MTB to tourer

Hi all - I'm new here and wondering if anyone can offer some advice on the suitability of an early 1990's Team Marin frame/forks to use as a base for a tourer ?
I'm mostly thinking about the geometry/chain stay length etc. and also have been considering an Orange P7
Any thoughts welcome
Cheers

Re:

Depends on what you mean by a tourer ?

Its quite possible to use a MTB frame and forks as the basis for a versatile 'expedition' bike that could take you almost anywhere

There are many possible options concerning the best specification for such a bike, however I would suggest some of the following
as essentials:

Tyres with low rolling resistance and good puncture protection ( Schwalbe City Jet 1.5 x 26 )
Full mudguards and a rear pannier rack fitted with quality panniers
A sprung Brooks saddle or use a suspension seatpost
An upright riding position ( possibly use an adjustable stem to find the best position for longer journeys )

The standard gearing and brakes would be more than adequate for your needs, and the relaxed geometry of a frame from that
time should be equally suitable

Hope this is of some help to get you thinking/started. I am sure that there will be many differing ideas about specifications etc

Re:

I'm most interested in the 'relaxed geometry' aspect of the frame which may determine its suitability for touring - what angles / tube lengths are we ideally looking for ?

Thank you for the reply - much appreciated.

P7 with a softride stem and a thudbuster........

Ok - like your'e thinking!

Sometimes people over think this conversion. I hope this gives you some ideas ?

http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded

yes, dead right - so the frame choice is narrowed down to Orange P7 but there's also a possibility of a Team Marin frame/forks but finding technical spec on that difficult to locate
I guess the only way to know if the frame is comfortable for distance is to ride one of the right size and then modify as best as possible

Totally agree with KDM and his useful link. You really don't need technical specs, just find a frame of nearly the correct size for you ( you can easily fine tune it by adjusting seatpost and stem angle/length as required ) If you have no idea what is the correct size ? then a quick visit to your LBS/Halfords
will soon sort that out

My reference to 'relaxed geometry' relates partly to the distance between the wheels of earlier MTB frames, particularly the gap between the rear wheel and the seat tube. This is mostly determined by chain stay length. In order to carry large panniers without them fouling the heels of your shoes when pedaling a large gap is desirable

KDM":1yl5kt8y said:

Sometimes people over think this conversion.

Click to expand...

OMG, this, a lot !

You can tour on anything. Get some road-based tyres, decent rack(s), and proper mudguards if there's any chance of riding in the rain. Then just make sure the bike is in good condition mechanically. Strip it down, clean & lube everything, put it back together. Don't skip this step or pay someone else to do it as it's important you know how your bike works so that if (when) something goes wrong in the middle of nowhere you've got a fighting chance of getting yourself out of trouble.

Do some short overnight trips as a shakedown.

Then off you go

Re:

I think I'd probably recommend going for a bigger size than yoiu would do for an MTB of that time.

For example, early 90's MTBs were mostly XC machines and were meant to be raced fast, so most were bought with a view to attaining that 'arse up, head down' riding position.

In fact on both of my Orange P7s (94/5 and 99) the bars are lower in relation to the saddle height than on my road bike.

This is partly due to the pretty much level top tube and the fact that you needed the clearance for your 'gentleman's area' in the event of a sudden stop.

If you're not going to be riding it aggressively off road, then you can probably afford to get a bigger bike and will be, IMHO, more comfortable for longer rides.

Alternatively, you could fit a longer stem, but I always find these look odd.

More modern bikes have sloping top tubes and relaxed head tube angles to get the bars higher up, but still leave you plenty of room for the twig and berries while standing over the bike.

The other thing to consider is the dreaded bar ends - if you're going to be riding for any length of time, then having multiple positions for your hands is prefereable to avoid numbness.