Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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DaveP
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - knackered old MTB vs Brand new to

Post by DaveP »

He'd be going some to wear that lot out in a few weeks IMO!
But your right. I think I'd start with a new chain on and a spare (cut to length) on board. Brake blocks - less of an issue 'cos they're small and light, tyres - well for my money if they are visibly worn in that amount of time then they are the wrong tyres for the job.

ndxcc
Here's a thought about used bikes: You could certainly find a good'un at that price level. But you might have to wait quite a while for the right one. When you get it, it would most likely need some cash spent on it. Cables? Brake pads? Chain? and if so, Cassette?
You can see how you could lose control of your budget.
New bike: Buy, Use as much as possible. Consider having it serviced - (should be a cheap one) and while you are there, acquire necessary spares. Although, to be honest, there's a lot to be said for servicing it yourself, just so you get to see how things are supposed to be.
I'm hoping you will come back here and ask about what you ought to take with you...
That's important too.
Trying to retain enough fitness to grow old disgracefully... That hasn't changed!
ndxcc
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul

Post by ndxcc »

Hello all - again, wow thanks for the replies!

Also, thanks simonhill, yeah the end point is a great focus for me, but agree that I need to take it in stages. My first stage is just 30-40miles from Rotterdam to Breda where I plan to couchsurf.

I've changed the topic of this post now as I'll use it to come back and ask for more advice on planning and equipment in future replies.

But first... the bike!

I've concluded that I'm going to get a new bike, it makes sense for me as an amateur to get a tool that's up to the job. I also don't know enough about bikes to start looking for a decent second hand model, waiting for the right bike to come along also isn't going to help - as DaveP said - I need hours on the bike before I go.

Here are three bikes that are in my price range, in my current order of preference based on what I can find online - which isn't much.

Does anyone with more knowledge have any thoughts or feedback about these? Or maybe some advice on what to look out for?

I'll be testing all three out for fit and comfort but any extra advice from you guys would be awesome!

1- Revolution Country Traveller '15
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ring-bikes

2 - Fuji Touring 2015 Touring Bike
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuj ... ign=Criteo

3 - Raleigh Royal Road Bike
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... -road-bike

Thanks again.
simonhill
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul

Post by simonhill »

Not really into the bike thing, I ride a Surly say no more!

Point of posting is to say that I recommend you make a new post for each different set of questions (within reason). Long endless posts are hard to follow and people lose interest. Certainly for me I am more likely to answer a specific question, rather than an add on.

Let the bike experts take the stage...............
Vorpal
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by Vorpal »

I think any of them will do. Trying them out and seeing which one you like best is more important than any of our opinions. However, for what it's worth, I'd put the EBC on the top of my list. I think it's good value for money, and I prefer the service and knowledge of the folks working in EBC over the other retailers.

It looks like the drivetrain is a little better on the Fuji than the others. But it comes without mudguards, so you'll need to buy those in addition to the bike.

Another bike on my list in that price range would be a Dawes Galaxy http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050874
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
ndxcc
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by ndxcc »

Thanks Vorpal!

So there's two more, the one mentioned above:

Dawes Galaxy AL 2014 Touring Bike
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050874

and another option I've found at EBC, discounted and in my size. It doesn't have a back rack so I'd have to buy that:

Eastway ST 1.0 Steel
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ring-bikes
Vorpal
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by Vorpal »

The Eastway looks like really good value for money. The only thing I would be concerned about (maybe) is the gearing.

The best touring set up for gears is on the Fuji, which has gear inches ranging from 20.6 to 117.8

The worst is the Eastway, which has gear inches ranging from 28.7 to 122.7

The others fall in between at 21.9 and 23.6 for the lowest gear inches.

I would personally prefer the lower gearing, but the gearing on the Eastway would be fine for many people. The other aspects of the Eastway are nice enough that if it suited me, I might buy it anyway, and swap out the casette, if I found the gearing to be too high.

edited to add: the worst that happens if the gearing is too high for you (with loaded bike) is that you walk up a few hills. Not everyone thinks that a big deal, anyway. But if fitness is factor, low gearing will help you. 8)
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
ndxcc
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by ndxcc »

Thanks for the information Vorpal, it's something I wouldn't even had considered!

How easy is it to replace the cassette? Is it something I can do? Or maybe I can convince EBC to fit free of charge for me?

Also, is this the kind of cassette I'd need to be looking at? http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... d-cassette

Current order of preference:

1) Revolution - it has everything ready to go at a good price. Plus the guys at EBC seem knowledgable.
2) Eastway - lots of bike for the money (seen it even cheaper on wiggle.co.uk) but needs new cassette as above, also can't have front pannier rack. Probably looks the best.
3) Dawes - it has everything ready to go at an reasonable price.
4) Fuji - needs mudguards and smallest size is 54cm and I'd ideally need something smaller. *discounted*
5) Raleigh - others appear better bikes. *discounted*

Any more feedback from others very much welcome and needed! :)
Vorpal
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by Vorpal »

ndxcc wrote:Thanks for the information Vorpal, it's something I wouldn't even had considered!

How easy is it to replace the cassette? Is it something I can do? Or maybe I can convince EBC to fit free of charge for me?

Also, is this the kind of cassette I'd need to be looking at? http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... d-cassette

Current order of preference:

1) Revolution - it has everything ready to go at a reasonable price.
2) Eastway - lots of bike for the money (seen it even cheaper on wiggle.co.uk) but needs new cassette as above, also can't have front pannier rack.
3) Fuji - needs mudguards and smallest size is 54cm and I'd ideally need something smaller.
4) Raleigh - discounted this as others appear better bikes.

Any more feedback from others very much welcome and needed! :)

The Eastway looks to have SRAM, so yu need to look for SRAM PG 1030 11-36 instead of the 11 - 32 that bike comes with. You can ask EBC how much that will cost. I doubt they will do it for free, but they might do it for the cost of the parts, or offer a discount, if they'd rather sell you the Eastway than the Revolution.

That said, if you buy the Eastway, I would suggest taking it on a weekend tour with camping gear, someplace hilly, and see how you get on. You may not need to swap the cassette. Although I consider that gearing suitable for light to moderately loaded touring, other people may be happy with it for heavily loaded touring.

If you do decide to change it yourself, check these resources:
SRAM site https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/prod ... 0-cassette and read the instructions
http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html
also, it's usually worth looking on youtube. Watch a few videos, though (unless someone comes by with a specific recommendation). Anyone can post rubbish on YouTube. Watching several videos (see if there are some from reputable companies, like Park Tool) will allow you to figure out which ones are rubbish or miss out steps, and which ones are easy to follow.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
ndxcc
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by ndxcc »

That said, if you buy the Eastway, I would suggest taking it on a weekend tour with camping gear, someplace hilly, and see how you get on. You may not need to swap the cassette. Although I consider that gearing suitable for light to moderately loaded touring, other people may be happy with it for heavily loaded touring.


Yeah I'd definitely do this first and if I did want to change I'd probably do it myself so I know how the whole thing works before I go.

Although the Eastway looks like a good buy, the problem is the lack of compatibility for front racks, which is a little bit limiting.
Vorpal
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by Vorpal »

Plenty of people tour with only a handle bar bag and rear panniers. Also, there are rack options for bikes without eyelets. However, if you are planign to use front panniers, I agree that it's better to get a bike with mounting for a front rack.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
dakari-mane
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by dakari-mane »

Just as an alternative I'd like to say that there is a lot to be said for a second hand bike. I did somewhere in the region of 10k miles before the frame died on a ridgeback flight T2 I bought for £70 online. Just added front & rear pannier racks, bar ends & bottle cages, had it serviced & off I went.

Am actually going to mount the frame on the wall. <3 that bike.

You can find plenty of second hand hybrids online for around £100, less if you can find a local one. Having rack/s added & a good service won't cost that much. The best way to find something appropriate is to check what the specs are for the new bikes you are looking at then compare them to those of the second hand bikes that are out there.
ndxcc
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by ndxcc »

Hey dakari-mane, second hand has been mentioned before and although it's a much cheaper option there are a few things going against it.

I'd need to find a bike very close by as I don't have a car to either travel around looking at bikes or to pick it up. Secondly I'd need a bike that is pretty much ready to go due to my lack of general cycling knowledge. Finally I'm also constrained by time - I need a bike to go in May and I need hours on the bike as I've not ridden for years and never for any decent length of time.

So although it sounds like a great idea, I'd really struggle to hit all these criteria in the time I have.
dakari-mane
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by dakari-mane »

Yeah the getting to it can be an issue. But Gumtree & Ebay both have locations & many people will arrange a courier or you can get the train to somewhere relatively local.
It's also worth considering what you can get for your money. You are looking at £500 bikes & for that money in the second hand market you can get a bike worth twice as much:
Example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kona-sutra-to ... 20f6b31b86

Just think it's worth poking about for a bit is all. Hmmmmmm kona wonder what size it is?
700c
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by 700c »

I know there's a Thorn Raven for sale for £800, buying a top notch bike second hand makes so much more sense than buying a (much much) lesser bike new for similar money.

I'm aware that your budget doesn't stretch to £800, but for £500, that's still an awful lot of second hand bike. And for future readers asking similar questions and searching the forum, it's a good option to present.
JBB
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Re: Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

Post by JBB »

I have the Edinburgh coop bike. It's a lovely ride and the gearing is good for a full load. However one of the tyres failed within days and the wheels are 32 spoke and past versions do not have a good reputation. I had no problems getting EBC to replace the tyre but swapped the wheels for a set of 36 spoke ones I had already, relegating the 32s to the hack.

In your case I would see it as a choice between the Fuji and the Dawes, the main difference being whether you want bar end shifters or STI shifters integrated with the brakes.

All more food for thought!
HTH
Julia
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