# Fast and light Touring bike?



## GeoCyclist (Oct 31, 2002)

I am looking for frames that can be built up for fast and enjoyable touring. So far I have only found one bike that has me interested: Litespeed Blue Ridge. I’ve never cycle toured before: however, I do a lot of multi day 100 + km riding from my house. I want a fast and responsive bike that has a long enough frame to hold panniers. I am not interested in carrying a heavy load: as I intend to cycle from hotel to hotel, and eat at restaurants for all my meals. I just plan to carry the bare minimum of clothing and gels. I’m looking at a few long days of 200 + kms to get between hotels. I would love to take my De Rosa King: however, it would be a bit like pulling a camping trailer with your 911 turbo Carrara! Also, I don’t want to carry everything on my back. Other frames that I have discounted so far due to length: Merckx Majestic, and Specialized Roubaix. All comments / suggestions are welcome!!!

Ride On!


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## Heron Todd (May 20, 2002)

You say that you want a fast and responsive bike long enough to handle panniers. I'd look first at chainstay length. You'll probably want at least 44 cm. If you have Sasquatch feet, look for something longer. I assume that "fast and responsive" means quick steering. Most touring frames, including the current Blue Ridge, will have slower steering than most racing frames. However, this is not a bad thing. With even a relatively small load in the panniers, the bike will want to lean more than an unloaded bike. The slower steering of the touring frame will make it feel more "normal."


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## Johnnygun (May 3, 2004)

*I use a trunk bag*

and tow a bob trailer with my Specialized Allez - works great - no need for full panniers. If you went with an option like this you would not be too restricted by frame geometry. You may even be able to pull it with your De Rosa 

My 2 cents

JG


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## jumpstumper (Aug 17, 2004)

The Specialized Sequoia line of bikes works great for me, commuting or touring. I have the 2003 Expert, which I think is now called "Elite", and I can sit in the saddle all day long. It has built in rack mounts and a 3rd waterbottle mount, handles good.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

Find an old Raleigh International and put a carbon fork on it. 

Seriously, lots of older bikes have braze-ons for racks combined with pretty aggressive road geometry. I toured on a Raleigh Super Course back in the day and never had trouble with the panniers.


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## khill (Mar 4, 2004)

You might want to take a look at Airborne's Carpe Diem. It's designed to lighter/credit-card touring and cyclocross. Has mounts for racks and fenders but still has the shorter wheelbase and snappy handling you're looking for.

Carpe Diem Product Page 

- khill


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## brad nicholson (Feb 11, 2004)

*jamis nova*

great bike for the money, you can pick them up cheaply on ebay or here. 

use it for fully loaded touring and for commuting with xt/xtr components.


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## GeoCyclist (Oct 31, 2002)

*Thanks to all for the info! nm*

12345


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## zzy (Apr 5, 2004)

You sounds a lot like me. I cycle into class and work everyday, netting ~60km/day. Because of my 'Type A' personality, I try to get where I'm going as fast as possible, so speed and handling is essenial. I highly recommend a Cannondale touring bike. I don't like the newer frames as much as my '98 T500, but they're as rigid as I like (as a 180lb crit racer) and have quite a long wheelbase, enough clearence for my size 14 feet with panniers. In fact, my Serattus pannier doubles as a backpack/daypack, which is very nice when you need to carry things (esp. books) around all day. 

The only warning is to specifically watch for is the gearing. A compact crankset works wonders when carrying weight (I like a 50/38 with a 25-12 cassette). Sometimes mfg'ers use MTB cassettes which are just too big for quick starts and flat terrain. 

Since you seem to be a wealthy guy, I recommend getting custom fit for a nice, long steel touring frame with a beefy BB and lots of braze-ons. Cramerotti is excellent for this stuff. Just get some 36-spoke wheels, a 105 groupset, your favorite handlebars and saddle, along with a pannier that suits your needs and you're set!


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## newskinnedknee (Jun 11, 2004)

*Try it you will like it.*

I bought a Trek 1200C. It rides on 28mm tires, has braze ons for a rear rack and has enough clearence for fenders. Tiagra all around. Definately not a speed demon but fast enough to keep up with the main group and sometimes the lead group. I myself am not quite up to that challenge(I have only been back to riding a month) but the bike is geared very much like most other road bikes I have seen with the addition of a triple up front. It is set up very much like the Specialized Sequoia mentioned above and the Giant OCR line. There are a few others to consider but the main thing that will effect you more then anything is the tire width. My 28 is wide enough to be a bit more stable then a regular road tire but not quite as good for touring as a 32 or 35 like on some of the more traditional touring bikes. So with the same rider I would think that something like my bike or others of that ilk should be able to keep up with more typical road bikes in a one on one race. I would not say that of most other classic tourers because the tire width is much greater and the gearing is a bit different. I bought my bike to possibly do light touring. I think that it is more than capable of it. But to do any serious multi-day self supported tours I would consider changing the gearing a bit to be more like a real touring bike. But then again that would slow me down a bit.


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## fishman473 (Aug 2, 2004)

most bikes touted as "touring bikes" are really light touring bikes, Trek, Cannondale, Fuji, etc. These bikes might work well if you do a few upgrades, lighter/nicer wheels, and other components it's easy to loose weight on such as bars, stem and seatpost.

But if <i>I</i> was looking for a bike for the sort of riding you're into, I'd look hard at the Heron Road aka Ralley. Another nice one might be the Jamis Aurora.


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## KeeponTrekkin (Aug 29, 2002)

*Rivendell Rambouillet*

Miss M rides one. How bad can that be?


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