For £200 can you recommend a touring bike.

[david1701]

following this with quite a bit of interest too as 2 friends have asked me to do a lejog and I know one of them only has a DH bike

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Iirc this had a buy-it-now price well under £200 when it appeared, which disappeared when someone started the bidding. It might still go for less. Or start from something like this for £125?

As weather gets worse I am sure choice will increase and price will come down. I also wouldn't be surprised if Decathlon drops the price of something like this from £300 to £250 in an end-of-season sale, which with modern sti etc. would be a steal.

 

[mcshroom]

I also wouldn't be surprised if Decathlon drops the price of something like this from £300 to £250 in an end-of-season sale, which with modern sti etc. would be a steal.

Please don't suggest that, I'm being very good atm not buying one at £300.

I'm not sure it will be discounted though as they haven't done so with previous entry level road bikes (like the sport 1) over the last couple years

 

[cycleruk]

I wouldn't discount your mountain bike, many round the world tourers use steel mountain bikes as the base for their vehicles..

Has it got any suspension? If not then it could make a good base for a tourer. Butterfly bars or some nice bar ends could be fitted quite easily, and racks can be fitted even if there's no fixing points currently on the frame. You could even turn it into a drop bar tourer with bar end shifters for well within your £200 budget (I'm considering doing this with my hybrid at the moment with dia-compe friction shifters and tektro v-brake levers).

Otherwise look at old steel frame bikes on ebay, there are some pretty good ones out there and most will take a touring load no problem. Carrera Virtuoso's come up around £200 on there sometimes as well and they would be ok for light touring.

Another suggestion is to try the CTC forum, where someone may have something you would like.

I can vouch for this one, i have a steel frame off ebay that i am converting for bike touring and the frame it self only cost 50p..... bargain!!!

. A nice paint job and you will be well away>

 

[david1701]

I can vouch for this one, i have a steel frame off ebay that i am converting for bike touring and the frame it self only cost 50p..... bargain!!!

. A nice paint job and you will be well away>

hooooowwwwwww I've looked so hard for frames and never found anything for less than 60 quid by the time I shipped it or just nothing within 100ish miles

 

[smokeysmoo]

hooooowwwwwww I've looked so hard for frames and never found anything for less than 60 quid by the time I shipped it or just nothing within 100ish miles

Whoa! 50p is certainly bargain of the decade territory £60 is around the going rate I'd say, regardless whether you go for a full bike or a decent steel frame, although probably a bit less for a frame, probably a touch more for a bike if I'm being honest.

I recently paid £35 for an alu frame and £48 for an older steel one, (shipped), but at 6' 5" I don't have the same choice as those less taller than I, so I just have to act if I see something that suits. At least that's what I keep telling Mrs S

I also paid £75 for a full 12 speed Peugeot earlier this year that was fully functional, although I stripped it and did a full resto/fixed conversion on that one.

Keep you eyes peeled and your wits about you and something will come up. Hopefully with the (lack of) summer coming to an end demand will start to wane and there will be more bargains to be had

 

[david1701]

I'm in the other boat hunting for small enough frames

 

[MarkF]

Trawl Ebay/Gumtree/free ads every day, bargains are still out there. I bought a vgc steel Dawes Horizon on a "Buy it now" for £99, I serviced it and changed the tyres and immediately did a Yorkshire Dales tour, where, I found it to be uncomfier over long days than my hybrid that I thought it would replace. I stuck it back on Ebay and it fetched £365...........

I own a GT Outpost early '90's MTB that I paid £50 for, I've added about £35 to it via 2 Bell (Asda) slick(ish) tyres, a second hand rack, a new chain and some Asda mudguards. I use this for trails and shopping but am considering doing the Ruta via de la Plata on it, and why not?

As others have said steel 80's bikes could be the way to go, I think countless people are thinking along the same lines, I keep getting outbid!

Back to the hybrid, I use a Dawes Discovery 501 for touring and I am comfy all day long, so a dedicated tourer no longer holds any appeal, nor point, for me. If that 501 can take me (in comfort) and all my camping gear to Barcelona then you don't need a Dawes Galaxy to fanny about on the south coast. CTC had a 701 for sale £225 last week, I'd ride that bike anywhere.