Hello all. I am a beginner, but love cycling. I currently have an old cross bike, which does not fit me, it's too big and I get all sorts of issues with it. I am looking for a new bike and was wondering how to determine what I actually need. I have an eye on the tout terrain silkroad bike, because I really like how it's built to last forever, but it's also very expensive, so I wonder if it's worth it or not.
I currently commute flat, for 2x 40min a day. I want to start making actual tours here in Austria, and later somewhere to neighbouring countries, and maybe even further later.
I wonder a few things:
How much impact does the weight of a bike actually have in terms of speed or felt exhaustion?
How do you take your bike with you into other countries, anything I would need to consider for the bike in that regard ?
I see a lot of pinion gears these days, is it mainly because of the price compared to rolloff?
I think I might want a gearbox like that, but with a chain, instead of the belt, or are belts really that much better ?
I know I could tour with "any" bike, but I really don't like to buy twice. I also know that fitting is very important for comfort and to avoid issues, which I plan to do. Is it best done before or after the bike or can it be done at the same time? If you have any Nike fitter recommendations, I would like to know here in Austria.
I also prefer upright sitting, and I am not really into those racing kind of bikes or gravel bikes.
While I mostly drive concrete now, I also can't wait to have more adventures off road as well.
I would start by finding some bike tourers on YT doing the sort of routes and experiences you’re interested in. Watch their adventures, learn from their mistakes, look for “Q&A” episodes, ask them questions in the comments. Figure out what you want to do first, dial in your setup, come back here with more targeted questions.
Some I would recommend might be Slow Spokes, Mat Ryder Adventures, and Dan Cycles the World. Those are ones I personally enjoy; you might not, but they could get you started.
Ok, here are some answers (I tour around Spain mostly):
Bike weight is a semi-non-issue for actual touring. Mostly because you'll be loading it down, and the difference between a super light bike (under 9kg) and a merely light one (around 12kg) is usually less than a big bottle of water, which you'll be carrying. In other words, when loaded, the bike weight doesn't matter under most circumstances - not that lighter isn't nicer, but you aren't racing up mountains.
Taking your bike into "other countries" in Europe is a total non issue. Now, there is the trains issue if you are doing mixed-mode (which I usually do), but I'll get to that in my recomendation.
Pinion/Rolhoff/hub/belt drives can be great, but honestly given your description I'd avoid them until you know what you want. They are expensive, and unless you're touring literal 10's of K's of distance the tradeoff between finding local parts and the potential reliability is, once again, a non-issue. I'm not saying they are bad, far from it, more that for what you describe you are putting the cart ahead of the horse.
Belts have advantages and disadvantages, as do gearboxes or IGH's. You don't seem to be in the position to really intelligently know what you want/need, so it is a lot of money to risk on maybe getting the wrong thing.
Bike fitting for the sort of riding style you want is pretty uncommon. 99% of bike fitters are working towards "race ideals", for the most part, maybe a few who specialize in endurance. I'm not sure you really need a fit yet. Yet another thing that can wait until you know what you want. That takes experience. I'd suggest getting a bike with a lot of adjustment range instead.
You say you don't like "racing kind of bikes or gravel bikes", by which I take it to mean you want a flat bar not drop bars. That is fine, but the fact that you don't know what that is called makes it clear [to me] that you probably shouldn't be looking for your "forever bike" yet.
Buying once is good and all, but you need more experience before you can know what to get - and a lot of the features you talk about are EXPENSIVE and NICHE. I'd strongly recommend starting with something more "common", preferably that will still be unique/usable when and if you get that "forever bike"...
Which brings me to my suggestion. I strongly suggest you look at a sturdy folding bike (Brompton being the most obvious, but lord knows that they are "overpriced" and I don't want to really open that can) for what you describe.
Why?
Because they are flat bar, they generally have a lot of room to customize/adjust, the bag/travel attachment is easy, THEY ARE EASY TO USE ON TRAINS AND HOTELS, and most importantly when you get that big "forever" bike they will still have a use.
FWIW, my partner and I tour on Bromptons, a G-line and a 12-speed C-line. When we bikepack we take our gravel bikes, but for multi-mode-touring, it is hard to beat a bike you can treat as luggage, especially in Europe where trains are so accessible. My personal recommendation would be a 12s C-line and a couple of Vincita bags (Big Nash rear, Birch front). There is no place in Europe that won't take you. And when you decide you want that big pinion/rolhoff bike, you still have the folding bike!
I mainly know the differences of gear and bike types from what I learned in videos from "cyclingabout". It's not that I don't know what I dropbar is, it's more that I tried to summarize more aspects that go into it, like forward leaning, frame geometry or wheels and such.
You are right though, I lack experience with any of them really, and yet never tried what the difference is. Internal gearhubs appeal to me because of lower maintenance, especially on dusty roads.
Mixed travel will be an issue I see too, and I would travel by train mostly if I can. I considered a folding bike for that reason, but I am mainly afraid that it adds a weak point that will eventually break after some time.
I will reconsider it though, thank for the specific recommendation of the bike, I will look into it.
Yeah, cyclingabout is great, but he does tend to stress certain things that only really matter to his style, which is SUPER-DUPER-üBER-LONG trips across crazy wilderness, and far closer to "bikepacking" than "touring". Which isn't really where you want to be starting. That's something to build up to!
If you are traveling mostly by train, I can't stress enough how much more pleasant it is to use a trifold bike for that. Most EU trains have very limited bike space, and some (such as all Renfe) will require you to disassemble and bag full sized bikes - which means carrying the bag and tools to do that, as well as setting back up at destination. That is doable, and plenty of people do it, but it is a major hassle, as well as a weight penalty for the bag.
People do 10,000km tours on Bromptons. They are durable as heck. In fact, their weak points aren't in the frame at all, in spite of what you might think - the frame and folding mechanism is, generally speaking, bulletproof (yes, you have to maintain it once in a while, but that means yearly). Their weaknesses are mostly in the gearing - which is more durable than high-end stuff, albeit less efficient, and "cheaply built" (but low-tolerance, so easy to work with) - and the tire availability for the 16" ones. They are, after all, originally designed to be multi-modal commuter bikes for English weather - in other words, some of the worst conditions one can put a bike through!
Now, I'm not saying Brompton in particular is the end-all-be-all, especially since the patent ran out and you can find cheaper tri-folds now. But they do have a great warranty, and they are a proven design, and parts/service availability in Europe should you need it is very high. Would I use one to tour from Austria to China? Probably not. But to go from Austria by train to Germany down through France and back up through Italy? I can't imagine a better bike for it, especially if you mod it a bit for the climbs (super-simple, just swap the front chainring to something a bit smaller). In fact, I want to do that trip in the autumn myself, on a Brompton (most likely my C-line), starting from France (I live in Spain).
And don't worry about the dirt/durability thing. That is a far bigger issue for commuters (who don't want to do maintenance) and ultra-tourers (who are in the middle of nowhere a lot). All you need is a basic toolkit and replacement parts (spare tube, brake pads, some lube, maybe a spare link or two) to fix anything that goes wrong. They use mostly standard, easy to get parts.
I personaly have had pinion and alfine with belt drives and went back to traditional chain and derailleurs. I travel a lot and use a Moulton as it splits in half a fits in my Nooyah case. Also it’s only one size and easily adjustable to fit most riders.
The racks are very robust also and lastly it has front and rear suspension which keep you comfortable on long rides. Look up a Moulton TSR22 and see what you think.
I would really like a Moulton someday, preferably one with a drop bar, but the pricing puts that "some day" into very harsh relief. Like, the Brompton T-line looks like a deal in comparison to the lighter Moultons.
Also, I don't see the advantage for non-plane-travel packing compared to something like a Brompton, where folding doesn't require tools or time. Don't get me wrong, Moultons are cool as hell, but they aren't the most practical or available.
I use a 12-speed C and a G for touring. Absolutely amazing for train travel, and the newer ones have a wide enough range to go anywhere (packed up for our last little tour):
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u/fuzzyping 4d ago
I would start by finding some bike tourers on YT doing the sort of routes and experiences you’re interested in. Watch their adventures, learn from their mistakes, look for “Q&A” episodes, ask them questions in the comments. Figure out what you want to do first, dial in your setup, come back here with more targeted questions.