Roberts Roughstuff

[hondated]

Anyone got a Roberts Roughstuff as I am thinking of buying a Tourer and I am not sure whether, because I could also go off road with it whether I should buy this rather than their road Tourer.

I am wondering whether having that ability conversely it would be hard work on tarmac roads.

Appreciate all opinions or experiences on my question.

 

[willem]

I ride a custom steel 26 inch loaded tourer with drop bar (though not a Roberts) and I can tell you it is fine on tarmac, provided you use fast tyres. The difference between 26 inch and 28 inch wheels is pretty small, if you use comparable tyres. The good news about 26 inch wheels is that the range of touring tyres is enormous. My fast tyres are Panaracer Pasela 26x1.75, and these are very nice indeed (fast and comfortable), but a bit fragile. For my upcoming part off road trip in Norway I will use 50 mm Schwalbe Marathon Extremes. If I wanted even more off road capability I could have fitted proper mountainbike tyres in 50 mm (and taken some fast an dmore puncture proof tarmac tyres for the tarmac bits). The possibilities are endless, and much greater than with 28 inch wheels.
So it is not the wheel size that limits my bike's use as a road bike. It is more its weight (15 kg for a fully equipped Rohloff tourer), and the stiff frame with heavily oversized steel tubing. It is more comfortable than most aluminium frames, but a non-oversized or only lightly oversized audax bike would ride more smoothly when unloaded.
Willem

 

[hondated]

Thanks

Willem for replying so quickly. I would be interested to learn what bike you ride. You have given me a lot of useful information and I suppose the problem I have is trying to get a bike that is substantial enough to go off touring but at the same time be enjoyable to ride around the local lanes.
I must admit as well that I rode some of the Cuckoo Trail last week end and I really enjoyed being away from the road and I thought that something like the Roughstuff would be ideal to ride trails on.

 

[willem]

I am Dutch. My bike was built by www.m-gineering.nl my country's premier custom frame builder for touring bikes. See http://www.wereldfietser.nl/images/stories/2009/de eerste keer op fietsvakantie.pdf swcrol to bottom of the document. In essence it is a classic British style drop bar tourer, but with 26 inch wheels and a mix of modern components such as from Rohloff, SON and Magura, and classic components like the TA Zephyr cranks, and a number of Nitto parts.
My choice for 26 inch wheels was dictated by the changed face of modern touring. There are so many more cars than thirty-five years ago when I first started that you have to move out to much smaller roads than before, including the occasional gravel road or even muddy trail. I have really come to like this kind of touring, as it also brings me into closer contact with nature. Unless you want to ride very fast, I think a bike like mine is ideal for almost anything. I also use it for local rides on both tarmac and trails. Remember that the choice of bike is dictated by the worst conditions you may encounter. I have seen enough of your Sustrans routes to know that I would not want a bike with narrow tyres.
Send me a pm for detailed information.
Willem

 

[e-rider]

I am Dutch. My bike was built by www.m-gineering.nl my country's premier custom frame builder for touring bikes. See http://www.wereldfietser.nl/images/stories/2009/de eerste keer op fietsvakantie.pdf swcrol to bottom of the document. In essence it is a classic British style drop bar tourer, but with 26 inch wheels and a mix of modern components such as from Rohloff, SON and Magura, and classic components like the TA Zephyr cranks, and a number of Nitto parts.
My choice for 26 inch wheels was dictated by the changed face of modern touring. There are so many more cars than thirty-five years ago when I first started that you have to move out to much smaller roads than before, including the occasional gravel road or even muddy trail. I have really come to like this kind of touring, as it also brings me into closer contact with nature. Unless you want to ride very fast, I think a bike like mine is ideal for almost anything. I also use it for local rides on both tarmac and trails. Remember that the choice of bike is dictated by the worst conditions you may encounter. I have seen enough of your Sustrans routes to know that I would not want a bike with narrow tyres.
Send me a pm for detailed information.
Willem

were you cycling along Marriotts Way to Norwich about a week or 2 ago?

 

[willem]

I wish I were.
Willem

 

[hubbike]

I ride a roberts roughstuff with a rohloff hub. it is superb in every respect. I use marathon xr tyres which are superb on or off road. perfect bike couldn't recommend it highly enough!!