so. I'm leagues out of my niche on this one, but I am looking for a road bike to pedal mad miles on. Multi day trips but I'm reluctant to get a pannier. I intend on biking multi day trips around the province with little more than one card if I can avoid it.
6'4".
Go.
I suppose I should state the question. What type of bike do I buy? and more specifically. less than $3500… which one?
Go see the guys at Mighty Riders and they will fix you up
is going big on a bike the only way to get you stoked on the sport? what happened to riding with your bros, travelling, and riding unique places, to get people stoked on riding?
fines are useless. there needs to be more punches to the throat.
A big miles bike and a built for speed bike are pretty different in this category.
Here's something built for what you describe.
http://www.salsacycles.com/bikes/colossal/
A CX bike would do you well too, I'd get one with rack mounts anyway to leave the option open. Has more relaxed geo than a true road bike but still sporty enough, and slightly bigger tires is good for all day riding.
I'd get a Surley Long Haul Trucker with disc mounts, if I weren't building my own soon…
My next frame build will be a new touring setup.
Something ti, most likely running a Rohloff rear hub, and dynamo front… could be an interesting winter, putting together all sorts of weirdness. :)
The best things in life all start with the letter B
Hooray for: Bacon, Bikeys, Boobies, Boards, and Beer!
I'd get a Surley Long Haul Trucker with disc mounts, if I weren't building my own soon…
My next frame build will be a new touring setup.
Something ti, most likely running a Rohloff rear hub, and dynamo front… could be an interesting winter, putting together all sorts of weirdness. :)
Surly calls it the Disc Trucker. Should be able to find one for around $1500.
Being cheap is OK. Being a clueless sanctimonious condescending douchebag is just Vlad's MO.
Panniers are very nice. If you are packing light ie a couple changes of clothes, some food and repair items, you won't notice they are there. I have a set of Ortliebs and they are great. If you are intending on credit card touring I would tend to buy something with good clearance so you can run tires a little tougher than your standard road tire ie Schwalbe Marathon Supremes and something with fender and rack mounts in case you ever want to use them.
vegetarian: an ancient word for "likes to stay home with the ladies…"
At 6'4" the best thing you can do for yourself is get properly sized on a bike, see what frames/bikes are available and go from there. Depending on your inseam you're likey going to need a 63 or 64cm frame. That rules out a lot of brands.
Ride, don't slide.
+1 on panniers.
If you ride all day long for several days or weeks - your nuts and bolt will thank you big time for every gram NOT stored in a backpack.
The Ortlieb are a pretty much a must. VERY handy. =)
At 6'4" the best thing you can do for yourself is get properly sized on a bike, see what frames/bikes are available and go from there. Depending on your inseam you're likey going to need a 63 or 64cm frame. That rules out a lot of brands.
This, I just got my first road bike and fit is huge for the longer miles in a more static position. I would consider paniers. I commute daily with a pack but for longer trips, a pack can really keep the sweat in.
As soon as you say "multi day" the touring folks will chime in and you will get a heavy, slow, and comfortable bike.
If your plan is to ride slow and steady to catch the views a touring bike will work for you. If your plan is to ride fast with a light pack I'd say get a road bike.
If you go for a road bike try to get carbon and Ultegra. As a beginner, many shops will sell you on an aluminum bike with Shimano 105, but if you're into bikes, Carbon and Ultegra is where it's at.
This is exactly why I still own a BOB trailer. Not willing to commit to a fully loaded and fully slow touring bike, but still want to do long days.
I would suggest a comfortable steel road bike with a tall front end like a Soma Smoothie. At 6'4 you're going to want to make sure you get a big enough bike and have bars swapped out etc.
Nick at Mighty loves this shit, but he'll probably steer you away from trailer and towards panniers as his wife insisted they bring a full size cooler on their first trip when they borrowed my BOB and it ruined him on them for life.
3500 bux is going to buy a pretty nice bike .
fit should be your first consideration . mighty will have a range of stuff on their floor that will accommodate you .
check out the steel bike with discs thread for inspiration . although i don't think discs are critical for credit card touring they sure would be nice if you ever want to haul bigger loads . for sure you will want braze-ons to accept at least a rear rack and fenders . you could probably get away with a rack trunk bag and a handlebar mounted front bag .
i'm with morgman on the pannier thing . i'd rather keep the bike light and tow a BOB trailer if you decide you want to carry more than a credit card tour requires . they use a special quick release skewer so you don't have to make a special allowance with regard to your bike selection if you want to keep that option open .
the only thing i would have on my back is a small hydration pack . the bike / trailer should carry the load , leave the engine ( you ) to enjoy the work of getting it there .
Go see the guys at Mighty Riders and they will fix you up
Nick at Mighty loves this shit
mighty will have a range of stuff
:rocker:
As has been suggested, there is a spectrum of options available to the OP. My recommendations are always driven by intended purpose and fit, and I'd welcome the opportunity to have an in-depth discussion with iridebikes about what he truly wants out of the bike. I have a lot of weapons in the arsenal, and can deliver anything from a light-and-fast carbon endurance missile to a fully-kitted apocalypse-prepped expedition sled.
A few other random thoughts:
I use and sell Ortleib panniers pretty much exclusively, but depending on where priorities lie, the OP could be a strong candidate for a set of Revelate Designs handlebar and seat bags.
As Morgman mentioned, I've toured a couple of times with a BOB and hated it. Whether or not it was overloaded with three days worth of water for two people, it seems to function as a giant pendulum hanging off the back of the bike, leading to speed wobbles on descents, and the inability to stand up and pedal on ascents.
zahgurim should take a long hard look at the Salsa Vaya Travel.
I think there's a tendency to over-tire adventure/touring bikes at the expense of on-road speed and efficiency. 700x28 Schwalbe Marathons are surprisingly capable in all conditions, including muddy trails.
As Morgman mentioned, I've toured a couple of times with a BOB and hated it. Whether or not it was overloaded with three days worth of water for two people, it seems to function as a giant pendulum hanging off the back of the bike, leading to speed wobbles on descents, and the inability to stand up and pedal on ascents.
The higher you load a BOB the worse it handles; exactly the pendulum effect you describe. A full size cooler is inevitably going to produce this condition. How many times have we been over this, haha…
I run my BOB with the OEM dry bag and as long as you buckle up the dry bag you will not load it too high. Of course when you're out on the road and packing in haste, you'll often end up with a "wild BOB" condition. YMMV.
OP sounds like he wants a fast bike that he can credit card with, maybe something with a long enough rear end to handle one pannier on a streamliner for essentials like toiletries and a pair of flip flops.
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