If you had to live on a bike the rest of your life?

[RobHASboots]

Surly tires are heavy.
1000 monetary units will get you a good bicycle (+ a spair intertube, and a portable pump).
Try smaller shops, bike coops, or fuckin Craigslist; never know when you'll find a 'diamond in the rough'.
I've only had Treks. They're awesome, and can take a beating. I think my current one is a 820 antelope hybrid (steel frame).
Always liked aluminum frames (as aluminium has that magical trait of NOT RUSTING) but i remember reading on STP that a steel frame is much easier to repair (weld), should some unfortunate event happen along the road.

*spare... i meant 'spare'.
Booklearnin.

 

[Deleted member 24579]

thannk you for that, i saw a good looking salsa on ebay today for about 1k that looked pretty good. my question for you is how tall are you? not sure if it matters, but 29" rims sounds HUGE, like, i can't imagine riding anything bigger than my last bike that had 27" rims.

I'm about 5'9" on a good day, with about a 31-32" inseam. I ride a medium on most bikes (or 56-57 cm on road frames). Ultimately, whatever you're comfortable with is the right choice. The main thing for me is the comfort and stability of mountain bike tires, and the ability to go down any random dirt road or trail I happen to find (or, even, straight across a plowed field). I find that bigger wheels and tires also roll over and absorb bumps a lot better than, say, a 700cc road or gravel tires. Those bumps really add up after multiple hours/days on the bike - especially if you're on a non-suspension bike. If I'm going to be rolling on asphalt for a long distance, then I pump up the 2.6" tires to the max, and those things roll like crazy. If I'm going to be off road, I lower the pressure quite a bit and they are super cushy. Of course, this is all just my humble opinion.....

 

[Deleted member 24579]

The Surly Troll is my dream bike, and what I'm actively trying to save for. I prefer it to the Long Haul Trucker in terms of design and versatility. I think the riding position is more comfortable, at least in my experience with similar styles. I've always preferred straighter bars to drop bars for long haul. As for the price, it's a bit steeper, about 700 more, so that's something to consider perhaps

The Troll is pretty awesome.

 

[Deleted member 24579]

https://www.rivbike.com/

Very cool bikes.

 

[Deleted member 24579]

Just to throw another cargo bike option out there.
There is a company called Portal making cargo bikes in Nepal. They are priced fairly around $900 for a cargo bike. I have never seen one in person, but they are making them as third world transportation so I imagine they are solid.

http://www.portalbikes.org/

Damn, those are cool.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

Well, since we are posting lots of things out of Matt's budget, one more: build up a bike on a Velo Orange Campeur or Polyvalent frame. Old-school touring geometry, nice work, many options.

https://velo-orange.com/collections/campeur/products/vo-campeur-frame

They also sell lots of hard-to-find stuff, like a Francophile Rivendell. They have a custom parts line that they manufacture and import, many useful touring items included.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

Also, my main non-bike bike-touring recommendation: Carradice saddlebags.

https://www.carradice.co.uk/bags/saddlebags/originals-nelson-longflap-saddlebag

I have had this Nelson Long-Flap for maybe 20 years, still going strong though the straps have been replaced. Can fit about as much as average 3-day pack backpack. All i need for 2-3 days on the bike, besides bedding in dry bag strapped to the outside of saddlebag if on folder, or on rack on tourer. I have a support bracket for it that attaches to the seat-rails and prevents sagginess.

 

[SaltyCrew]

Hell yea Matt glad you want to get back into biking! Might as well have a bike on the back of the Prius! 👍 +Bike=

Having only 1 bike for the rest of eternity is a hard decision to make. Ive had everything from 20" Bmx, 24" Bmx cruiser, 26" mountain, 29" mountain, fixie road, and other road bike combos. My advice is this; ask yourself what are you going to do with the bike? Short tour, long tour, day tour? Mostly pavement? Lots of gravel? This all comes into question, as you already know. My suggestion is to go to a bike shop and ride a few bikes for free, different styles. See what you really like. Then search Craigslist or FB marketplace for a style of bike you want. People tend to go buy a new bike and then not ride it and sell it for a fraction of the cost of new. This way you can upgrade parts on a "used" bike to your liking without having to basically throw brand new parts away.

I prefer 26" tires for many reasons already said. 29" tires are just goofy and unnecessary. Don't buy 29" tire bike. I also prefer the ergonomics of a more mountain bike style bike. These 2 personal preferences of mine are because I like riding gravel and dirt. I've road some distance on pavement on 26"x2.5" dirt tires, and its deff not as efficient as a skinny gravel tire, but it's managable. Just air them up good. It's nice being able to roll over rocks on the road and not worry about your tires popping. Plus you can ramp up curbs and blast over train tracks without worry.

You can put any handle bar on any bike pretty much with the right parts. Being able to change your grip position when touring is a must. You can get add on handle pieces for the bars also, if you go with a straight bar mountain bike style bar.

Disc brakes are a fairly new thing in the bike world. Higher end sets work awesome. I had hydraulic discs on my Kona, and they were scary good. I do not recommend hydraulic though, as they will eventually leak and need attention, which could get pricey. Lots of people swear by the older style rim V-brakes (by Avid I think) that they are every bit as good as discs. I agree, V-brakes stop on a dime as well.

Look for something with really good components (shifters/derailuers) already installed so you don't have to upgrade. I'm a fan of Shimano deore stuff. Not the best but solid. I hate grip shifts, stick with triggers or levers.

If you end up with a bike with a front suspension fork, make sure it's a higher end one with a lock-out for pavement riding. Fox probably makes the best suspension forks right now.

Most importantly though is that the bike is comfortable for you to ride. I would test ride a bike at least 5 miles to get the feel for it. Have a bike shop properly size you up for a bike so you know what size to look for. Good luck on your bike hunt! Can't wait to see what you decide on!

 

[Deleted member 16701]

Hey don't know alot about bikes, but i used to own a Surly long haul and i ordered it through a store before riding it and it turned out to be alot more uncomfortable than the other bikes i had tested.

 

[Dunedrifter]

I’ve been riding this Troll for a couple years, and I really like it. I’m currently using the stock 2.5” tires it came with, and can’t say I notice any difference from thinner touring tires on my previous ride. I’ll probably go fatter the next time I buy tires.

I really got tired of being on roads and highways with asshole car/truck drivers, so specifically chose the Troll for it’s gravel and single track capabilities. I think you have to first determine what kind of riding you plan to mostly do (paved roads or otherwise). The Troll can do it all, and it’s tough as a tank.

 

[Crazy Hobo Johnny]

I purchased a memory foam seat cover from WalMart and what a big difference than the regular gel seat cushion!

This will help me on my road trip next month in July.

 

[Deleted member 16701]

I’ve been riding this Troll for a couple years, and I really like it. I’m currently using the stock 2.5” tires it came with, and can’t say I notice any difference from thinner touring tires on my previous ride. I’ll probably go fatter the next time I buy tires.

I really got tired of being on roads and highways with asshole car/truck drivers, so specifically chose the Troll for it’s gravel and single track capabilities. I think you have to first determine what kind of riding you plan to mostly do (paved roads or otherwise). The Troll can do it all, and it’s tough as a tank. View attachment 50640

That bike makes me wanna bike tour. Nice ride.

 

[SaltyCrew]

I’ve been riding this Troll for a couple years, and I really like it. I’m currently using the stock 2.5” tires it came with, and can’t say I notice any difference from thinner touring tires on my previous ride. I’ll probably go fatter the next time I buy tires.

I really got tired of being on roads and highways with asshole car/truck drivers, so specifically chose the Troll for it’s gravel and single track capabilities. I think you have to first determine what kind of riding you plan to mostly do (paved roads or otherwise). The Troll can do it all, and it’s tough as a tank. View attachment 50640

That thing is rad 👌 anything you would change? My next bike will probably be one of these.

 

[SaltyCrew]

I purchased a memory foam seat cover from WalMart and what a big difference than the regular gel seat cushion!

This will help me on my road trip next month in July.

I noticed those seat covers tend to slide around too much while riding, have you found that to be a problem? Been a long time since I used one though, maybe they have improved?

 

[Dunedrifter]

That thing is rad 👌 anything you would change? My next bike will probably be one of these.

I can’t think of anything I would change other than the color isn’t my favorite, but hopefully thieves don’t care for it either. It’s really a solid ride, and the best money I ever spent.

 

[Crazy Hobo Johnny]

I noticed those seat covers tend to slide around too much while riding, have you found that to be a problem? Been a long time since I used one though, maybe they have improved?

Yes, I did observed that! I keep it tighten as much as possible but yes, I noticed that.

 

[Deleted member 25142]

I have a Genesis Longitude. First productionrun 2015 model with 29er wheels. This is a seriously overlooked bike for off road touring. Flack angle on the fork give stable and comfortable ride. Following year they made some bad changes. Look for olivegreen first model, 2015.

 

[train in vain]

I have a Genesis Longitude. First productionrun 2015 model with 29er wheels. This is a seriously overlooked bike for off road touring. Flack angle on the fork give stable and comfortable ride. Following year they made some bad changes. Look for olivegreen first model, 2015.

I had to look that up I thought you were talkin about the genesis bikes walmart makes haha. I was about to say 🤡

 

[atomicnumber9]

Yo, for (less than) a G bar you could fully tweak and customize a 26" retro mtb from the 80s-90s. Those bikes are great basis' for builds, strong tubing, a multitude of parts to fit your bike of choice versus new, finnicky compatible parts. They can come in wavy ass color ways and, the bike would be damn unique. Not a copy off the shelves that Timmy down the street could have too. Here is my '91/'93 Novara Arriba ($140 on craigs, put probably $500 of parts into it)

 

[Crazy Hobo Johnny]

This is my bicycle, my friend build this for me back in 2008. Build on a Nashbar frame. I even got hit by a motor vehicle back in 2010. The bike survive! Getting ready for a road trip next month. I use a memory foam seat cover.