Choosing the right bicyle - Advice needed

[putovatelj]

Take a deep breath and slow down!
By my count you've got this thread running in at least 3 forums!

People tour on all kinds of bikes in all kinds of ways in all kinds of places. Have a look at this thread on CrazyGuyOnABike for inspiration:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=8000&v=4jK

What kind of touring do you see yourself doing?
By that, I mean where? Will it involve lots of travel - planes, trains & automobiles?
Will it be on road or off-road?
Will these be long tours or short weekend trips?
Will you be self sustained, carrying camping gear, stove, food etc or more credit card style?
Are you handy with bike maintenance?

First of all, is there any reason you can't use your existing bike to get a taste for touring? I ask that because quite often we can have an image of what "Touring" is before we actually tour. After we've done a tour or two, our image can change, sometimes significantly.

It's very easy to get caught up in things like "I need the strongest bike" or "I need the lowest gearing". Apprehension, combined with some very effective marketing can convince us that we "need" far more than we actually do.

Again, I suggest that you try to get an idea of what and where you want to do and go and once satisfied, you'll have a better idea of what you actually need. And a great way of doing that is to see if your existing bike can get you out, actually touring, practising and learning. (Sorry, that's very boring!)

As for the MTB frame? I tour on one. It's my second touring bike. The first was wrong by pretty much all touring wisdom, yet I still managed about 12,000 km fully loaded on it.
This bike was put together based on what I learned while touring on the first. It's possible that the frame is not as strong as others out there, but my philosophy is this - if it ever breaks, I can pick up another frame for a pittance, transfer all my components over and continue. (Assuming of course it doesn't break while hurtling downhill!) In the meantime, I have a go anywhere touring bike, equipped with the things I want (dynohub, usb charger, XL bottle cages, appropriate racks, strong touring wheels, great flexibility in tyre choice) for less than the price of an off-the-shelf touring bike without some of those features. It's a 7 speed triple and while I might have to look a little harder to find a cassette, they're available and cheap. Ditto with 8 speeds. I agree with @MichaelW2 above.

As for buying second hand, I personally wouldn't be too worried about the components. I would however, pay a lot of attention to the frame to make sure that it is in good condition.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply.

I plan to, eventualy, go on longer trips, but short ones for starters. I plan to camp. I also plan to learn to maintain my bike, and execute basic repairs by myslef. The terrain in my country is mostly hills and mountains so I need low gearing.

I have a relatively small budget, in my 20s and not so fit (but that's easy to change). There's lots of mid-category trek bikes on the second hand market so I'm probably not gonna have a hard time finding it.
But I got under the impression that steel is way better than aluminum, and that lugged steel is the best. And there is not many steel bikes on the market, mostly aluminum. Those bikes are selling for 150-250 euros.

 

[MichaelW2]

Thanks for the reply.

I plan to, eventualy, go on longer trips, but short ones for starters. I plan to camp. I also plan to learn to maintain my bike, and execute basic repairs by myslef. The terrain in my country is mostly hills and mountains so I need low gearing.

I have a relatively small budget, in my 20s and not so fit (but that's easy to change). There's lots of mid-category trek bikes on the second hand market so I'm probably not gonna have a hard time finding it.
But I got under the impression that steel is way better than aluminum, and that lugged steel is the best. And there is not many steel bikes on the market, mostly aluminum. Those bikes are selling for 150-250 euros.

Don't get hung up on lugged vs welded. Lugged frame tubing is shaped and profiled for large areas of lower heat, welded frame tubing is designed to cope with high temperature concentrated in smaller areas. Both work perfectly well.
Canondale and Koga make very highly regarded aluminium frames especially good for large riders

 

[ChrisEyles]

IMHO the geometry of the frame has a bigger effect on how a bike rides and feels than the material from which it's built. You can only really assess this with a test ride.

Nothing wrong whatsoever with welded steel frames, or aluminium either for that matter. For reference I own and ride all three.

You asked if you could put a triple crankset on the first bike you pictured. The answer is yes, but it would likely require a different spindle length in the bottom bracket. Swapping it all over is not tricky if you've done it before but may be a bit daunting if you haven't worked on bikes much before (we can help on the forum though!). Getting it done at a bike shop won't be cost effective compared to buying a different bike with suitable gearing.

For what you've described I'd go for a rigid 90s MTB (cheap and easy to pick up) if you like/can put up with flat handlebars. A road touring bike like a Dawes galaxy would also be ideal but likely to be considerably more expensive.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thanks for the reply.

I plan to, eventualy, go on longer trips, but short ones for starters. I plan to camp. I also plan to learn to maintain my bike, and execute basic repairs by myslef. The terrain in my country is mostly hills and mountains so I need low gearing.

I have a relatively small budget, in my 20s and not so fit (but that's easy to change). There's lots of mid-category trek bikes on the second hand market so I'm probably not gonna have a hard time finding it.
But I got under the impression that steel is way better than aluminum, and that lugged steel is the best. And there is not many steel bikes on the market, mostly aluminum. Those bikes are selling for 150-250 euros.

First of all, where are you? Not much point in people taking time to make suggestions for you if you're in a part of the world where touring bikes are like hen's teeth.

I still have no idea what you consider to be "longer" trips. People can camp with as little as 5-8 kg of gear - not difficult to carry in most bikes, if a little expensive to acquire the low-weight gear. That gear can be comfortable for up to a couple of weeks but wears mighty thin on trips of 2 months or more.

You're falling in to the trap of "what's the bestest?" material. Easily done. We all want to get the best, within reason. But material is only a part of it. The strongest frame that does not fit or is not comfortable will stop a tour faster than a weaker, more suitable frame. The strongest frame in the world is only as good as the wheels under it! A superstrong frame with lousy gearing will have you walking a lot, depending on the terrain. You see where I'm going with this?

Think about where you want to go - what tyres, gearing etc. do I need? The frame can limit tyre size (width) making some terrain more difficult.
Think about how you want to go and what gear you realistically need to bring with you. Full camping? Warm/Cold weather? Cooking?
Think about how you're going to pack that gear. Panniers? Bikepacking type gear? Trailer?

Now that the thinking is done, start making lists of bikes/frames and see what ones do the best job for you.

Personally, starting off, I wouldn't be too worried about frame material. Here's the thing with bikes - the frame is important, but the components make the bike. A wisely chosen frame can serve you well and when it's time is up, either by choice or enforced, you can take some or all of the components off and transfer to a new frame giving you a whole new bike!

If you are serious about learning about mechanics I double down on an old 90's MTB, no suspension, preferably steel (most of that vintage are, I think). Ride the hell out of it, learn how it works. Disassemble it, reassemble it. The more you do, the more you will learn and the better equipped you will be to choose your next bike. Again, without knowing where you are it's hard to say, but I've one sitting outside that cost me Euro 30.
Components like chains, cassettes etc are much cheaper in comparison to 9/10 speed bikes. It gives me the chance to play around with changing things without incurring a huge cost.

 

[alicat]

Hi @putovatelj

I'd love to hear a bit more about you so I can help you better. Where are you? How old/fit/experienced are you? What bike(s) do you already own? What's a typical bike ride for you - length, terrain, speed etc? What's your budget? How does that compare to the cheapest new bike in a bike shop, if there are any where you live? How good are you at fixing up bikes?

If it helps, please pick some of the questions that make sense for you and tell us a bit about yourself.

 

[putovatelj]

I live in Serbia. The only experience I have is commuting. I'm not very fit, 22 y/o. I have some old racer bike to which I've transfered gears from a children mountain bike. Typical ride is on a hilly terrain, about 7 km one direction, I don't know my speed, but let's say it's 20 on flat terrain. My budget is 250 euros. The cheapest mountain bike in a shop is about the same price. I have no experience, but there is a communal bike workshop where I'm planning to learn.

I would like to go to the seaside, which means going through the mountains, around 1700 m high I think. Going there for a month to camp.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I live in Serbia. The only experience I have is commuting. I'm not very fit, 22 y/o. I have some old racer bike to which I've transfered gears from a children mountain bike. Typical ride is on a hilly terrain, about 7 km one direction, I don't know my speed, but let's say it's 20 on flat terrain. My budget is 250 euros. The cheapest mountain bike in a shop is about the same price. I have no experience, but there is a communal bike workshop where I'm planning to learn.

I would like to go to the seaside, which means going through the mountains, around 1700 m high I think. Going there for a month to camp.

OK, that's all useful info.

Serbia and that part of the world is on my wishlist. It's a place that in my opinion needs time, so it'll be part of a long tour.

First of all I'd get down to the communal workshop pronto and start getting familiar with your existing bike, building confidence in your bike knowledge and making contacts with people who may be able to help you.

If your budget is 250, please remember that there are more costs than just the bike. Even if you have the camping gear, you will still need some way to carry that on the bike. Racks and panniers are probably the most popular, but by no means the only way. If you google pics of Bikepacking you will see some interesting setups.
A lot of people think "I'll just throw my gear into a backpack and carry that". That's fine if you're walking, really not comfortable if you're cycling long distances.

A bikeshop is one of the most expensive places to buy a bike - especially secondhand. If there are local websites for secondhand goods I'd be looking there. You'd be amazed sometimes the bargains that can come up! Of course, it helps if you know what pitfalls to look for - back to the first step and the communal workshop, knowledge and contacts.

One last thing I'll throw in here which is a bit outside what you have been talking about and that is a trailer. Given that you have a bike, a reasonably strong trailer might just be a simple solution to getting you on the road on a bike you already know. Trailers have their own advantages and disadvantages, of course.

Good luck!

 

[alicat]

How far are you from Belgrade? I'd save up and buy something new from Decathlon when they open, if the opening date is still on target: https://seenews.com/news/decathlon-to-open-first-store-in-serbia-in-2019-belgrade-city-govt-610263

 

[putovatelj]

I've found these three.

They all have braze-ons for the front rack, and are lugged frames as well. I'll se how they feel.
Probably going to have to buy a new chain, crankset and gearset.

How do they seem to you?

 

[ChrisEyles]

Some thoughts:

The drop-bar bike has quite high gearing as currently set up, and a bit of a racier posture. The other two look quite upright in terms of posture. Either is good, but they will feel quite different so depends which you prefer.

The dark green frame looks quite small. It also looks like it has hub gears so you'd have to check the hub gives a wide enough range of gears to get you up the hills around your way.

The blue bike looks like it should be suitable without any changes to the gearing - that is if it fits and you like how it rides.

No special need to replace the crankset and cassette unless necessary due to wear.

There's no substitute for a test ride! The more you ride the more you'll get to know what will suit your requirements.

 

[putovatelj]

How far are you from Belgrade? I'd save up and buy something new from Decathlon when they open, if the opening date is still on target: https://seenews.com/news/decathlon-to-open-first-store-in-serbia-in-2019-belgrade-city-govt-610263

I've found this one second hand, the owner says it's one month old. costs 100 euros.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I've found this one second hand, the owner says it's one month old. costs 100 euros.

I'd love to help you out, but I'm sorry, I'm not going to go to the hassle of forensically examining a screenshot to figure out the pros and cons of a particular bike.
It could be the perfect bike for you...... but it might have been crashed and is ready to fall apart, just well disguised. And besides, you've no idea if I know what I'm talking about, or not

Good luck! Bike touring is a fantastic thing to do.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've found this one second hand, the owner says it's one month old. costs 100 euros.

Essentially that's a 26" rigid MTB frame that's been equipped to carry panniers. Compared to some of the others pictured the frame looks too small. It looks suspiciously cheap to me, if only a month old. The tyres alone would amount to a substantial proportion of the asking price. Why is someone selling it at such a large loss on it's new price?

 

[slowmotion]

You might consider a second-hand Specialized Secteur Elite. I have the 2010 model. It's a perfectly good road bike. It also has....

A relaxed geometry
A triple group set ( you can lower the smallest chainring to 26 teeth from 30, I think)
Fixings for rear pannier rack
It can take 28mm tyres

I've been on short tours using Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers with no problems. I think they weighed about 12kg.
You can probably find a used bike for about euro 300.

 

[putovatelj]

Hi all,
I've tried and bought Panasonic CB2000.
Everything was okay, the gears are in good condition, the cables need change though since they are a bit rusty. The frame is good, has some rust marks and I'm planning to repaint it.
The cost was 70 euros. The only major downside is that the wheels aren't double rimmed, but that can be solved easily.