# Help me build superb touring bikes.



## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

Hey there RBR,

Long story short: I'm planning a bike expedition from Alaska to Argentina. Lots of things are already in place, and now I'm at the stage where I'm ordering bikes for myself and my two brothers who are going with me.

We're getting custom IF Steel Independence touring frames made for us.

The rest is up for debate. I'm an experienced racer, complete noob to touring.

Can anyone offer their build suggestions for a bombproof setup to get us successfully from Alaska to Argentina in a year on a self-supported tour? I could use suggestions on everything from components to tires to racks and panniers.

My starting point:

Bruce Gordon Racks & Panniers

Shimano components of some kind? Leaning against MTB components because I'll be using drop bars...

Custom built wheels, high spoke count Deep Vs' with solid hubs?

Brooks saddles

Disc brakes?


Any suggestions are much appreciated.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Buy 3 Surly Long Haul Truckers and be done with it.

HTH


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

*You've already found your solution*



DM.Aelis said:


> Hey there RBR,
> 
> Long story short: I'm planning a bike expedition from Alaska to Argentina. Lots of things are already in place, and now I'm at the stage where I'm ordering bikes for myself and my two brothers who are going with me.
> 
> ...


You've already discovered Bruce Gordon Racks and Bags. Bruce has more years, milege, serious all condition testing, and from what I've seen of his work...a serious alergy to compromise regarding "what it takes" to bicycle tour. 

If you've already purchased the frames, copy everything else from the Rock N Road build. If it wasn't the "best" for the purpose it wouldn't be hanging off the Gordon. 

MB's suggestion isn't a bad one either. For roughly the amount of money you'll be spending on your custom touring bikes, buy 9 Long Haul Truckers, if something breaks along the way, have a friend ship you one of the spare LHT's to your location. I bet you can make it to Argentina before you use up 3 bikes each. 

Good luck, have fun, take pictures and post them here.

Scot


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

Very helpful! thank you.

I just discovered Bruce's BLT as well. Seriously tempting, especially at that price point.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)




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## PBike (Jul 6, 2007)

MB1 said:


> Buy 3 Surly Long Haul Truckers and be done with it.
> 
> HTH


+1 

They will work fine. No muss, no fuss. 26 inch wheel option.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

For the trip you are planning I'm assuming it will include a mix of paved road and gravel/off-road riding. This places a premium on durability, the ability run larger tires and having a wide range of gears. Depending on what the roads will be like I could see running anything from something like a Salsa Fargo or other dirt touring bike to something like a Surly LHT trucker with 26inch. 

If you go Shimano for the drive train you can mix road and mountain parts. MTB cranks, derailleurs and such all tend to be a bit more durable. I like LX and XT stuff myself.

You'll want low gears. Run a triple for sure. A 12-32 cassette works well. Go with a drive train that is burly. I like bar end shifters. They are simple, durable and very flexible. 

I like mechanic discs on my touring bike, but it's really a personal choice. I'm also pretty small. Friends who are big (200+) guys really like their discs and don't think of them as optional. YMMV.

For wheels I'd get a standard good quality double walled box rim and lace them to some XT hubs. DT Swiss makes some bomber touring rims. Is there a specific reason you are thinking Deep V's? I'd probably go with something wider to run bigger tires. 

I would go try to ride a few touring bikes, preferably fully loaded. A bike with 40+ pounds of gear feels very different then it does unloaded. Check out the Crazy Guy on a Bike website, lots of people doing expedition type touring have posted pictures on specs on their bikes. Might be helpful.


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## vaultbrad (Oct 21, 2007)

Friction shifting, and rim brakes. Rim brakes and parts may be easier to find in remote areas. Friction shifting is really really hard to break. Would suck to find yourself in the middle of nowhere with a busted STI lever. I would go with square taper cranks for the crud resistance of the BB being fully enclosed, and also because should a BB go kaput a square taper will also be easier to find and cheaper out in the sticks. A "mountain" cassette made out of sturdy steel with a 34 big cog could be useful for the mountains along the way and a no nonsense "mountain" derailer from shimano will be perfectly compatible with the friction shifting. 

Just some musings that seem to make sense in my noggin.


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## vaultbrad (Oct 21, 2007)

Also, please keep us posted! I love hearing about people doing really cool things, and this qualifies.


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## PBike (Jul 6, 2007)

It is amazing that all the descriptions given here sound an awfully lot like an out of the box Long Haul Trucker with 26 inch wheels.:thumbsup:


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

PBike said:


> It is amazing that all the descriptions given here sound an awfully lot like an out of the box Long Haul Trucker with 26 inch wheels.:thumbsup:


Buy a 56cm, keep the parts and sell me the frame!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

I'll take another stab at this and take a little more time.

_We're getting custom IF Steel Independence touring frames made for us_. Why? You are going to beat the heck out of whatever you ride. Spending all that dough for nice customs won't gain you anything over a good rugged off the shelf tourer.

_The rest is up for debate. I'm an experienced racer, complete noob to touring._ Which likely means you are thinking way too much about riding and miles and not enough about what one actually does while touring by bike. Think more about hauling stuff, camping, dealing with misadventure and eating.

_Can anyone offer their build suggestions for a bombproof setup to get us successfully from Alaska to Argentina in a year on a self-supported tour? I could use suggestions on everything from components to tires to racks and panniers._

I'd get a tough MTB with rigid fork and haul a BOB trailer.

_My starting point:_

_Bruce Gordon Racks & Panniers_ Good stuff but you won't need this stuff if you pull a BOB.

_Shimano components of some kind? Leaning against MTB components because I'll be using drop bars..._ You got something against durability and function? MTB stuff should be your only choice for the drivetrain and likely brakes. You are going to need the gear range for sure. The fact that the stuff is designed to work well dirty is going to mean a lot.

_Custom built wheels, high spoke count Deep Vs' with solid hubs?_ Deep V's are too stiff IMO, high spoke count is sort of ok but you are never going to find replacements on the road. Pull a BOB and go 36h front and rear.

*Brooks saddles* Love 'em (I've got them on all of my bikes except for the full on tourer). Have you ever ridden on one? They suck if you haven't broken it in and an hour of rain can kill 'em if you don't treat them right. Do you know how to treat them right?

_Disc brakes?_ Got no opinion on this one but learn how to fix 'em and carry some small parts because you aren't likely to find exactly what you want on the road. If you are going custom you might get a frame with both disc tabs and canti mounts so you will have a second option where ever you break down.

Since you have never toured I'd suggest you give it a try (in bad weather would be ideal) with your brothers before you fully commit to the big one.

One final word; Fenders.


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## vaultbrad (Oct 21, 2007)

You may want to look through the cool pictures in here, Fully Loaded Touring Gallery. Good way to see what works, and what other folks making similar trips are running.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

MB1 said:


> One final word; Fenders.


The man speaks truth.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Have a look at the Roberts' photo site. They've built many touring bikes and you might see ideas that are useful in their touring bike photo album -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertscycles/


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## H.Bicycletus (Apr 16, 2006)

Make sure your rims will take Shrader valve stems as Prestas can be hard to find in the stix. (unless you plan on packing quite a few spares) We couldn't find any in Northern Arizona for example, and they'll likely be rare in remote parts of central and south america too. 

Another +1 for bar end shifters. 

I ride an LHT with a 24-36-48 triple and an 11-34 cassette. Don't need the 11 but couldn't find a 12-34. With a full touring load, my old knees appreciate that ultra low gear in the hills.


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## voodooguy (Aug 18, 2007)

I'm guessing you have found these or something similar. A lot of good suggestions above. I would seriously reconsider the IF build; but, if you really have the cash to blow, go for it. For frames for me are the Surly LHT and the Gunnar Grand Tour. A couple of things that stick out from what I've been reading:

1) Do 26" rather than 700 because they are hard to get south of the border
2) For sure bar end shift
3) triple
4) Keep the wheel build as simple as possible to accomodate the need to replace stuff
5) I ride Campy; if I were to tour I would certainly be on Shimano, likely XT


http://thescrimshawproject.com/

http://www.adventurecycling.org/


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## FrontRanger (May 19, 2004)

Check out http://whileoutriding.com/ for inspiration


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

MB1 said:


> I'll take another stab at this and take a little more time.
> 
> _We're getting custom IF Steel Independence touring frames made for us_. Why? You are going to beat the heck out of whatever you ride. Spending all that dough for nice customs won't gain you anything over a good rugged off the shelf tourer.
> 
> ...


MB1, thank you for your help.

Indy Fab was due to a personal connection.

I should have clarified; I've done a coast-to-coast supported tour, so never with a fully loaded self-supported touring trip.

I'd love to hear more about BOB's...initially my thoughts against it were extra weight, extra parts to break/malfunction/wear out, and an inability to draft behind others using it.

I said Deep Vs a little bit jokingly, I know them as bombproof road rims. I don't know of the best touring rims, and will happily take suggestions!

I've seen others using Brooks on long expeditions similar to this one, so I assumed they could be taken care of. I'll definitely read up on the care instructions and see if they're suitable.

I was leaning against a MTB set up just because I imagined a MTB flat bar would kill the hands after a long day in the saddle. Using drops gives more hand positions and seemed more ideal to me. If I can utilize durable componentry with a drop bar setup I'd prefer that as I'm more familiar with it!

Thank you to everyone helping me out.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

Thank you all for your help, it really does mean a lot to me. In case you missed my reply above, I've done a SAG supported tour from coast to coast, so I've got some experience to go off of but obviously a self-supported tour across the Americas is a different beast entirely.

A few questions:

1) BOB, at a quick glance, seems perfect. A few concerns about weight and durability. Also if someone crashes or tips over, will a loaded trailer like that wreck the bicycle (i.e. twisting the rear dropout).

2) What are some good "touring" rims? Some people mentioned models from DT swiss but I didn't hear anything specific.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## PBike (Jul 6, 2007)

DM.Aelis said:


> MB1, thank you for your help.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can use MTB components with a drop bar, just look at the Surly Long Haul Trucker. That's what comes on it as a complete bike for about $1195.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Also check out the new Soma Saga touring frame. IMHO, it has a better design and geometry than the LHT and the cost is very comparable.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I would try to contact some locals along the route to help identify what types of bike parts are popular and can be acquired, such as tubes and chains. The thought here is pretty simple, even when you roll through Bariloche, they ain't gonna have Campy 11 chains.


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## Lotophage (Feb 19, 2011)

PBike said:


> You can use MTB components with a drop bar, just look at the Surly Long Haul Trucker. That's what comes on it as a complete bike for about $1195.


Yup. Brifters or Bar ends work just fine with mountain components. That's how I've got my drop bar 29er set up.

Speaking of, if you are going 700c, you could do worse than 29er wheels...


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## Plum (Mar 27, 2005)

Lotophage said:


> Yup. Brifters or Bar ends work just fine with mountain components. That's how I've got my drop bar 29er set up.
> 
> Speaking of, if you are going 700c, you could do worse than 29er wheels...


I think the big argument against 700c wheels is the tire availability in remote places. If you shred a tire and you can find ANYTHING to replace it with, it's probably going to be a 26".

Bar end shifters, King Headset, XT parts, DT or Mavic mountain rim, brass nipples, schwalbe tires, thomson post and your choice of saddle. I'd go with mechanical discs, they're pretty simple and available anywhere in the states, and I've never seen one fail to work. Carry an extra set of pads (or two) and forget about them. That rules out the LHT, but an alternative with 26" wheels and discs would be the Surly Troll. It's not marketed as a drop bar touring machine, but could do so and would likely survive the experience with flying colors. More burly than the LHT if you're planning significant offroad portions.

The trailer isn't a bad idea, although I've heard reports that if you're off the beaten path, it can be cumbersome and a hassle. Frame bags (internal to the frame) have become increasingly popular, but they favor a larger frame to keep bottle mounts accessible, etc. Ortlieb bags have a good reputation.

Also remember that steel items (racks and frames) are more likely to be repairable in the backwoods than their aluminum counterparts.

Plum
(Armchair Tourer)


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

DM.Aelis said:


> Very helpful! thank you.
> 
> I just discovered Bruce's BLT as well. Seriously tempting, especially at that price point.


Heads Up.....
The BLT are on sale because they will no longer be produced and what's in inventory is what available for the rest of your life. If you need 3, make sure the sizes are available and act quickly.

Scot


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## Plum (Mar 27, 2005)

One other thing to try and keep in mind. The more similar the 3 bikes are, the more you can economize on spares. For instance, if you all have the same wheel builds, spare spokes can be shared, as well as spare tubes and tires. Same goes for brakes, cables, etc. Realizing there's differences in sizes that will prevent some sharing of spares, but there's still places you can carry common spares and reduce your traveling loads.

Plum


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## pigpen (Sep 28, 2005)

I am sort of going through the same process.
Planning a long tour that will take place in a few years, if I am lucky.

I really like the idea of 26" wheels.
Gunnar Grand Tour is a really nice frame for the money. I like the Bob Jackson World Tour also.
I loathe bar end shifters. I am thinking about Paul shifter pods with down tube/bar end shifers mounted to them on drop bars.
Mountain cranks, hubs, derailleurs.
Canti brakes, again Pauls.

I know a bunch of folks are saying LHT. I just don't care for them. Cannot put my finger on why?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I'm assuming you've read journals from others who have gone that way before... good sources of "what breaks" and gear choices.


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## andleo (May 30, 2009)

I really like my fargo right now it has 29x2.0 marathon supreme tires on it. Some may say its overkill but imo the tour you have planed is no weekend tour on smooth pavement

Im working on a vaya build in the works, frame should be here monday

I am a strong proponent of discs canti's and v's do work but discs don't care if the rim is trued or not and they don't wear the rim. Throw a couple of extra calipers, rotors and pads into the spare parts kit just in case.


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## bignose (Sep 15, 2005)

Surly Troll or Salsa Fargo are fantastic choices as well.


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