Best bike to buy for touring as well as commuting..

[Jane-o]

Hello!
I'm a huge cycling fan but have very little knowledge of makes / types etc of bikes... (I've been riding a 2nd hand, oversize Claud Butler for the past 3 years)

I'm buying a bike to go on a ~50day cycle tour (on roads), then to use as a commuter bike afterwards. Which would be best?
I've been to the 4 local bike shops and have had 4 different suggestions: a tourer vs a racer vs an audax vs a cyclo-cross.

Which would be best? and which make? My price range is roughly £750 (with accessories on top of this - max MAX £1000)

I'd really appreciate thoughts and expertiese.

Thank you!

 

[betty swollocks]

Why would shops recommend the racers or cyclo-cross bikes being that you intend to go on a fairly extended tour???
Surely the choices must narrow down to either a tourer or audax bike and if you plan to take loads of luggage (ie camping stuff), then probably the audax option is out too, as these bikes are not built for it in terms of robustness.
I reckon something like the redoubtable Dawes Galaxy would be your best bet. It's equally capable of trans continental touring, nipping speedily down to the shops, or commuting.
Just make sure that whatever bike you get, it's the right size and you take it out, loaded up on a few shakedown runs before you take off on your adventure.
I believe quite a few posters on this forum own Galaxies (I used to) and can vouch for their reliability, comfort and steadfastness, as I can.
Happy cycling!

 

[Sittingduck]

Tourer or Hybrid perhaps.

The shops that tried to sell you Cyclocross or Road bikes for this shouldn't be trusted IMHO - take your business to somwehere that actually listens to their prospective customers' needs.

Welcome to CC & Good Luck BTW
SD

 

[GrumpyGregry]

take a long hard look at Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's Country Traveller and Country Explorer bikes before spending any more money than you need to. Stunning value for money - they include a drinks bottle rack and rack bungees.

Yes it's got an alloy frame rather than steel which will antagonise the steel is real purists. To quote the American Adventure Cyclist Club's Tech Guru "the debate is unresolved and inconclusive and will remain so for the foreseeable future" Lots of europeans and americans, and an increasing number of Brits, tour on Alloy framed bikes without problem.

I bought an Explorer last year with loads of EBC own brand extra's and a stack of endura wet weather gear, and lights, and a brooks saddle and new pedals and got a few pennies change from £1000. Same deal with the traveller would see lots of change from £1000. There is my review on the CTC forum if your interested. Just head over there and search country explorer

As it is the only road bike I own I commute on it (26 mile round trip), I've ridden sportives (get some very funny looks on those) and shorter audaxes on it, done 2 x FNRttC aboard it and done a few long weekend and many day tours on it. It is a good all round workhorse bike. As are the Horizon's, Galaxy's, CB Regent, Ridgeback wotsits and all the other great touring bikes out there; but you will have no shortage of people recommending them.

I've never seen another Revolution brand bike on the road anywhere (I live a long way from Edinburgh and their other shops in the N of England) which gives a certain frison of exclusivity and can be a conversation starter on group rides or tours.

 

[pes]

If you can stand the skits from a lot of people on here then I would go for a Thorn Audax MK3 every time.

 

[oxford_guy]

or how about a Hewitt Cheviot tourer?:
http://www.hewittbikefitting.co.uk/index.php?page=hewitt

I've been really impressed with the Cheviot SE I bought from Paul Hewitt early this year....

 

[RedBike]

I'm buying a bike to go on a ~50day cycle tour (on roads), then to use as a commuter bike afterwards. Which would be best?
I've been to the 4 local bike shops and have had 4 different suggestions: a tourer vs a racer vs an audax vs a cyclo-cross.

Tourer: Perhaps overkill? Probably a bit Heavy and slow for the commute but comfortable and capable of carrying a lot of stuff.

Racer: Some 'racers', will take panniers and full length mud-guards. This sort of bike will do fine for credit card touring / your commute; but an out and out racer is a stupid suggestion.

Audax; This would be my choice. Lighter/quicker than a tourer and should be more than capable of carrying a few 'light' panniers.

cyclo-cross; Loads of manufactures are now making their CX bikes with braze-ons for everything including panniers / mud-guards. These bikes are more or less touring bikes with the exception that their geometry is more suited to twisty off-road sections than road. Unless your touring involves section of off-road bridleways then forget all about this option.

 

[Scoosh]

Hello!
I'm a huge cycling fan but have very little knowledge of makes / types etc of bikes... (I've been riding a 2nd hand, oversize Claud Butler for the past 3 years)

I'm buying a bike to go on a ~50day cycle tour (on roads), then to use as a commuter bike afterwards. Which would be best?

I'd really appreciate thoughts and expertiese.

Thank you!

My ha'porth is to get you to narrow down the type of touring this is going to be.

If you are 'credit card' touring (ie staying at hotel/B&B type accomodation), then the audax type of bike would be good. It'll take a couple of panniers and give you a quick and comfortable ride. Frames can be alloy, steel or titanium (though Ti will be out of budget) Gearing could be compact or triple, depending on all the usual things like fitness, terrain etc.

If you are going to be camping and carrying your tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear etc etc, then you will need a 'heavy' tourer. These bikes can take front and rear racks for panniers but obviously, the pay-off is in a heavier, slower bike - but a good one will take you round the world on your next adventure Once again, frames can be different materials, though steel would be favoured here. Gearing would normally be triple, given that touring is not about getting places quickly, just getting there on your bike - not pushing uphills

Either type of bike will be fine for commuting, with the same speed 'restrictions'.

So, what kind of touring will it be, currently and in the years to come ?

Then you pays your money .....

HTH

 

[jimboalee]

There's a young lady here at JagLandRover who commutes on a Dawes SuperGal.
I've seen folks on the End-to-End riding road-conversion MTBs.

So anywhere between these two.

 

[jimboalee]

All I have to do is send a route proposal via e-mail to the Midland area Audax DIY administrator and wait for his response.
When I get the OK, I grab a Brevet card and jump on my Dawes Giro 500 fitted with full mudguards and whizz off a 100 km Populaire. More like 70 miles to guarantee the distance.
These are now a once, maybe twice a week thing.

I commute to work on my Dawes Giro 500 fitted with full mudguards.

 

[oxford_guy]

Tourer: Perhaps overkill? Probably a bit Heavy and slow for the commute but comfortable and capable of carrying a lot of stuff.

I don't find my Hewitt Cheviot SE tourer slow for my daily commute, its a damn sight faster than my old Ridgeback hybrid!

 

[RedBike]

I don't find my Hewitt Cheviot SE tourer slow for my daily commute, its a damn sight faster than my old Ridgeback hybrid!

Perhaps slow was the wrong word.
However, it stands to reason that a tourer should be slower than an audax bike. There's the additional strength demands (aka heavier frame), longer seat stays / bigger clearances for panniers and tyres and a softer all day ride instead of a stiff racing (less efficient).

 

[Big T]

I don't agree that a tourer is slower. I have an audax bike and have recently bought a Ridegeback Panorama tourer. It's just as quck as the audax over a commute. Perhaps a tad slower in acceleration but once you get those 35mm tyres rolling, it goes just as well as the audax. It's more comfortbale to ride over potholed roads as well. My audax has lain unused since I got the tourer.

I paid £880 for my Panorama but they £1100 new now. My wife has a Dawes Horizon (£460) which is great and has STI gears. It's a bit on the heavy side, but you don't notice it when you're riding it. Again, she hasn't used her audax bike since getting the Horizon.

In reply to the OP, if you're doing a long tour, get the bike that's designed for the job. It'll be good for commuting as well.

 

[jimboalee]

This is what Audax UK say :-

"
5.3 Machines:
(i) Any kind of cycle may be ridden provided that it is propelled solely by human muscular effort.
(ii) The responsibility for ensuring that a machine complies with the Road Traffic Regulations rests solely with its rider.
(iii) An event organiser may require full mudguards to be fitted to bicycles and to the single front wheel of tricycles. The requirement for mudguards on an event must be indicated in the AUK Calendar and in the event literature.
"

So what's an 'Audax' bike?

 

[jimboalee]

Audax UK's Midlands Mesh allows the participant to start and finish at a 'proof' venue near their home.
Mine is the Tesco Metro in Solihull. The distance to Stratford upon Avon, as agreed by the organiser is 28 km. A return trip from Tesco in Solihull to Stratford is 56 km.
There is a Brevet Populaire medal and a Cloth patch for 50 km.

Last summer, my son and I rode this trip within Brevet Populaire speed – 10 to 20 kmh. He was riding a Road-converted MTB and I was riding a BSA 20" Shopping bike.
After we returned, it occurred to me I could have taken a Brevet card, collected proofs and claimed a 50 km medal or cloth patch.

Maybe I will do this trip one evening to make my BSA 20" shopping bike OFFICIALLY an 'Audax' bike.