Mountain Bike as Tourer?

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 23:37:38 -0500, Luke wrote:

In article ,
frank-in-toronto wrote:

hmmmmmm. i really don't jump. i really will be road riding 99%
of the time. maybe mountain is not the way to go. as spring
approaches, i'll visit the lbs and see what's available.
thanks...thehick

Frank, I second Bonehenge.
snip some good advise
thanks to all the responders. I have a different idea now
than when I started. I'll be checking into an entry-level
road bike. but also, i'm going to hit a lot of garage sales
in the spring. i can fix old bikes. no problem.
....thehick

http://www.fisherbikes.com/archive/b...e=DualSport229

I just bought one and love it. I tested so many full suspension bikes
that I went from wanting to spend $350 (comfort style) to almost
spending over $3000 on a Palimino! Lost sleep over that bike 2 days
ago, and now I can't even remember who makes it. Well I had forgot
that I am riding about 80% road right now, and the full suspension was
a little more than I really need. I do fear that these wheels will be
trashed first time I hit a single track, but the bike ought to do fine
on the greenway or rail trails. The 29" wheels ride so much better on
the road than the standard 26" mountain bike wheels, and the GF
website has a compelling argument on how they'll roll over rocks and
logs. I probablly should have gone with the GF Paragon "05 model,
would be better suited for off road, but there was not one at the
store (around $1200). Mine has so called "slicks" but there is the
edge tread, and even the center of the tire is slightly ribbed. It
also has a 48 tooth chainring, I never found a MTN bike with more than
44. I was averaging 14-16 mph on my old Sears Kennsington (26"
wheels), and after about 25 miles on the GF 229 I'm getting 18-20 mph!
I have the fork dialed all the way stiff now. It has a Shimano XT
rear, LX front and LX shifters.Oh yeah, I paid $680 for it!



On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:42:40 -0500, frank-in-toronto
wrote:

I'm just beginning to research what bike to pick up for summer use.
I want to road ride a lot, some dirt trails, maybe jump a branch
or two, but nothing extreme. I favour a mountain bike but would
like some pointers on which ones to look at first.

i hope to go for all day rides so I'd like fenders and some
way to attach bags (panniers?) Lights will be necessary
in case i get stuck out too long and have to come back
in the dusk or later (shouldn't happen often but i'd
like to be prepared).

price point is around 1000 canadian dollars.

thanks for any suggestions...thehick.

In article ,
frank-in-toronto wrote:

I'm just beginning to research what bike to pick up for summer use.
I want to road ride a lot, some dirt trails, maybe jump a branch
or two, but nothing extreme. I favour a mountain bike but would
like some pointers on which ones to look at first.

i hope to go for all day rides so I'd like fenders and some
way to attach bags (panniers?) Lights will be necessary
in case i get stuck out too long and have to come back
in the dusk or later (shouldn't happen often but i'd
like to be prepared).

price point is around 1000 canadian dollars.

thanks for any suggestions...thehick.


I have read your last comment that you've been swayed by some posters
here that a road bike is better for touring and that a mountain bike is
not ideal.

I am not sure which planet they are on, but when I was on my last long
tour, I always saw more people on mountain bikes than on pure road
touring bikes. Distance and comfort don't seem to bother these people
either. In fact, I used to work for a company that sponsored 2 French
Canadians (Janick Lemieux and Pierre Bouchard) that tour only with
mountain bikes.
Distance and comfort never bothered them either.

Don't let fear mongering here disuade you from choosing a mountain bike
for touring over a touring road bike. There's nothing wrong with
touring on a mountain bike. I have done it many many times with my GT
iDrive. I also tour on a real 700c touring bike as well.

To attach panniers, hard tails are easier to equip compared to full
suzzies though.
For front shocks, you've got 3 choices. The Axiom Odyssee (from Norco)
is a front rack similar in design to the Old Man Mountain's version,
but it's cheaper and works with a lot of front forks, namely the Fox
Forx. Delta makes their own version of the front shock rack called
the shock treatment, but will not work well with Fox Forx and some
Marzocchi Jumper forks with burly stanchion tubes.

For the rear, a regular touring rack for hard tails or an Old Man
Mountain rear rack for full suzzies.

Fenders made by SKS are nice. I have them on my mountain bike..

David.

If you said "I want to ride trails, do short commutes and the
occasional milk run", a mountain bike would be fine. "All day
touring" is a totally different ball game.

Barry

Barry,

A lot of sponsored globe trotters are riding with flat handle bars and
what looks to me like mountain bikes.. They are not touring for 1 or 2
weeks like some of us do. They are touring for years on the road, so
it seems to me that all day touring on a mountain bike would be just
fine.

David..

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 06:21:57 GMT, David
wrote:

snip some alternative info

David.
thanks for presenting the other side. I checked out
some road bikes at the LBS and I'm not spending that
kind of money just to ride around. Looks like 12 or
13 hundred dollars for entry level giant/specialized.
not including fenders, lights, racks.

yikes!

i'm gonna fix up my old mounain bike with some smooth
tires, make my own rear rack and get some riding
gloves. that'll be fine.
....thehick

"frank-in-toronto" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 06:21:57 GMT, David
wrote:

snip some alternative info

David.
thanks for presenting the other side. I checked out
some road bikes at the LBS and I'm not spending that
kind of money just to ride around. Looks like 12 or
13 hundred dollars for entry level giant/specialized.
not including fenders, lights, racks.

yikes!

i'm gonna fix up my old mounain bike with some smooth
tires, make my own rear rack and get some riding
gloves. that'll be fine.
...thehick

Hey, if your old mt bike works do it! The key is to ride. Just get a good
set of slick tires, something like 26 x 1.25. Avocet makes a good one that
rolls real nice, but it cost about $20 each.

On Thu, 3 Feb 2005 17:46:39 -0800, "bfd" wrote:

snipper
Hey, if your old mt bike works do it! The key is to ride. Just get a good
set of slick tires, something like 26 x 1.25. Avocet makes a good one that
rolls real nice, but it cost about $20 each.
you mean the cross II K? i'll look around.
....thehick

frank-in-toronto wrote:
On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 06:21:57 GMT, David
wrote:

snip some alternative info

David.

thanks for presenting the other side. I checked out
some road bikes at the LBS and I'm not spending that
kind of money just to ride around. Looks like 12 or
13 hundred dollars for entry level giant/specialized.
not including fenders, lights, racks.

yikes!

i'm gonna fix up my old mounain bike with some smooth
tires, make my own rear rack and get some riding
gloves. that'll be fine.
...thehick

Well, if you're a hick then I am a bicycle bum since I wouldn't spend a
grand on a bike either. If I can't get a decent ride for under $150.00 I
will just go to another dump. One Huffy, $85 and 10,000 miles, a
Mongoose given to me with about 2,000 miles so far, a Schwinn Super
Sport that was given to me but parts cost a lot, and an old Motobecane
without one single Japanese part on it. Totally French, Swiss, and
German. I pack breakfast lunch and sometimes dinner plus plenty of water
or other liquid for the long rides. Back pack, fanny pack, saddle bags,
and the works for long rides with no support stops.
Bill Baka

In article ,
frank-in-toronto wrote:

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 06:21:57 GMT, David
wrote:

snip some alternative info

David.
thanks for presenting the other side. I checked out
some road bikes at the LBS and I'm not spending that
kind of money just to ride around. Looks like 12 or
13 hundred dollars for entry level giant/specialized.
not including fenders, lights, racks.

yikes!

i'm gonna fix up my old mounain bike with some smooth
tires, make my own rear rack and get some riding
gloves. that'll be fine.
...thehick

Frank,

Good that you have that thought! Despite with what some people try to
make a case of here, any bike can be made to be a touring bike. You
just have to have an imagination that's all.

When I was doing a year of touring in 2003, I rode with a female rider
that was touring Canada with a cheap, albeit broken down Canadian Tire
special mountain bike. More than 8000 miles later, she did it! Yes,
on a cheap $200 bike.
So you see, anything is possible..

David.

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In article ,
frank-in-toronto wrote:
On Thu, 3 Feb 2005 17:46:39 -0800, "bfd" wrote:

snipper
Hey, if your old mt bike works do it! The key is to ride. Just get a good
set of slick tires, something like 26 x 1.25. Avocet makes a good one that
rolls real nice, but it cost about $20 each.
you mean the cross II K? i'll look around.

_ That's a good tire if you plan to do much dirt road
riding, Avocet also makes a treadless slick in that size
as well, which would be better for mostly paved road riding.

_ Booker C. Bense

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