Touring advice, one bike or two?

I'm mostly a Toronto-local road rider; I prefer longer 150+ km rides
but mostly end up doing 50k-ish rides after work. I also go on the
occasional tour; I've done the Icefields in AB (highly recommended 3-
day ride!) and the Cabot Trail (ditto) and this year I'm thinking of
doing a week long ride in Peru with some friends.

Right now I'm riding a couple-year-old Trek 5000. It's starting to get
a little cranky shifting, and will likely need some real work at the
end of this season. I got this bike because I was mostly road, and
really liked the way it felt over long distances compared to the Canny
and Lightspeeds, and especially the 1991 Marin steel road frame I was
on at the time. Had I waited one year, I would have got a Roubaix,
that's even more aimed at the sort of riding I do.

But with a double on the front and no braze-ons, it's almost useless
for touring. I've been borrowing a friend's spare MTB, but I have a
serious problem with my hands going numb after a couple of hours, and
it gets so bad I have to stop every 15 to 20 minutes to let it "cool
off". So while it has a great pannier setup and pretty good gearing,
it's really less than ideal.

So, what do I do for a touring setup?

1) get a new road bike like the 5.2 or Roubaix, set it up with a
triple and use a skewer-mounted panier those very few times I tour
(along with high-spoke wheels and 32's)

2) buy a second bike with a better touring setup (braze-ons, bigger
wheels) and let it rust the other 99% of the time

3) buy an old road bike and re-equip it with a triple -- this seems to
take some serious coin

Arguments anyone? If I go with (2) or (3), what options do I have for
drivetrains that I can use with drop-handle brakes and still get some
serious torque? IE, can I use indexed STI's with XT's?

Maury

On May 20, 11:08 am, Maury Markowitz
wrote:
I'm mostly a Toronto-local road rider; I prefer longer 150+ km rides
but mostly end up doing 50k-ish rides after work. I also go on the
occasional tour; I've done the Icefields in AB (highly recommended 3-
day ride!) and the Cabot Trail (ditto) and this year I'm thinking of
doing a week long ride in Peru with some friends.

Right now I'm riding a couple-year-old Trek 5000. It's starting to get
a little cranky shifting, and will likely need some real work at the
end of this season. I got this bike because I was mostly road, and
really liked the way it felt over long distances compared to the Canny
and Lightspeeds, and especially the 1991 Marin steel road frame I was
on at the time. Had I waited one year, I would have got a Roubaix,
that's even more aimed at the sort of riding I do.

But with a double on the front and no braze-ons, it's almost useless
for touring. I've been borrowing a friend's spare MTB, but I have a
serious problem with my hands going numb after a couple of hours, and
it gets so bad I have to stop every 15 to 20 minutes to let it "cool
off". So while it has a great pannier setup and pretty good gearing,
it's really less than ideal.

So, what do I do for a touring setup?

1) get a new road bike like the 5.2 or Roubaix, set it up with a
triple and use a skewer-mounted panier those very few times I tour
(along with high-spoke wheels and 32's)

2) buy a second bike with a better touring setup (braze-ons, bigger
wheels) and let it rust the other 99% of the time

For my money, a Surly LHT is nearly a perfect do everything bike right
out of the box. I'd replace the tires first thing with Pasela 32s to
make the bike a little more nippy. It's going to be 95% as fast as any
sport bike out there at 25# or so, and you can bolt the kitchen sink
to it when you want to tour. I don't see any reason for it to sit and
rust other than you finding long chain stays unfashionable. You
thought your Trek was comfy over long distances...try something with a
good wheelbase and nice tires at 90 psi.

On May 20, 11:08 am, Maury Markowitz
wrote:
Arguments anyone? If I go with (2) or (3), what options do I have for
drivetrains that I can use with drop-handle brakes and still get some
serious torque? IE, can I use indexed STI's with XT's?

I use barcons with LX on my touring bike - the rear is currently in
index mode, the front has always been in friction mode. Shifts like a
Porsche most of the time. Has the usual ice issues in winter, but I
don't tour in winter and don't need to shift in my part of Toronto.

In article
,
landotter wrote:

On May 20, 11:08 am, Maury Markowitz
wrote:
I'm mostly a Toronto-local road rider; I prefer longer 150+ km rides
but mostly end up doing 50k-ish rides after work. I also go on the
occasional tour; I've done the Icefields in AB (highly recommended 3-
day ride!) and the Cabot Trail (ditto) and this year I'm thinking of
doing a week long ride in Peru with some friends.

Right now I'm riding a couple-year-old Trek 5000. It's starting to get
a little cranky shifting, and will likely need some real work at the
end of this season. I got this bike because I was mostly road, and
really liked the way it felt over long distances compared to the Canny
and Lightspeeds, and especially the 1991 Marin steel road frame I was
on at the time. Had I waited one year, I would have got a Roubaix,
that's even more aimed at the sort of riding I do.

But with a double on the front and no braze-ons, it's almost useless
for touring. I've been borrowing a friend's spare MTB, but I have a
serious problem with my hands going numb after a couple of hours, and
it gets so bad I have to stop every 15 to 20 minutes to let it "cool
off". So while it has a great pannier setup and pretty good gearing,
it's really less than ideal.

So, what do I do for a touring setup?

1) get a new road bike like the 5.2 or Roubaix, set it up with a
triple and use a skewer-mounted panier those very few times I tour
(along with high-spoke wheels and 32's)

2) buy a second bike with a better touring setup (braze-ons, bigger
wheels) and let it rust the other 99% of the time

For my money, a Surly LHT is nearly a perfect do everything bike right
out of the box. I'd replace the tires first thing with Pasela 32s to
make the bike a little more nippy. It's going to be 95% as fast as any
sport bike out there at 25# or so, and you can bolt the kitchen sink
to it when you want to tour. I don't see any reason for it to sit and
rust other than you finding long chain stays unfashionable. You
thought your Trek was comfy over long distances...try something with a
good wheelbase and nice tires at 90 psi.

The beauty of a dedicated touring rig is that, unlike other special
purpose designs, it can more than adequately function in other
capacities. I echo Landotter's recommendation: get a good tourer.

Urbane Cycle's 'Urbanite' house brand includes a touring frameset. It's
built of butted 4130 CroMo as the LHT; definitely worthy of
consideration.

http://ucycle.com/bikes/item.php?nam...r&cat=urbanite

landotter wrote:
For my money, a Surly LHT is nearly a perfect do everything bike right
out of the box. I'd replace the tires first thing with Pasela 32s to
make the bike a little more nippy. It's going to be 95% as fast as any
sport bike out there at 25# or so, and you can bolt the kitchen sink
to it when you want to tour. I don't see any reason for it to sit and
rust other than you finding long chain stays unfashionable. You
thought your Trek was comfy over long distances...try something with a
good wheelbase and nice tires at 90 psi.

I just built up a Pake C'Muter for the ladyfriend. $300 bucks got her a
lot of frame a fork. Tange Prestige tubing no less. That thing is
steel and super light. Canti--bosses, double eyelets front and rear,
rear cable hanger, 132.5 mm rear spacing, the whole 9 yards...

I'm impressed and might pick one up after the relocation to PDX.


--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

On May 21, 9:32 am, "Paul M. Hobson" wrote:
landotter wrote:
For my money, a Surly LHT is nearly a perfect do everything bike right
out of the box. I'd replace the tires first thing with Pasela 32s to
make the bike a little more nippy. It's going to be 95% as fast as any
sport bike out there at 25# or so, and you can bolt the kitchen sink
to it when you want to tour. I don't see any reason for it to sit and
rust other than you finding long chain stays unfashionable. You
thought your Trek was comfy over long distances...try something with a
good wheelbase and nice tires at 90 psi.

I just built up a Pake C'Muter for the ladyfriend. $300 bucks got her a
lot of frame a fork. Tange Prestige tubing no less. That thing is
steel and super light. Canti--bosses, double eyelets front and rear,
rear cable hanger, 132.5 mm rear spacing, the whole 9 yards...

I'm impressed and might pick one up after the relocation to PDX.

I'd pretty much compare that to a Surly Crosser to be fair. Good price
for a light Tange frame for sure. The stays are 35mm shorter than a
LHT--cross bike short or fashionably short if you're calling it a
"commuter"--but not an issue, unless you're a guy like me with Real
Man (46+) size feet and want to run panniers without going "fppp fppp
fppp" all the way home.

On May 21, 10:57*am, landotter wrote:
I'd pretty much compare that to a Surly Crosser to be fair. Good price
for a light Tange frame for sure. The stays are 35mm shorter than a
LHT--cross bike short or fashionably short if you're calling it a
"commuter"--but not an issue, unless you're a guy like me with Real
Man (46+) size feet and want to run panniers without going "fppp fppp
fppp" all the way home.

No concern here, I'm only 5'9", the only problem I have is hitting the
front on hard turns.

Ok, point taken... cheap touring frame it is. Ok, so for the comfort
side, what do I look for in geometry that will get me a little more
head-up than a traditional road frame?

On May 21, 3:29 pm, Maury Markowitz wrote:
On May 21, 10:57 am, landotter wrote:

I'd pretty much compare that to a Surly Crosser to be fair. Good price
for a light Tange frame for sure. The stays are 35mm shorter than a
LHT--cross bike short or fashionably short if you're calling it a
"commuter"--but not an issue, unless you're a guy like me with Real
Man (46+) size feet and want to run panniers without going "fppp fppp
fppp" all the way home.

No concern here, I'm only 5'9", the only problem I have is hitting the
front on hard turns.

Ok, point taken... cheap touring frame it is. Ok, so for the comfort
side, what do I look for in geometry that will get me a little more
head-up than a traditional road frame?

That's more a result of picking the right size, correct stem, spacers,
etc. A frame like the Pake that Paul linked to is a really nice option
with the extended head tube--which helps avoid a stupid amount of
spacers if any. It's got pretty sporty geometry and all of the braze
ons so you can bolt on the Cuisinart and bug ZapR as needed for your
trips.

On May 21, 4:29*pm, Maury Markowitz wrote:

Ok, point taken... cheap touring frame it is. Ok, so for the comfort
side, what do I look for in geometry that will get me a little more
head-up than a traditional road frame?

Look for a non-racy shop, first. Someone's already mentioned Urbane
(John Street, above Queen, Toronto, Canada.) They understand uncut
steerers, etc. I put "interrupter" brakes on my bike so I can ride on
the tops and still have full control - they interfer with many
handlebar bags, but that can usually be worked around.

You don't want to completely sacrific the head-down option when
touring. Headwinds are worse than hills and can go on for days in some
places.

I like combination pedals - clipless on one side, flat on the other -
too, as clipping out can give your feet a bit of a break at the end of
the day. Handy if you need to ride your bike to a meal or shower after
setting up for the night, too, when you might be wearing other shoes.
Definitely a comfort item.

Bigger tires, too - 32s or wider. And splurge on handlebar tape.

On May 20, 9:08 am, Maury Markowitz wrote:


Arguments anyone? If I go with (2) or (3), what options do I have for
drivetrains that I can use with drop-handle brakes and still get some
serious torque? IE, can I use indexed STI's with XT's?


You can with an XT rear but not front, as the MTB FDs have different
cable pull rates. Surly LHT uses an XT rear with a Tiagra triple
front. They stock it with bar-cons, but it would work with STIs no
problem.

And when it comes to touring triples, by far the best choice is the
Sugino XD600. The 110/74BCD is the most sensible format for touring,
allowing lows down to 24t and highs up into the 50s. MTB cranks are
geared too low for most folks' tastes, and the rings are too small to
work with STI-compatible FDs.