# spa steel tourer?



## jags (5 Jan 2016)

not sure if i asked this before but sure i'll ask anyway.

Spa steel tourer any of you folks riding one and whats your honest opinion.
if i can gather enough money together its on top of my list .
i want to build up a touring bike for summer,i have everything else 
just need the bike.

thanks folks

Jags.


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## YahudaMoon (5 Jan 2016)

Hi Jags

Ive never owned a Spa bicycle, though if its a steel tourer your after then Spa would be a excellent choice in my opinion.

Another one of my choices for your specifications would be Thorn Cycles in Somerset though I think the Thorns could be more expensive?


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## jags (5 Jan 2016)

YahudaMoon said:


> Hi Jags
> 
> Ive never owned a Spa bicycle, though if its a steel tourer your after then Spa would be a excellent choice in my opinion.
> 
> Another one of my choices for your specifications would be Thorn Cycles in Somerset though I think the Thorns could be more expensive?


Thanks i did have 2 Thorn bikes Sherpa and audax had to sell them stone broke . great bikes but very expensive so i reckon if i can get the spa tourer i can build it up with parts i have ,well near enough.


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## jags (5 Jan 2016)

User46386 said:


> Just looked at their site and theres £250 off demo spa tourers. One in each size, get in quick.


Love to Liz and thanks for the heads up but im broke at the moment ,i'll get there in a few months.thanks again.


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## steveindenmark (5 Jan 2016)

There is someone on here who has one. They posted photos of their Tour of the Netherlands. They look like lovely bikes.


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## Dogtrousers (5 Jan 2016)

I ride a Spa Steel Audax ... not quite the same thing but anyway ... it's a great bike. I love it. Spa were great to do business with both pre and post sale.

I wasn't so happy with the SRAM chainset and BB but the tourer isn't kitted out with them.


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## jags (5 Jan 2016)

Cheers Folks much appreciated for the reply's.
when i do eventually get it i want to 9 speed.have to check exactly what gear i have myself, 
btw, would my wheels take the load of rear panniers (ortlieb classic) obviously loaded lol.
custom build mavic open pro 36 hole dt spokes 105 hubs 25mm gp4000 tires.
im hoping to get impact stronglight crankset, 11 speed sram cassette 11 to 32 but i'll drop the 11 make it into a ten speed ,anyway im way ahead of meself here but sure no harm planning.

thanks again folks.

jags.


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## Spoked Wheels (5 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> would my wheels take the load of rear panniers (ortlieb classic) obviously loaded lol.
> custom build mavic open pro 36 hole dt spokes 105 hubs



How much do you weight? And how much weight would you be carrying?

I'd imagine you would be OK unless you are a pretty heavy rider and those panniers are very heavy too ..... you could distribute the weight better by using front panniers too if you are carrying too much in the rear panniers.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

12stone and a bit no idea what weight would be in panniers but all my camping gear is light, i wouldn't use front panniers if you paid me had them on the sherpa felt like i was riding a tractor awfull bloody things.
each to there own i suppose but i can get all i need into the rear ones. barbag might be handy tho.


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## Spoked Wheels (6 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> 12stone and a bit no idea what weight would be in panniers but all my camping gear is light, i wouldn't use front panniers if you paid me had them on the sherpa felt like i was riding a tractor awfull bloody things.
> each to there own i suppose but i can get all i need into the rear ones. barbag might be handy tho.



Your weight is fine and as long as you don't go crazy with the load on the rear panniers then you should have no problems at all.

Another way of tackling too much weight for a set of wheels when touring is to take a trailer but I think you are alright without.


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## Poacher (6 Jan 2016)

You should be fine with those wheels. I weigh half as much again and have 36 spoke chrinas, with a 105 rear hub (built by me) and sondeluxe front (built by Spa), with Marathon 28mm tyres. I haven't actually toured with mine, but have carried some serious weight in panniers. The bike as built up is quite a heavy lump, but rolls along very nicely when up to speed. Currently fitted with a Campag racing triple (30 40 50) and an 8 speed 13-26 cassette - would need lower gears for serious touring loads and distances in hilly terrain!






@steveindenmark mentioned a couple touring the Netherlands - I think he probably means @totallyfixed and @dr_pink who have Spa audaxes and travel relatively lightly; no camping gear etc.

PS Before anyone comments on the amount of steerer showing, I intend to be riding this for the next 20 years or so, and I may lose some flexibility! I'd recommend this frame wholeheartedly as very fit for purpose. Note that the frame comes with a decent quality headset, but not fitted.


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## Spoked Wheels (6 Jan 2016)

Poacher said:


> You should be fine with those wheels. I weigh half as much again and have 36 spoke chrinas, with a 105 rear hub (built by me) and sondeluxe front (built by Spa), with Marathon 28mm tyres. I haven't actually toured with mine, but have carried some serious weight in panniers. The bike as built up is quite a heavy lump, but rolls along very nicely when up to speed. Currently fitted with a Campag racing triple (30 40 50) and an 8 speed 13-26 cassette - would need lower gears for serious touring loads and distances in hilly terrain!
> View attachment 115053
> 
> 
> ...



That looks lovely!!!!!

I'm so tempted to raid my piggy bank 

I also think the OP would be OK on those Open Pro, having said that and as an observation only, the rigida chrinas are touring rims while the Open Pro is a much better looking rim that can be used as a touring rim within reason 

I have always wondered why touring bikes tend to have those wear looking ( to me) gear changers  What are the advantages? If any.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

yeah nice looking bike it can't weight anymore than the Thorn sherpa i had or audax come to that. i would defo get a 32 on the back my old legs would thank me for it.
Thanks for the photo much better one than spa cycles have lol.


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## Pale Rider (6 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> yeah nice looking bike it can't weight anymore than the Thorn sherpa i had or audax come to that. i would defo get a 32 on the back my old legs would thank me for it.
> Thanks for the photo much better one than spa cycles have lol.



If you tell Spa what weight you want the bike to carry, you can trust them to build and supply appropriate wheels.

Having said that, 12 stone and a few pots and pans sounds bugger all to me, so you've no worries anyway.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

cheers palerider u just made my day.


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## Amanda P (6 Jan 2016)

I also have a bike built on a Spa steel tourer frame. I'd heartily recommend it. It looks smart, it's stiff and sturdy and built to last, and it was very well finished - no trouble building it up at all. It's got all the fittings you could want for touring with only the possible exception of a pump peg for mounting a frame-fit pump on the seat stay (I added a bolt-on one to do that). 

I've heard it said that Thorn's frames can be rather long in the top tube. Now I usually find I'm a bit too stretched out on many bikes of a given size, so that's not what I wanted. On the Spa, I have the shortest stem I can get and I'm about right, so there's plenty of scope for longer stems for someone with longer back or arms than me.

The details are well thought out. For example, the eyelets for the front mudguard aren't on the dropout but higher up. This means that should a twig catch against the mudguard stays, they won't wrap around the wheel and jam it up, and it leaves the eyelet that IS on the dropout free for attaching a front rack, without it interfering with mudguard stays.

Similarly at the back, the eyelet for mounting a rack takes thicker bolts than the one for mudguard stays - sturdier. There are bosses for three bottle cages, including one under the down tube, which is dead handy for carrying fuel bottles when camping.

Spa are experts in wheels; if they build you a wheel for touring, you can trust it utterly. I've had a couple done (including a rear for a touring tandem and the rear on the bike shown below) and never had a single problem with them, not even a minor truing required in several thousand miles of heavy touring.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

crackin bike for sure .i was thinking i'de put a carbon fork on i have a new one in the shed,only bags that will be up front is a barbag .i don't think i ever heard a bad thing about SPA bikes happy days, all i need is to get the money together before summer.
cheers uncle phil .


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## Dayvo (6 Jan 2016)

Slightly off topic, but I'm interested to know why many travellers have mud guards on their tourers. 

I've done two six-week tours on hybrid bikes without using guards. The weather wasn't always sunny and dry but the rain/wet legs was never a problem: rain shorts and leggings were more than adequate for me to keep moving along happily.

Why do you other travellers opt to have guards? I'm just curious, that's all.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

Can u fit caliper brakes to that frame? .. i have a set of cannondale v brakes but i would be using sti leavers will they marry up.


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

I'm not a big fan of mudguards meself but they don't effect my speed and at the end of the day they do keep a fella clean .besides i have a spare set lol.


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## stumpy66 (6 Jan 2016)

Spoked Wheels said:


> I have always wondered why touring bikes tend to have those wear looking ( to me) gear changers  What are the advantages? If any.



I have bar end shifters on my tourer, handy if you have a bar bag as sti's can hit the bag if your bars are on the narrow side. The rear shifters are indexed with the fd being a friction shifter and is useful in taking out any chain rub. Excellent if your on the drops, if you spend a while on the tops/ hoods then you have to move your hand down to them.

After a day's riding I was happy with them


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## Gravity Aided (6 Jan 2016)

Dayvo said:


> Slightly off topic, but I'm interested to know why many travellers have mud guards on their tourers.
> 
> I've done two six-week tours on hybrid bikes without using guards. The weather wasn't always sunny and dry but the rain/wet legs was never a problem: rain shorts and leggings were more than adequate for me to keep moving along happily.
> 
> Why do you other travellers opt to have guards? I'm just curious, that's all.


Like my Dad used to say, because there's things other than water on the road. Oil,car fluids, animal leavings, none of which you want on your back for a tour segment .


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## Amanda P (6 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> Can u fit caliper brakes to that frame? .. i have a set of cannondale v brakes but i would be using sti leavers will they marry up.



Yes, the fork crown and rear stay bridge are drilled for calliper brakes, so you could fit them.



Dayvo said:


> Slightly off topic, but I'm interested to know why many travellers have mud guards on their tourers


.

The mudguards' weight and contribution to wind resistance are negligible in the context of touring,and they do a lot to keep rain, sheep shoot, oil etc off me, my luggage and the bike's transmission. No, they're not essential, but they're nice to have so I'll have 'em.



stumpy66 said:


> I have bar end shifters on my tourer, handy if you have a bar bag as sti's can hit the bag if your bars are on the narrow side. The rear shifters are indexed with the fd being a friction shifter and is useful in taking out any chain rub. Excellent if your on the drops, if you spend a while on the tops/ hoods then you have to move your hand down to them.
> 
> After a day's riding I was happy with them



This is why I like Campagnolo shifters - no 'clothes line' cables to get in the way of a handlebar bag. This bike has 10-speed Campag shifters which work perfectly with 8-speed Shimano transmission and the cantilever brakes.


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## Pale Rider (6 Jan 2016)

A mate of mine had to abandon a tour earlier this year after getting very poorly from what the doc said was probably animal urine splashed onto his water bottle.

Mudguards would almost certainly have prevented that.

I'm rarely out in the rain, but if my bottle gets wet I unscrew the lid and wipe the thread before slurping from the open bottle.


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## Dayvo (6 Jan 2016)

Gravity Aided said:


> Like my Dad used to say, because there's things other than water on the road. Oil,car fluids, animal leavings, none of which you want on your back for a tour segment .



Whilst understanding your father's wise words, in all my years of cycling, I've never suffered with the debris you mentioned above on my legs (or anywhere else). 

If it rains I wear appropriate clothing, or seek shelter. If it's wet, I'll wear a gilet and maybe leggings. And when touring, the rear rack and accompanying panniers, tent etc. take up most of the spray from the rear, unguarded wheel. I don't not use mud guards to save weight, I just prefer the 'simplicity' of going without. 

Each to their own...


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## Spoked Wheels (6 Jan 2016)

I do like the Spa frame but I wouldn't buy the bike, I think I'd like higher quality components in some areas such as shifters. The BB they fit, Stronglight JP400, is rubbish and I'm not a fun a Tektro brakes full stop. 

I think the biggest decision for me would be ...... the gloss black? Or the green frame? MMMMmmmm I can't make up my mind right now


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## jags (6 Jan 2016)

i have the new shimano 105 11 speed on my Terry Dolan letape works perfectly every time.if i could afford it i would be getting ultegra  i want to try and build it as light as i can afford, at my age i want to make cycling as easy as possible .


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## Spoked Wheels (6 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> i have the new shimano 105 11 speed on my Terry Dolan letape works perfectly every time.if i could afford it i would be getting ultegra  i want to try and build it as light as i can afford, at my age i want to make cycling as easy as possible .



If you are planning to build the Spa frame as light as possible then you would not be able to use 105 or ultegra hubs, you'd need a MTB hubs. The Shimano Deore hub Spa fits to their wheels is a very good choice for touring, it has good seals and easy to maintain / repair anywhere.

Building it yourself would save you of having to upgrade components..... you probably would do with a more suitable chainset too and your Shimano 105 would not do. 

Ideally I'd like to go with disc brakes so I wonder if this frame can take them. I have studied the advantages and I'm convince that mechanical disc brake is the way forward for touring. They are much better in the wet, they won melt your rims and even if they get very hot descending long hills, they still operate, they can be easily adjusted too, at least my Avid BB7 can and I understand that modern disc brakes are even better.


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## Dogtrousers (6 Jan 2016)

It might be worth asking Spa if they could build up with different components, if the ones they suggest don't meet your requirements. I don't know what they'd say, but my experience of them is that they'd certainly listen.


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## Dayvo (6 Jan 2016)

Having studied the Spa Cycles steel tourers, I've fallen for this: the Surly Disc Trucker 700 c






Funnily enough, I'll be in Harrogate quite soon and will pop into the shop to have a look at a future no. + 1 (within the next 2-3 years). It seems to tick ALL the boxes for me.


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## cisamcgu (6 Jan 2016)

Or maybe this ? 
http://www.oxfordbikeworks.co.uk/models/model-1/


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## Amanda P (6 Jan 2016)

Spoked Wheels said:


> If you are planning to build the Spa frame as light as possible then you would not be able to use 105 or ultegra hubs, you'd need a MTB hubs. The Shimano Deore hub Spa fits to their wheels is a very good choice for touring, it has good seals and easy to maintain / repair anywhere.



If I recall correctly, the rear dropouts are spaced at 132.5mm, to accept either 130mm road or 135mm mountain bike hubs with minimal springing either way.



> Ideally I'd like to go with disc brakes so I wonder if this frame can take them.



Look at the photos; you can see for yourself that there are no bosses for them. If you want disc brakes, you'll have to look elsewhere.



Dogtrousers said:


> It might be worth asking Spa if they could build up with different components, if the ones they suggest don't meet your requirements. I don't know what they'd say, but my experience of them is that they'd certainly listen.



Spa will build to your spec if that's what you want. The tourer is specified with one eye on the overall cost, so if you want top-end components and are happy with the price creeping up, they'll do it for you. But probably not while you wait.


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## Spoked Wheels (6 Jan 2016)

Uncle Phil said:


> If I recall correctly, the rear dropouts are spaced at 132.5mm, to accept either 130mm road or 135mm mountain bike hubs with minimal springing either way.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I just checked and you are right, they are 132.5mm and I don't like that, although, being a steel frame it could be easily fixed. Having Deore hubs, 135mm, would over load the bearings.... don't ask me how I know this  - even if you use cartridge bearings, just mounting the wheel would be harder. I used to run an old frame 126mm dropouts with 130mm hubs and after a while, without any intervention from myself the dropouts expanded by 2mm. I still needed to expand the dropouts by hand, at the same time you're trying to mount the wheel and when you have mudguards and panniers the job is that much more difficult. A few months ago, I decided to cold set the dropouts and now I hate myself for not doing it years ago..... enough said on that.

I hadn't seen the photos properly, I think I'll have to look somewhere else 

If you do your sums, it pays to do your own building if you are able to do so.


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## jags (7 Jan 2016)

so are u saying the rear wheel wont fit its the new 105 11speed hub (135mm).
i would love to get spa to build a new wheel but to be honest money wise i'de be struggling big time.

chainset i was thinking stronglight impact 50x34 and sram 12 to 32 well happy with that ratio.
decent bottom bracket to match.


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## Spoked Wheels (7 Jan 2016)

Dayvo said:


> Having studied the Spa Cycles steel tourers, I've fallen for this: the Surly Disc Trucker 700 c
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Absolutely!!!! Further considerations this frame makes much more sense to me






I like the way they mount the rear caliper. Not too sure of the colour though


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## jags (7 Jan 2016)

nice but i think ide rather have the spa.
im typing here as quiet as i can dont want to waken the wife lol
btw there a storm blowing outside one rough night.
not great cycling weather.


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## Spoked Wheels (7 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> so are u saying the rear wheel wont fit its the new 105 11speed hub (135mm).
> i would love to get spa to build a new wheel but to be honest money wise i'de be struggling big time.
> 
> chainset i was thinking stronglight impact 50x34 and sram 12 to 32 well happy with that ratio.
> decent bottom bracket to match.



No, that is not what I'm saying.

The dropouts on that frame is 132.5mm and the 105 are 130mm so no problem there. Having said that, the Deore are better hubs for touring. If you have 105 wheels then go for it. 

If you want a 50 x 34 chainset then you can go for a Shimano 105 compact but that will not be so good for touring. For touring you probably looking at 48x36x24 and Spa do some nice stronglight impact chainsets.

As for BB go for a Shimano UN55.


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## jags (7 Jan 2016)

got ya cheers ,yeah i suppose at the end of the day the triple would make more sense..


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## Spoked Wheels (7 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> got ya cheers ,yeah i suppose at the end of the day the triple would make more sense..


I'm about to do my first tour this summer but I know a few people that do touring and everybody that has a touring bike tends to go for gears that make going uphill loaded possible and easier. They tends to use old technology if you like but they are cheap and readily available. A good example is the Shimano UN55 BB.

I'm adapting an old bike but I'm already looking at building the wheels for my next proper touring bike


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## Amanda P (7 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> so are u saying the rear wheel wont fit its the new 105 11speed hub (135mm).
> i would love to get spa to build a new wheel but to be honest money wise i'de be struggling big time.



Our opinions seem divided on this point, Jags. 

The issue is that 'mountain bike' hubs (like Deore) are 135mm wide between locknuts. 'Road bike' hubs (like older 105) are 130mm wide.

Steel is a springy material (that's why it makes such good, tough, comfortable bike frames), and the stays of a steel frame will easily 'spring' 5mm either way so that a 135mm hub can be fitted in a 130mm-spaced frame or vice versa. It will make fitting the wheel in the frame fractionally more difficult - although in my experience, in real-world situations, mud, brake muck, corrosion, salt, darkness, greasy or cold hands and combinations of the above are usually more of an issue than a slight spring to the frame.

Because of this difference between 'road' and 'mountain bike' hubs, Spa have split the difference and built their frame spaced at 132.5mm.

'Springing' a frame like this has no consequences whatever in my practical experience, over considerable distances. This kind of bodge offends some, especially engineers, though, and arguably it _is_ a bodge, albeit a very minor one. The extra load on a hub, I would think (especially a 130mm hub in a 132.5mm frame) would be negligible. I'd think cornering loads and water penetration and corrosion (especially on a 105 hub, which has less sealing) would be far greater concerns. (If it's a solid axle rather than a quick-release, the spring would make no difference to the hub at all).

If you can't live with springing the frame to remove and refit the rear wheel (and we're only talking 2.5mm here!), one solution is to 'cold set' the frame so that the stays are fixed to suit the hub exactly. Any competent bike shop should be able to do this for you; probably Spa would do it themselves if you asked. It's essentially done by strong-arming the stays together or apart, hopefully equally on both sides, cold-bending them fractionally to achieve the spacing you want. (Most bike shops would prefer to do this while you're not looking - it looks - and is - crude! It might be worth adding that unless the frame builder is incredibly good, or very lucky, doing this procedure on a completed frame is usually necessary anyway to fine-tune the track and spacing the last millimetre or so, so adjusting by a further 2.5mm is really no different).

Another solution might be to remove one or two washers or spacers from the stack on the hub axle, or replace the ones it comes with with slightly thinner ones, or grind them down a touch, so that its over-lock-nut width is 132.5mm exactly. This is possible with many hubs, although I haven't looked at an 11-speed 105 to see if it could be done there. On a frame with very tight clearances, this might result in the chain coming close to or fouling the stays; you'd really have to eyeball the hub and cassette in the frame to assess this.

But in short, I'd say, if you like the look of the Spa frame, go for it. Your 105 hubs will fit, practically, just fine, and you can change to tougher Deore hubs later if you want with no problems. Springing isn't, in my opinion, a real-world issue, and you still have the options of cold-setting or re-spacing a hub if you want to avoid it. The folk at Spa are very competent bicycle technicians and many of them experienced tourers too, so if you want further opinions, ask them. They're usually happy to chat on the phone about this kind of thing, or even better, call in - then you can look at and point at things on real bikes while you discuss them. (Clearly they'll have more time to do this in the middle of a wet weekday than on a sunny Saturday morning).

As for transmission parts, if you want a tough, go-anywhere tourer, old-school is usually best, especially if your expedition is going to take you to the sticks in the middle of nowhere in Africa or Asia. Square-taper, internal-bearing bottom brackets maybe a little old-fashioned, but they can be fixed or replaced anywhere; this is not true of splined ones. 8-speed chain can be picked up just about anywhere, while 11-speed technology probably hasn't reached many of those bike mechanics who work on the side of the road outside a tin shack in Pemba or Mombasa. If you're staying in Europe, forget all that and have what you want. (I have 8-speed because I find it's tougher, easier to set up, lasts longer, and I don't need 33 gears!)

To me it would seem slightly strange to put a double on a touring bike. Weight stops being an issue the minute you decide on steel and put luggage on it, so why not have the triple and know that it will haul you up pretty much anything?

If you're not going to be hauling much gear and you really want to keep the weight to the bare minimum, you might consider the Spa Audax instead? It's a touch lighter, I think, built with calliper brakes in mind (no canit/V-brake studs) and built for the kind of light, fast touring you may have in mind.


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## jags (7 Jan 2016)

Cheers uncle phil your a mind of information.i think my best bet when i can afford it is to get a new rear wheel from spa deore hub 9 speed .plus the triple chainset ,
all my touring will be here in Ireland i doubt very much i'll ever go abroad again .
going to go for the touring bike few grams ain't going to make much difference to the way i cycle these days.


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## Spoked Wheels (7 Jan 2016)

Uncle Phil said:


> Steel is a springy material (that's why it makes such good, tough, comfortable bike frames), and the stays of a steel frame will easily 'spring' 5mm either way so that a 135mm hub can be fitted in a 130mm-spaced frame or vice versa. It will make fitting the wheel in the frame fractionally more difficult - although in my experience, in real-world situations, mud, brake muck, corrosion, salt, darkness, greasy or cold hands and combinations of the above are usually more of an issue than a slight spring to the frame.



It seems that way, our opinions are very much divided on this point.

You must be a much stronger man than I'm cause even when I was 10 years younger I found mounting the wheel while at the same time opening the dropouts 4mm. As I mentioned already, with time the dropouts settled at 128mm and then it was much easier but still a problem. 
I did damage 2 hubs in 10 years. I would adjust the preload sufficiently to let any play dissappear when tightening the QR skewer. The bearings were over loaded by the seatstays springing back. There is a better technique to pre load the bearings but I wasn't aware of it at the time and from what I have seen, not even reputables LBS use the technique.

I was not aware that people interchange 130mm and 135mm hubs. I'm a wheel builder amongst other things  and I know for a fact that some wheelbuilders would go to the trouble of cutting the 5mm axle excess on Deore hubs for touring wheels that can only take 130mm hubs.



Uncle Phil said:


> Because of this difference between 'road' and 'mountain bike' hubs, Spa have split the difference and built their frame spaced at 132.5mm.



I can't help it but to think Spa's decision to build the frame with 132.5mm based on economic reasons. Addressing most of the cycling market with one frame. 

A wheel built with 135mm hub would have a better bracing angle and make for a stronger wheel. Why would you buy a touring bike to use it with 130mm hub?

As for the rest of your post.... I share your opinion


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## Dave 123 (7 Jan 2016)

@jags i purchased a Spa ti tourer a couple of months ago. I also spent a fair bit of time on the steel tourer when I I demoed the bikes.
I found that the bikes were sturdy and a good relaxed and comfy ride. The wheels seem strong and of good quality. I'm just about winning the war against the leather saddle!
The shifters are fine as is the drive train.
As others have said, give them a bell or pop in as they'll give you some of their time (you have to chisel through the Yorkshire gruffness!)
At present I'm breaking the saddle in by commuting daily, about 7 miles each day, and if I'm honest I tend to ride it more like a road bike if you know what I mean..... Head down get to work/go home ASAP and it's not suited to that. Over Christmas I went out on it a couple of times at touring pace and it feels like a different bike, really nice.
I've bought mine to go to France for a month long tour in September, can't wait!


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## jags (7 Jan 2016)

Best of luck with the France tour Dave thanks for reply.


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## galaxy (8 Jan 2016)

Nice bikes both Spa and the Oxford Works bike.


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## the snail (8 Jan 2016)

If you're planning on doing tours with a lot of luggage, I'd stick with 9 speed. This allows you to mix road and MTB components and get the range of gears you want for loaded touring with sti shifters. If you go with 10sp, then you could use 5703 triple with a smaller granny ring, 11sp doesn't really offer a good touring option. The 9sp setup spa offer as standard makes a lot of sense to me. Shimano sell endless options for road bikes and MTB, but they don't really cater for touring bikes at all, especially with the higher end stuff.


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## Nigeyy (8 Jan 2016)

Having cycled with and without them, I know when I'm touring and I might not have easy access to a shower, mudguards make a huge difference when the roads are wet or when its raining. I don't know, maybe even a psychological difference. I also have them on my commuter bike.

The biggest downside to me are the fact that if you are transporting your bike in a box there's the pfaff involved in taking them off and putting them back on. Also add in if you need to change a flat sometimes they are a pain when you are taking the wheel off. But for me given the advantages, I'll stick with them.



Dayvo said:


> Slightly off topic, but I'm interested to know why many travellers have mud guards on their tourers.
> 
> I've done two six-week tours on hybrid bikes without using guards. The weather wasn't always sunny and dry but the rain/wet legs was never a problem: rain shorts and leggings were more than adequate for me to keep moving along happily.
> 
> Why do you other travellers opt to have guards? I'm just curious, that's all.


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## totallyfixed (8 Jan 2016)

I have had mine for nearly 4 years now and done 3 tours on it including Germany, Belgium [some serious lumpy bits there] The Netherlands and of course the UK. Here is mine in full touring mode. Both of us tour on a 53/39 chainset and 12/25 cassette.


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## jags (8 Jan 2016)

totallyfixed said:


> I have had mine for nearly 4 years now and done 3 tours on it including Germany, Belgium [some serious lumpy bits there] The Netherlands and of course the UK. Here is mine in full touring mode. Both of us tour on a 53/39 chainset and 12/25 cassette.


i like it u don't seem to be carrying much stuff (credit card touring )? lovely set up exactly the same as meself except of course for the big gears.


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## gottogetfit (9 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> not sure if i asked this before but sure i'll ask anyway.
> 
> Spa steel tourer any of you folks riding one and whats your honest opinion.
> if i can gather enough money together its on top of my list .
> ...


I have one in red. I bought it at the begining of last year & so far have done local rides 3 times a week, 4 short camping trips & coast & castles south. I love it. I tried a few other bikes before opting for the Spa. I spent a day at the shop test riding, getting an idea of set up & any changes to the build. I then waited a couple of weeks for it to be ready. I then spent another day at the shop fine tuning it. I was then told to come back with any tweeks I felt needed doing or if happy come back after 500mls for a check up. I can't fault it & if ever I had to replace it, it would be the same. Buy one, you won't regret it.


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## Poacher (9 Jan 2016)

totallyfixed said:


> I have had mine for nearly 4 years now and done 3 tours on it including Germany, Belgium [some serious lumpy bits there] The Netherlands and of course the UK. Here is mine in full touring mode. Both of us tour on a 53/39 chainset and 12/25 cassette.


Whoops! I told the good folks on here that you both had Spa audaxes, rather than tourers. Is my face red!!!


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## jags (9 Jan 2016)

gottogetfit said:


> I have one in red. I bought it at the begining of last year & so far have done local rides 3 times a week, 4 short camping trips & coast & castles south. I love it. I tried a few other bikes before opting for the Spa. I spent a day at the shop test riding, getting an idea of set up & any changes to the build. I then waited a couple of weeks for it to be ready. I then spent another day at the shop fine tuning it. I was then told to come back with any tweeks I felt needed doing or if happy come back after 500mls for a check up. I can't fault it & if ever I had to replace it, it would be the same. Buy one, you won't regret it.


Cheers im saying hard believe me.im not stuck for a bike i have my Terry Dolan letape to keep the smile on my face but i just wan a good touring bike for summer tours.sounds like a great company to deal with happy days.


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## Spoked Wheels (21 Jan 2016)

I don't know what other people might think but I just fell in love with this touring frame.


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## jags (22 Jan 2016)

looks like a heavy duty tourer nice tho.
i had near enough the money together for the new spa tourer but unexpected bill came in the feckin door so now im back to sq one lol .


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## Spoked Wheels (22 Jan 2016)

jags said:


> looks like a heavy duty tourer nice tho.
> i had near enough the money together for the new spa tourer but unexpected bill came in the feckin door so now im back to sq one lol .



Sorry to hear about the bill....

You can do lots of things with this frame, use it as touring bike, winter bike or simply as MTB hard tail.

I like what somebody has done with it as a touring bike....... see picture


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## jags (22 Jan 2016)

certainly look's like it could handle anything .tough wee mama.


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## growingvegetables (22 Jan 2016)

But yellow?


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## jags (28 Jan 2016)

yeah yellow bartape wont last long .


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## e-rider (28 Jan 2016)

Condor make a nice tourer, it's called the Heritage. If it's too expensive though you could look at the Surly LHT which is good value for money - it's not amazing quality but it's also not expensive!


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## Nigeyy (29 Jan 2016)

Hmm the only thing I question about that is that I'm not sure I'd want to strap a pump close to the front wheel on that front fork. I know it may never come loose.... but if it does.....



Spoked Wheels said:


> Sorry to hear about the bill....
> 
> You can do lots of things with this frame, use it as touring bike, winter bike or simply as MTB hard tail.
> 
> I like what somebody has done with it as a touring bike....... see picture


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## Spoked Wheels (29 Jan 2016)

Nigeyy said:


> Hmm the only thing I question about that is that I'm not sure I'd want to strap a pump close to the front wheel on that front fork. I know it may never come loose.... but if it does.....



You don't have to, you can attach the pump to the seat post if you like or the down tube.

I've seen the frame in the flesh and I wasn't disappointed. Very versatile. I think I could build a bike with that frame and make two other bikes complete surplus to requirement and also get the tourer that I need by simply replacing the other two bikes with an extra set of wheels. Get rid of the old MTB and the winter bike.


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## iandg (14 Oct 2018)

Poacher said:


> You should be fine with those wheels. I weigh half as much again and have 36 spoke chrinas, with a 105 rear hub (built by me) and sondeluxe front (built by Spa), with Marathon 28mm tyres. I haven't actually toured with mine, but have carried some serious weight in panniers. The bike as built up is quite a heavy lump, but rolls along very nicely when up to speed. Currently fitted with a Campag racing triple (30 40 50) and an 8 speed 13-26 cassette - would need lower gears for serious touring loads and distances in hilly terrain!
> View attachment 115053
> 
> 
> ...



Wish I'd considered column length and ageing when I set my Aravis Audax up over 10 years ago. I cut off the excess column/steerer as I was comfortable in a much lower position in my mid 40s. Now in my late 50s I'm regretting it - considering switching everything over to a Spa Tourer (I have a set of canti brakes in the spares box in the shed) to get the extra bar height (and the option of 32c tyres).


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