MTB to tourer
- Thread starter gred1
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Mountain bikes make excellent touring bikes with very little modification. You've got a strong frame with a comfortable, heads up riding position, which is pretty much ideal. The Mrs. and I once did 3,500 miles with her on an Explosif and me on a Ti cyclocross bike and both were excellent.
The only thing that's really essential is some decent 26" touring tyres. Make sure they're tough. I had loads of problems with pinch flats - all that extra crap you're carrying can cause problems if you run standard road tyres. When I put a proper touring tyre on I was fine.
Bar ends might be nice if you're going to be sat grinding away all day but if you have some cash for upgrades I'd strongly suggest you invest it in panniers. A good set of waterproof ones like Ortleibs can make a huge difference if you get caught in the rain.
Where exactly are you planning on going?
The only thing that's really essential is some decent 26" touring tyres. Make sure they're tough. I had loads of problems with pinch flats - all that extra crap you're carrying can cause problems if you run standard road tyres. When I put a proper touring tyre on I was fine.
Bar ends might be nice if you're going to be sat grinding away all day but if you have some cash for upgrades I'd strongly suggest you invest it in panniers. A good set of waterproof ones like Ortleibs can make a huge difference if you get caught in the rain.
Where exactly are you planning on going?
One thing to consider if you're doing something fairly epic is do you really want to be going touring on a 20 year old frame? I gave serious thought to going touring on my Kona but after what was then 3 trips to the frame builders I just wasn't confident it would hold together.
Surly do some excellent touring bikes for not much money. Have a think about one of those too.
Surly do some excellent touring bikes for not much money. Have a think about one of those too.
Can I be blunt and I do not intend this to be aimed at you O.P.
Like many, I use a lot of cycling forums and often we will get people coming in who have seen a blog, a video or a friend who has done it, about a world tour. I would say from that, 99% who are then motivated to consider it themselves, never do it even though they wish they could.
A better and more achievable way of doing things is try the U.K. first and for that most older mountain bikes with some decent considerations should be your starting point. I myself have done more miles on my old marin bear valley se with factory kit (replaced parts only when worn and then upgraded) than the very expensive new Thorn Sherpa I once bought.
General rule of thumb I have found works. The frame has no cracks, you have a new and solid bottom bracket and some semi decent wheels with probably schwalbe marathons on, racks that will hold more than you need and never take more than you need. Get it serviced so the brakes and gears work right, do some courses if you are unsure how to maintain a bike when there is no bike shop close.
If you need additions then a company like sjs has a huge variance of parts for you to customise https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/
For most would be touring people the best time is starting small, learning your bike, things to adapt to you but most importantly, get out and ride, You are more likely to actually know what works for you when riding than typing on a keyboard. Remember touring is more than just the bike you ride but real world experience is priceless
In your particular case op, if the team marin is in good condition but you have no love for it then I would sell it and use the funds to build your build but to be honest, you can have as much fun on a couple of hundred pound second hand bike than a thousand pound brand new one. If you love the marin then simply adapt it
The link I posted shows just how many entry to mid level bikes can travel the world, let alone to tesco
Like many, I use a lot of cycling forums and often we will get people coming in who have seen a blog, a video or a friend who has done it, about a world tour. I would say from that, 99% who are then motivated to consider it themselves, never do it even though they wish they could.
A better and more achievable way of doing things is try the U.K. first and for that most older mountain bikes with some decent considerations should be your starting point. I myself have done more miles on my old marin bear valley se with factory kit (replaced parts only when worn and then upgraded) than the very expensive new Thorn Sherpa I once bought.
General rule of thumb I have found works. The frame has no cracks, you have a new and solid bottom bracket and some semi decent wheels with probably schwalbe marathons on, racks that will hold more than you need and never take more than you need. Get it serviced so the brakes and gears work right, do some courses if you are unsure how to maintain a bike when there is no bike shop close.
If you need additions then a company like sjs has a huge variance of parts for you to customise https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/
For most would be touring people the best time is starting small, learning your bike, things to adapt to you but most importantly, get out and ride, You are more likely to actually know what works for you when riding than typing on a keyboard. Remember touring is more than just the bike you ride but real world experience is priceless
In your particular case op, if the team marin is in good condition but you have no love for it then I would sell it and use the funds to build your build but to be honest, you can have as much fun on a couple of hundred pound second hand bike than a thousand pound brand new one. If you love the marin then simply adapt it
The link I posted shows just how many entry to mid level bikes can travel the world, let alone to tesco
Re:
My 1996 Trek 850 is a great touring bike. It's a 21" and I'm just over 6'2" so it is possibly a bit small, but i quite used to it now. I bought it about 18 months ago and it had barely been ridden so it was almost immaculate and completely original.
I've ridden about 5000 miles on it on crappy S.E. Asian roads and never even had a broken spoke. Or puncture, thanks to Mr Tuffy tire liners on cheap tires. All i've had to do is replace the cassette and chain.
My previous bike was a 1996 Trek 520 tourer which was always busting spokes. I spent a fortune on that thing until somebody stole it. The 850 actually has a very slightly longer wheelbase than the 520. I think its mostly in top bar which suits me as I spend a lot of time out of the saddle.
The MTB was compromise as i just didn't want to spend 10 times what i did on the MTB. The only thing i can fault is that the steering is a bit twitchy compared to the tourer's better directional stability.
I have thought about replacing it with new Kona Sutra, disc 520 etc, but i think i'll keep and just replace the STX crankset with a Sugino XD-600 triple and maybe consider replacing the flat bars with drops and bar end shifters.
My 1996 Trek 850 is a great touring bike. It's a 21" and I'm just over 6'2" so it is possibly a bit small, but i quite used to it now. I bought it about 18 months ago and it had barely been ridden so it was almost immaculate and completely original.
I've ridden about 5000 miles on it on crappy S.E. Asian roads and never even had a broken spoke. Or puncture, thanks to Mr Tuffy tire liners on cheap tires. All i've had to do is replace the cassette and chain.
My previous bike was a 1996 Trek 520 tourer which was always busting spokes. I spent a fortune on that thing until somebody stole it. The 850 actually has a very slightly longer wheelbase than the 520. I think its mostly in top bar which suits me as I spend a lot of time out of the saddle.
The MTB was compromise as i just didn't want to spend 10 times what i did on the MTB. The only thing i can fault is that the steering is a bit twitchy compared to the tourer's better directional stability.
I have thought about replacing it with new Kona Sutra, disc 520 etc, but i think i'll keep and just replace the STX crankset with a Sugino XD-600 triple and maybe consider replacing the flat bars with drops and bar end shifters.
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If the Cranes can do it on a Raleigh...
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Get your arse used to one saddle and dont buy a sofa.
Experiment with riding positions - ackey back? Move the saddle up/ down/ forward/ back
Sore shoulders? play with the bar position/ width
Make sure grips are comfortable. many are thin with little support. I use a set from Plastiche which are quite thick and suit larger hands.
SPDs help with hills but experiment with fitting. I run them lose to rule out potential knee issues from not enough float.
Keep the drive train simple. Many big supermarkets will have some sort of 6/7/8 spd compatible chain but not 9spd. Plus they'll have basic cables and other sundries to keep you going.
36 spoke back wheel!
Experiment with riding positions - ackey back? Move the saddle up/ down/ forward/ back
Sore shoulders? play with the bar position/ width
Make sure grips are comfortable. many are thin with little support. I use a set from Plastiche which are quite thick and suit larger hands.
SPDs help with hills but experiment with fitting. I run them lose to rule out potential knee issues from not enough float.
Keep the drive train simple. Many big supermarkets will have some sort of 6/7/8 spd compatible chain but not 9spd. Plus they'll have basic cables and other sundries to keep you going.
36 spoke back wheel!
