Modern touring bikes, then and now, good or bad¿
02-25-19, 09:41 PM
#27
cyclotourist
The vast majority of unpaved roads and trails I've been on are rideable with panniers. The few sections that aren't, can be gotten through one way or another. Some singletrack is worse, but I don't encounter it often at all. If I were touring on long, pannier unfriendly singletrack, then I would do something different; but I have no plans to do that, and lowish panniers and loads work better for me. I really like having the solid platform, especially in the back.
02-26-19, 12:16 AM
#28
Senior Member
you know chris, Ive seen you posting in the past on the crazy guy forum and perhaps another website using diff names, but it is interesting that you do these sort of posts and internet stuff.
I guess its entertainment, and thats ok, we come on here for fun and entertainment too, but you clearly have fun with the provoking aspect of it. Hey, you havent posted a youtube link to a song for a while, they are usually good songs....
cheers
I guess its entertainment, and thats ok, we come on here for fun and entertainment too, but you clearly have fun with the provoking aspect of it. Hey, you havent posted a youtube link to a song for a while, they are usually good songs....
cheers
of the boarder regions in other ways.
02-26-19, 08:30 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Metro Detroit/AA
Posts: 8,206
Bikes: 2016 Novara Mazama
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Also, keeping beer up that high on the bike really tosses off the load. And I like traveling with more than the absolute bare necessities, the bike in my touring is simply the mode of transport, one aspect of the trip, not the focal point of the vacation.
02-26-19, 04:09 PM
#30
Senior Member
I did pick up a good tip on BB7 brakes from him that helped, but you could be right, he could be off somewhere meeting more pairs of ladies anxious to have a baby with a handsome gringo , or prepping more photos to put up here of beautiful young Latina women he spent time with. You perhaps didnt read the posts in the past with this.
02-26-19, 08:50 PM
#31
Senior Member
I did pick up a good tip on BB7 brakes from him that helped, but you could be right, he could be off somewhere meeting more pairs of ladies anxious to have a baby with a handsome gringo , or prepping more photos to put up here of beautiful young Latina women he spent time with. You perhaps didnt read the posts in the past with this.
02-26-19, 09:22 PM
#32
My Latin Lady is 20, turns 21 in July. When I told her, no girl in California looks that good, I was telling the truth.
She only likes Boys that are sober. I only drink water and smoke nothing at all.
Beer is bad, modern bikes are good.
She only likes Boys that are sober. I only drink water and smoke nothing at all.
Beer is bad, modern bikes are good.
02-26-19, 09:23 PM
#33
This message is hidden because Happy Feet is on your ignore list.
found the right button
found the right button
02-26-19, 09:27 PM
#34
Somehow todays post ended up as post 1 at the top of the page ¿¿¿¿''??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdmGO-GvHyo
I posted 1 question on cgob about photos last year and a question about stoves 3 years ago, seldom click there, since jin jeong quit posting her universewithme journal.
provoking I am having trouble finding the Provoking part of my orignal post. I quoted Surly, the Surly that makes bicycles.
In 2009, the first offroad touring bike was the Salsa Fargo. 29 x 2.5 and drop bars. Only a hand full of people know that the Fargo was born because of a road ragging fat lady in a silver Honda. Not a trick, or a guess, historical fact, a 453 pound fat lady in a silver Honda is responsible for the creation of the off road touring bikes. It,(offraod touring,) gatherd steam.
Surly Listend to folks about the need for 3 inch tires to ride the, what is now the Baja Divide, 2.5 was just not enough. Trek´s first 29+ was made for Lance Armstrong to ride around central Baja.
¨¨Believe it or not, it wasn’t until the summer of 2012 when plus tires first debuted. Surly Bikes was the originator, launching both the Instigator with 26+ tires and the Krampus with massive 29 x 3.0″ rubber. Coincidentally, it was around that same time when bikepacking began its rise in popularity. We aren’t saying that 29+ was the impetus for bikepacking, but the two seem to be cosmically intertwined. ¨¨
29+ Bikes (The Complete List) - BIKEPACKING.com
Born out of fear of Honda driving fat ladys, off road touring gives me peace of mind. Should the old look at the new¿
Look how bicycles have changed. Less is more when it comes to cargo. More is more when it comes to tires. Do old guys have enough energy to pedal something like that? Why do people still have 4 bags and 2 racks and rim brakes.
I am a card carrying member of the~559 illuminati, the new wheel order~
and always will be. Can I try a modern bike without getting in any trouble¿
The 26 Inch Wheel Flat Earth Society
So secret they have no web address.
My motivation for posting the link to modern touring bikes was the thread where a few tried to get our man to buy an aluminum 8 speed bike to see the world on.
I posted 1 question on cgob about photos last year and a question about stoves 3 years ago, seldom click there, since jin jeong quit posting her universewithme journal.
provoking I am having trouble finding the Provoking part of my orignal post. I quoted Surly, the Surly that makes bicycles.
In 2009, the first offroad touring bike was the Salsa Fargo. 29 x 2.5 and drop bars. Only a hand full of people know that the Fargo was born because of a road ragging fat lady in a silver Honda. Not a trick, or a guess, historical fact, a 453 pound fat lady in a silver Honda is responsible for the creation of the off road touring bikes. It,(offraod touring,) gatherd steam.
Surly Listend to folks about the need for 3 inch tires to ride the, what is now the Baja Divide, 2.5 was just not enough. Trek´s first 29+ was made for Lance Armstrong to ride around central Baja.
¨¨Believe it or not, it wasn’t until the summer of 2012 when plus tires first debuted. Surly Bikes was the originator, launching both the Instigator with 26+ tires and the Krampus with massive 29 x 3.0″ rubber. Coincidentally, it was around that same time when bikepacking began its rise in popularity. We aren’t saying that 29+ was the impetus for bikepacking, but the two seem to be cosmically intertwined. ¨¨
29+ Bikes (The Complete List) - BIKEPACKING.com
Born out of fear of Honda driving fat ladys, off road touring gives me peace of mind. Should the old look at the new¿
Look how bicycles have changed. Less is more when it comes to cargo. More is more when it comes to tires. Do old guys have enough energy to pedal something like that? Why do people still have 4 bags and 2 racks and rim brakes.
I am a card carrying member of the~559 illuminati, the new wheel order~
and always will be. Can I try a modern bike without getting in any trouble¿
The 26 Inch Wheel Flat Earth Society
So secret they have no web address.
My motivation for posting the link to modern touring bikes was the thread where a few tried to get our man to buy an aluminum 8 speed bike to see the world on.
02-26-19, 09:44 PM
#35
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Hudson Valley, NY
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Here's my recommendation: Chrisx and Happy Feet, put each other on ignore and please stop with the bizarre accusations. Thanks! If you can't get along then one of you needs to move along.
__________________
See, this is why we can't have nice things. - - smarkinson
Where else but the internet can a bunch of cyclists go and be the tough guy? - - jdon
02-26-19, 10:03 PM
#36
Senior Member
My Latin Lady is 20, turns 21 in July. When I told her, no girl in California looks that good, I was telling the truth.
She only likes Boys that are sober. I only drink water and smoke nothing at all.
Beer is bad, modern bikes are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdmGO-GvHyo
She only likes Boys that are sober. I only drink water and smoke nothing at all.
Beer is bad, modern bikes are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdmGO-GvHyo
03-01-19, 01:35 PM
#37
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 17,038
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
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I havent been in the touring section for a couple weeks.
Based on the nonsensical waste of time that is this thread, i havent missed much.
Based on the nonsensical waste of time that is this thread, i havent missed much.
03-02-19, 02:47 PM
#38
Well, the moderators finaly cleaned it up. As a sober person, I have no tolerance for beer posters.
I like the Spanish version better
Last edited by chrisx; 03-02-19 at 02:58 PM.
03-03-19, 09:42 PM
#39
cyclotourist
03-04-19, 11:50 AM
#40
03-04-19, 11:58 AM
#41
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 17,038
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Liked 8,065 Times
in
4,472 Posts
03-04-19, 12:05 PM
#42
You're welcome. A guy who works a local new morning edition likes the national day thing. It's also National Pound Cake Day, so eat up.
03-04-19, 08:51 PM
#44
Senior Member
The only negative I have against modern bikes is the high cost of entry if you want to engage in more than one genre. If you are curious or have several interests it can begin to add up.
If one only wants to do loaded touring or bike packing then it's only one bike. Not so bad to splurge a bit. In Canada for example, even a base model LHT will run about $1500 and you could add easily another $1000 in bags, racks and lights/dynohubs. If you are curious about bikepacking, for example, a Surly ECR will run $2500 CAD and another $1000 for bike pack specific kit. What about gravel biking.. another $2000. Road cycling... Fixed Gear...
One way that used/older/conversions aid a cyclist who wants to explore different options is that there is a lower buy in to gain experience before committing to a more in depth investment. You can build a decent (but perhaps not perfect) loaded touring bike out of an old rigid 26 mtb. You can also make a decent drop bar mtb conversion for gravel riding. You can also make a somewhat decent off road tourer with either a 26/27.5/29r hardtail. FG from an old 27" ten speed and so on. Sometimes the love of older bikes isn't about their dominance of technology but how cheaply you can work with them to find what you ultimately like.
I am glad I went this route and eventually decided heavy loaded touring isn't as appealing to me as faster lighter touring is so that I didn't invest heavily in a modern priced expedition grade bike, bags and racks. I did invest in an endurance road bike however. Currently I am looking at off road touring but still don't know where I want to go there so I'll play with what I have until I get a better idea and either buy what I want or decide it's not what I want.
Ultimately for me it's about doing the activity and not what bike I am riding. I like to tour on a bike, not ride a touring bike. I like to ride fixed gear, not ride a fixed gear. Ride on gravel roads, not ride a gravel bike. A supple difference perhaps but it allows me the freedom to use what's available instead of what's new and being talked about.
Saw two ECR's this last summer being ridden by a German couple. Loved the bikes - they looked like they could go great off road with their 29x3" tires. Wondered how practical they would be for mixed surface touring though. It's an expensive proposition to buy one to find out. So first I will experiment with my older bike to see if I like off road touring enough to commit.
If one only wants to do loaded touring or bike packing then it's only one bike. Not so bad to splurge a bit. In Canada for example, even a base model LHT will run about $1500 and you could add easily another $1000 in bags, racks and lights/dynohubs. If you are curious about bikepacking, for example, a Surly ECR will run $2500 CAD and another $1000 for bike pack specific kit. What about gravel biking.. another $2000. Road cycling... Fixed Gear...
One way that used/older/conversions aid a cyclist who wants to explore different options is that there is a lower buy in to gain experience before committing to a more in depth investment. You can build a decent (but perhaps not perfect) loaded touring bike out of an old rigid 26 mtb. You can also make a decent drop bar mtb conversion for gravel riding. You can also make a somewhat decent off road tourer with either a 26/27.5/29r hardtail. FG from an old 27" ten speed and so on. Sometimes the love of older bikes isn't about their dominance of technology but how cheaply you can work with them to find what you ultimately like.
I am glad I went this route and eventually decided heavy loaded touring isn't as appealing to me as faster lighter touring is so that I didn't invest heavily in a modern priced expedition grade bike, bags and racks. I did invest in an endurance road bike however. Currently I am looking at off road touring but still don't know where I want to go there so I'll play with what I have until I get a better idea and either buy what I want or decide it's not what I want.
Ultimately for me it's about doing the activity and not what bike I am riding. I like to tour on a bike, not ride a touring bike. I like to ride fixed gear, not ride a fixed gear. Ride on gravel roads, not ride a gravel bike. A supple difference perhaps but it allows me the freedom to use what's available instead of what's new and being talked about.
Saw two ECR's this last summer being ridden by a German couple. Loved the bikes - they looked like they could go great off road with their 29x3" tires. Wondered how practical they would be for mixed surface touring though. It's an expensive proposition to buy one to find out. So first I will experiment with my older bike to see if I like off road touring enough to commit.
Last edited by Happy Feet; 03-04-19 at 08:58 PM.
03-05-19, 02:01 PM
#45
taking a close look at a bike’s geometry can help you choose the perfect bike for you
[[The modern mountain bike has very little in common with the earliest mountain bikes, except for the knobby tires on two wheels, handlebars and pedals. Every piece of a modern mountain bike has evolved to make us more confidant and better riders.
In the early stages of mountain bike development, off-road motorcycling was a major influence, as the founders attached large drum brakes with motorcycle levers and wide motorcycle handlebars to their cruisers.
Since the clunker era, there have been countless advancements to get us to where we are today.
It used to be that the head and seat tube angles were within 1 degree of one another. Now, it’s common to see those measurements up to 9 degrees apart.
https://mbaction.com/new-school-geometry/
A day trip around the lake, and a thousand mile trip are so not the same.
]]
In the early stages of mountain bike development, off-road motorcycling was a major influence, as the founders attached large drum brakes with motorcycle levers and wide motorcycle handlebars to their cruisers.
Since the clunker era, there have been countless advancements to get us to where we are today.
It used to be that the head and seat tube angles were within 1 degree of one another. Now, it’s common to see those measurements up to 9 degrees apart.
https://mbaction.com/new-school-geometry/
A day trip around the lake, and a thousand mile trip are so not the same.
]]
03-06-19, 01:52 PM
#46
Firm but gentle
OK, just my experience here: My first tour was on a gas pipe Schwinn with about 45 pounds of "stuff" on a Plecher rack. I could barely lift the rig 3 inches off the ground using all my strength. I had a truly fantastic and wonderful time as only a 15 year old can have (the weed and mushrooms were just a bonus), there was nobody to tell me I was doing it wrong. Next was a Raliegh Super Course that was way too big with the same Plecher rack and load, again a great ride regardless of gear choice. Years go by and I am the owner of a 1984 Trek 720. I was wiser about the weight, but it was still hefty by today's standards; traditional loaded touring for the day. I had Tailwind panniers up front, Blackburn racks, and I built up some Phil hubs, 40 hole in the back. I rode that bike from San Francisco to Bend, then over to Yellowstone on 27 x 1 1/8 Specialized touring II tires and never got a flat! I rode it on a tour of northern Michigan and never flatted, not sure of the tires, and I rode it on the dirt a lot and I am pretty sure I never had on flat tire on that bike. It was a Cadillac (in a good way), and I still regret selling it for $600 in 1988, I had manged to keep the paint flawless. In the early 2000s I was given a 1980s Miyata Colorado mountain bike with the brakes under the chain stays. I put all modern parts and wheels on it and toured Scotland on a good deal of smooth dirt and pavement. Old Man Mountain racks helped stiffen things up, but it was a little slow and boaty for my refined tastes. In 2012 I built up a Soma Saga, that bike blew the others away as a touring bike, no contest. You can't beat modern engineering. I briefly had a 2016 Fargo. I wanted to like it stock but I ditched all the SRAM stuff and the Woodchippers. I built some wheels for it and shaved off over 900 grams of rotating mass. It was my main bike for any off road riding, I love the format! I had it all set up for a bikepacking trip and test rode it briefly with all my lightweight gear. Very fun, confident, and zippy for a loaded touring rig. I was on Maxxis Icon 2.4 tubeless, it was beating me up just a little on long rough sections (like any rigid bike off road canand will). The roll was not all that great on pavement, but it was a good compromise if you want to stay on dirt as much as possible. Work and family commitments prevented me from ever getting out of town on it before it burnt up with all my bikes in the Campfire.
03-06-19, 02:16 PM
#48
Senior Member
Good story. Thanks for sharing 
Sounds like you didn't wait for the perfect bike to start touring and learned from each succesive build by identifying what you liked and did not like. I also have a wife, kids, mortgage, life and four expensive pastimes so every choice has to be measired against competing financial pressures.
Of course a modern bike or components would be great in most cases (except C&V) but that's sort of like saying one enjoys gourmet food or fine cuban cigars or beautiful women (or men) or luxury cars. Who wouldn't? As you show though, it's being able to get out and enjoy touring with what one has that counts
Sounds like you didn't wait for the perfect bike to start touring and learned from each succesive build by identifying what you liked and did not like. I also have a wife, kids, mortgage, life and four expensive pastimes so every choice has to be measired against competing financial pressures.
Of course a modern bike or components would be great in most cases (except C&V) but that's sort of like saying one enjoys gourmet food or fine cuban cigars or beautiful women (or men) or luxury cars. Who wouldn't? As you show though, it's being able to get out and enjoy touring with what one has that counts
03-06-19, 02:36 PM
#49
Firm but gentle
Yes, the gear is definitely secondary to so many other factors. In the modern age a working Joe who is in his (or her) maturity has to fight for his right to get out there. I told my Scottish relatives, only half joking, I am shameless in my self-centered pursuit of a good bike tour.
03-06-19, 08:09 PM
#50
Love that Soma above, a modern classic if you will, or is that an oxymoron ?
Btw, where is the ole Squeeze box? Did he ever get a chance to tour the Katy?
Btw, where is the ole Squeeze box? Did he ever get a chance to tour the Katy?
