires and rims are fewer (selection is best if you can order and have it shipped but not so hot if you're counting on rolling into a store for a spare). These days, I'd probably go to 650B since it's more available and you can go wide. 700C is jim dandy and if you have wheels, tires, and tubes on hand, that'll save you some money, but my preference would be to go with a wider tire on a smaller diameter wheel.

Have you considered changing your name to 584Rando? ;)

[MerckxMad]

The new model has long chainstays and a lugged steel frame for a super comfy ride. Tons of braze-ons and built for 650B tires. The model has been around forever and many have been around the world. Mine hasn’t yet left the neighborhood due to the pandemic, but it still gets ridden regularly and puts a smile on face.

[owly]

I think here your best bet price-wise is the Sutra or AriseTour.

Slight differences in front end geo.

Only 2teeth diff in the low-end gearing, but the Sutra is 3x.

Sutra has flatmount-brake fork. Rear?

Sutra comes with the larger 700c tyres, so I'd expect it to fit larger max than AriseTour.

They're cheap enough to upgrade the Spyre brake calipers on either, which I think with a loaded bike you'd want to do. My choice would be Juin Tech GT along with compressionless brake housing. There's a couple of finned pads to suit, out there also if you want. Sintered. GT-F for flatmount. GT-P for postmount.

https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=kona-sutra-2020;*z.54cm|w.700,bombtrack-arise-tour-2020;*z.MD|w.700

[bikinchris]

Since you're in Australia, can you look at Cinelli? They have a couple of nice touring bikes.

[csm]

Fargo or Vaya.


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