10 Things To Look For In A Touring Bike

[@garymitchell5899]

Add bar ends to flat bars and then you have the variety. Drop bars are useless in any situation, but especially for touring.

[@pbennett1852]

I am also pleased with the Schwalbe Marathons. I've almost gone 2000 miles without a flat or tire problems. I have probably just cursed myself! I ride on paved and unpaved roads. I plan on getting the same tires when it is time for a replacement.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha! That's true. I have probably jinxed myself into having a flat tire now having said in the previous video that I haven't had a flat in the last couple of years.

[@rodmilankov8966]

2 things: they are stiff and real width is always at least 3 mm less than stated. I purchased 3 sets and all 6 tires were narrower than they are supposed to be.

[@OldBumOnABike]

I have to say that my Kona Sutra doesn't ride heavy when unloaded. I changed my smallest crank to a 22t and the rear cassette to a 12/36. Just get me a better selection when climbing.

[@tomsitzman3952]

thanks for another informative Vlog. One of the advantages of disk breaks over rim breaks is if you break spoke(s)s and the wheel is out of true you may need to disconnect the rim breaks and now you are breaking with just one wheel. . Fortunately spokes don't snap as often as they did years ago. With a disk break a wheel out of true still has breaks. If you are carrying a spoke wrench you can true the wheel enough to get by, until your can replace the spoke(s). In my case, te problem was that was at the top of a mountain and as I started down it started to pour rain. It was a very frightening decent with just one wheel breaking. In hind sight I should have walk down the mountain. Once on a tour, I had the side wall split about the width of your thumb exposing the inner tube. We were on a back road miles from the nearest village. I wrapped eclectic tape around the rim and tire split and released the front rim break. We made the hour peddle or so to the tiny village and found there was a bike shop, and he was only open on Wednesdays from 12 noon to four o clock. Hard to believe it was Wednesday and just after 12 noon. He came to the village one afternoon a week to worked on kids bikes and he had a low quality tire that fit and got us back on the road. One of the aspects of biking is that our bodies change with age. Now that I'm 80 I have to change my body ratio of hands and butt weight. Which means I go slower and ride more up right with more weight on my butt and less on my hands. I no longer do 160km days in the saddle and spend more time smelling the flowers, taking photos and watching cloud shows. and 50 Km is now a hard days ride.

[@momo.ru-kun]

Disc brakes, no question. Easier to replace a disc than a whole wheel. Much cheaper to buy a disc, than a whole carbon rim 😅

[@pedroclaro7822]

With carbon wheels i agree, bu otherwise I'm all for rim brakes. Even with a fully loaded bike the wheels lock up before I max out my brakes, meaning that even the grippiest tires are 'worse' than rim brakes

[@TerryW5379]

You explained everything in a simple way. Thank you

[@danmitchell3758]

More great content Mike🤠 your area of Sweden looks like Alaska where I live

[@Rollingforwards]

i got a trek 520 disk. i really love it.

[@BikeTouringMike]

That's a really nice bike. That one and the Kona Sutra (that I ended up buying) were my two finalists when I chose to buy a touring bike a couple of years ago. It was a tough choice.

[@K-Dog0]

I knew a lot of this already but still a very enjoyable video. Like your style Mike

[@BikeTouringMike]

Yeah, it's pretty common knowledge, but I'm trying to keep it basic in this befinner series. Thanks!

[@kdstoffel7574]

A good rule of thumb regarding tire width; the width of one’s tires, in millimeters, should be no less than one’s waist measurement in inches.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha! Never thought of that. But you might be onto something here.

[@davidwpinkston4226]

if your sweat is corrosive, you might consider an aluminum frame. after getting a hole in the top tube of two chromoly steel frames, i opted for cannondale. scuffed badly after 30 years, but not rusty.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Haha, I fact that I've never taken into consideration. But now that you mention it. My road bike (back when I used to ride a lot) got a lot of sweat stains on the top tube.Haven't had that problem with my touring bike though. Probably because I'm not puching myself that hard when I'm on a bike tour.

[@jerryz.3087]

Hey Mikael!...always informative videos..thank you. btw....your numbers are going crazy...congratulations! Hope all is well, stay safe.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Well crazy might be pushing it a bit. Slow and steady growth is more like it. Thanks Jerry!

[@PumpkinVillage]

Very good points. My only fault with my 520 is they don't have many mount spots on front forks for water bottles etc. Thanks for the video and take care, Al

[@BikeTouringMike]

I don't know about the 520, but many new models, as with the latest version of the bike I have (Kona Sutra) have started to add more and more rack mounts. Which is a good thing. I think the whole bikepacking trend is behind this positive change.

[@PumpkinVillage]

@@BikeTouringMike Absolutely!

[@garymitchell5899]

Who puts bottles on the forks

[@tomsitzman3952]

you can strap cages onto the frame

[@kalleniemi6316]

I use a bit of moustache shaped bars with sqlabs innerbarends. I think it's best of the both worlds. I like having a wide(ish) flat bar for control, but the innerbarends provide a hand position very similar to the hoods of a drop bar. I can even brake while "on the hoods".

[@Tiesdevries]

I think there is more to tires with great of puncture protection. You say they are heavier, which they are up to a kilo (for large sizes). But I think there are two other drawbacks to them. They roll with more resistance and they deform less supple. So for the same effort your speed will be lower and bumps and surface roughness don’t get dampened that good. To each it’s own liking.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Very true. Forgot about the lower speed. I bet you can ride 1-2 km/h faster with a slick tire. However speed has never been my thing, I'm more of a enjoy the surroundings kind of guy. So the decrease in speed doesn't really bother me that much.

[@garymitchell5899]

Touring isn't about speed. You need tough tyres because of the terrain and the weight, so you have to accept the downsides

[@philiprayner1772]

could you use a cruiser bike for touring ?

[@tobiasfroehlich5483]

Very complete video, thanks Mike!

[@BikepackingJourney]

Hello Mike

[@reeceholmes8546]

thanks Mike, sensible advice , love that bike

[@babyboy7817]

Thank you so much for sharing.

[@meenakshirawat6458]

You're a star Mike I was so confused which bike I should buy as I'm planning to do London to Paris trip I had no idea about bikes but now m sure which bike I should buy. Thank you very much. Can you please tell me any specific bike I should buy.TIA

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you for your kind words! Well, when it comes to choosing a touring bike I am a bit bias since I am a Kona Ambassador, so of course I'm going to recommend the Kona Sutra that I love: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqK8iXeMbZVkbs0 But there are a number of other bikes in the same price range (around 1500 USD) that might be worth checking out: Trek 520 Salsa Marrakesh Surly Disc Trucker Fuji Touring Disc These days it can be extremely hard to get hold of a touring bike, due to huge delivery problems. So I really hope you find one. Please let me know if you have any other questions! /Mike

[@omare_biketonature]

Tusen takk Mike!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed watching the video.

[@Michael_Mueller]

Good job on the video, very informative!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you Michael!

[@ROMBAUXPATRICK]

Hi Mike, have already watched some of your videos and think they are very beautiful and good information, keep up the good work.

[@BikeTouringMike]

Thank you. Glad you like them!

[@brendabenjamin155]

Thanks Mike, I love your information. Very useful 👍

[@LIVEINPEACE2023]

Almost 4k subbies!! 🥳

[@BikeTouringMike]

Yes! Should pass 4K in an hour or so.

[@KilchevSky]

1. I can confirm all about the Brooks saddle. Having one, and highly satisfied. Besides, it's enough wide to accomodate each and every anatomy. 2. What about amortization fork for 28"? Is it a good idea? Or a carbon one?

[@BikeTouringMike]

I'm not sure I'm getting this right, but is an amortization fork a suspension fork? Well you can tour with a suspension fork. In fact I did so for the first couple of years. But my recommendation would be to choose a stiff fork I you have a choice. One reason is that suspension forks lack rack mounts to be able to mount panniers and other thing on them.

[@KilchevSky]

@@BikeTouringMike Sorry for my English, we in Ukraine call this "ammovilka". Sure, suspension. But do you suffer from road vibrations with a stiff fork? Maybe heavy panniers absorb some shake? If we imagine that the suspencion fork does have such rack mounts, would you retun to it back? Or stiff is OK, no pain in hands and body? (I made a couple of outdoor trips with suspension fork and only rear panniers).

[@philiprayner1772]

what about using a cruiser bicycle handle bars

[@david78212]

LOTS of advice… I think that’s what keeps people from even trying a bike tour. I’m considering a Poseidon Redwood as a touring bike. I know it’s kinda a heavy bike but I don’t plan on staying on roads the entire trip. It will be a great bike for the more unimproved roads I will be on. KNOWING what you plan on doing on your trip to help you decide on what bike. A road bike type bike would be horrible on rougher roads and the occasional trail you will be on. Touring bikes are becoming fewer and further between, more gravel centric bikes are becoming more common. They’re even stiff enough to be able to handle the weight of touring and the geometry (for the most part) is closer to a touring bike than road centric bikes are and can handle tire width better than a road(ish) bike will.

[@nomap2161]

Great video as usual, Mike! I see your wheels are Tubeless-Ready. Do you run the tires tubeless? I run Panaracer Gravelking Slick 38's on my bike. While they aren't as pucture resistant as the Schwalbes, they're setup tubeless and I've never had an issue with flats.

[@BikeTouringMike]

No, unfortunately I have not gone over to the other side yet. Still haven't had one single flat on the Schwalbes yet. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Might reconsider going tubeless on my MTB though.

[@davidgruty]

What about front suspension? When you ride many hours and on non-paved roads I find it very convenient

[@BikeTouringMike]

I think the main reasons why most touring bikes don't have a suspension fork is due to the extra weight, the risk of the suspension breaking on you and the energy inefficiency that comes with having a suspension fork.

[@davidgruty]

@@BikeTouringMike umm, I'm not an expert and i don't do touring/long trips, but: How much heavier? Half a kilo? With all the gear one brings is it noticeable? How often does a suspension break? I would say it's not one of the components what fail the most One can set it to be rigid during good pavement sections and then make it flexible for the coarse stages. I see this last setup as a great advantage

[@VoodooDewey69]

Well people don't realize how tough it is getting started in touring .The hardest part is getting your butt in shape and finding the right seat.🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🥱🚴

[@edlaws6867]

Hej, just wondering what side your brakes are on in Sweden? Over here it's the law that bikes are supplied with the front brake on the right. That is the same for motorcycles and mopeds. Thanks for the video, autumn looks beautiful (when it's dry)

[@peterunderlin8966]

Mike, what brand/ model rear rack are you using?

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Hi Mike, things have changed since my touring days. I toured on a 1960s Carlton (which I crashed) then a 1984 F W Evans (which went missing at JFK airport) then a 1990 Raleigh Royal (which I rode yesterday). Not mine but very similar - www.flickr.com/photos/31231726@N03/3031222861

[@91722854]

since some touring bike like surly disc trucker comes with either 26" or 700c wheels, do you still recommend 37mm width for 26" wheel, or go even wider like 1.95 or 2.1"?

[@philiprayner1772]

could you use an adult tricycle ?

[@charlesgould8047]

Ever hear the saying... you dont break a Brooks saddle in...it breaks YOU in.

[@ianmatlock1]

Ive just ordered Schwalbe Monomials tyre on my new bike. Can I ask have you been happy with them? How are they on a variety of surfaces? I antedated to be able to do some off road touring.

[@BikeTouringMike]

I've been very happy with them. I've mainly usen them on paved roads, probably 98% of the time. But they can certainly go on paved roads as well, maybe not single track for an extensive period though. As someone else mentioned in the comments they are maybe not as supple as other tires and can feel a bit stiff at times when going off-road. On my last tour I did a lot of gravel riding on one of the days (around 50 km) and they worked great for me that time around.

[@garymitchell5899]

Schwalbe are excellent tyres I wouldn't worry too much about the particular ones

[@mrpihlify]

First? Happy sunday morning!

[@BikeTouringMike]

Early bird catches the worm! :-)

[@edlaws6867]

What happens to the early worm?

[@agentleebs]

Ed Laws why, he’s first to see the bird 🤣 Great information Mike!