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Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:20 am
by 4 1 3 0
Hi All
I am toying with the idea of Bicycle touring in the future, and have been thinking of a light weight and inexpensive idea bike wise.
I would do a lot of the riding on roads but as you do, you would at some stages have to get off the beaten track a bit.
Anyway i was looking into these two bikes and wonder if i could get any feedback.
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/reid-cx.html
Cheers.

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:52 am
by Trevtassie
Both look OK for light touring, weird with the mid fork eyelets on the front with no bottom eyelets, you could only mount a platform rack on them and do some kind of hybrid bike packing thingo... I do like the rear stay eyelets, no jerking around with skewer mount racks to avoid the discs.

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:53 pm
by find_bruce
Both frames are incompatible with your user name, we would have to start calling you 6061. :D

Main differences I can see are that the Granite has a carbon fork & has a hollowtech crank while the CX has an alloy fork and square taper crank. Both should make the granite slightly lighter, but I note the claimed weight is the same at 11.5 kg. I don't like the CX "big" ring of 46 on the road. ymmv

Low gear ratio of 34/28 on both might significantly restrict the combination of weight & hills you can cover.

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:25 am
by LateStarter
IMO neither would be suitable for touring but it really comes down to how far / how long your tours are and what you will carry and how much your load will weigh. Apart from the gearing the too low handle bar placement is likely to be a problem, touring is about actually looking at the scenery you will pass through rather than staring at the road under your front wheel.

Remembering that the bike is only the start and touring needs other equipment again depending on the nature of your touring. I would be looking at second hand proper touring bikes if your budget does not extend to a new one. New Surly or Vivente tourers are $2,500 or so but come with more appropriate components and equipment (especially the Vivente)

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 10:00 am
by RonK
Pretty obviously neither of these are touring bikes, nonetheless either will be OK to dip your toes in the touring water.

You don't need racks and panniers to tour. Have a browse of my thread Bikepacking - an alternative way of touring... and for comprehensive information look here: Bikepacking 101.

If as you mentioned you want to "get off the beaten track a bit" you should consider a gravel bike which will be better able to handle mixed surfaces. I suggest you reconsider your budget then look at something like the Merida Silex 300 or the Giant Toughroad.

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:11 pm
by brumby33
A mate of mine in Newcastle used his Trek Cyclocross up set up as a semi Bikepacker but as he was credit card touring, went for a 3 week trek across France staying in booked accommodation. He's not into full on pannier or bikepacking but still competes in Cyclocross and MTB events...He even rode this bike in NZ up one of the steepest Streets in the South Island (can't remember town's name..is it Dunedin?)
So yeah, if it's light credit card touring you wish to do, a Cyclocross bike maybe a reasonable choice and they should be able to take a rear seatpost bag (bike packer style) maybe a frame bag and a handlebar bikepacking bag should see you not too loaded if you're not camping out.
Another bike you might be interested to check out could be the Fuji Touring but they are only available in std form with drop bars/barend shifters, the Fuji Touring I had back in 2005 had Tiagra STi shifters but they are a good steel frame with eyelets for front racks and come std with their own rack.
https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/touri ... /103352964
This is the current model Fuji available in Australia now but a Disc brake version coming soon, already sold in the States...not sure if in Aus yet.

cheers

brumby33

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 10:56 am
by 4 1 3 0
Thanks for replies guys

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:55 pm
by 4 1 3 0

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 6:17 pm
by Usernoname
4 1 3 0 wrote:What about one of these?
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/vice-1-plus.html
That's likely to be very heavy and a slog on any road or bikepath. I have a 27.5 plus hard tail, but would look at something that could take 2" / 50mm tires in either hardtail 29er or drop bar cx/gravel. I also have a Giant toughroad that would be my goto bike.

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 11:19 am
by 4 1 3 0
What about one of these, Seems inexpensive ?
https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/bicycle-bi ... -2018/8175

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 11:33 am
by Thoglette
The Reid Granites (1.0 to 3.0) look pretty good for not a lot of money. Much closer to what you want than the CX bikes - more relaxed geometry and fatter tyres.

I've not ridden one, but they look like something from which a randonneur could be built (add racks, lights, mudguards, and fatter, faster tyres).

But to keep your username you'd need to move to something like a Malvern Star Oppy S1 or a Gios Spazio Tourer (if you can find one).

Re: Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.

Posted: Sun May 13, 2018 7:11 pm
by Defy The Odds
Reid bikes are always great value for money. The Granite looks good for the coin.

I own a Giant Toughroad and it's a solid bike for what you want but that depends if you can stretch the budget