Rotterdam > Istanbul - Which bike?

[JBB]

Dawes - In my opinion the Ford of touring bikes. Lots of models all perfectly competent but not especially exciting. Maybe a tiny bit overpriced but discounts are available!

Janis - don't know enough about them really; never heard anything bad. If you can get on with the frame shape and bar end shifters it's probably the better of the two. Why? Better wheels and tyres and of course was more expensive in the first place.

Try riding both then you'll have a better idea.

[ndxcc]

Just got back from riding the Jamis Aurora around town (Leeds City Centre), which was a first for me, both the bike and the city centre riding.

It felt good, sturdy, quick, more comfortable than the Revolution.

The bar-end shifters seemed easy to use and I didn't actually mind moving my hand down to change gear. It felt more naturally than fiddling around with the STI shifters on the Revolution.

This did feel like a better bike for me, it felt more up to the job somehow. I think maybe just the components I could see seemed higher quality. This is a more expensive bike, but not by much.

There's only a slight downside to this bike. It actually looks pretty damn good. It had a nice dark blue colour with matching mudguards and rear pannier rack. This is both positive and negative. It kinda looks too cool to be a serious touring bike but not cool enough to be fashionable. Not that this matters, but when I'm looking to invest in a bike that'll keep for a while I want to be happy with as many aspects as I can.

Here it is again: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jamis/aurora-2015-touring-bike-ec072110

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I definitely want to test more bikes out before I make a decision. I think now looking for bar-end shifter bikes only might narrow my search. What I find annoying is when I want to test ride a bike it as to be ordered in and I need to pay a £50 deposit for each one. Makes the whole process slow.

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I'm not sure if it's my shorter stature or the fit of the bikes but with both of them I found I had to get down on the drop bars to use the brakes. Is this normal? Or am I doing it wrong? Should I be able to squeeze the brakes enough from closer to the top of the bars?

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On a side note, it's been a real shame that both at EBC and Evans I've had the unfortunate timing to end up with what appears to be the most inexperienced, quiet, shy staff members. Today when I asked how to use the bar-end shifters I got a whimper and "...well you just move them..." - thanks mate! Maybe these outlets aren't used to dealing with more probing questions? Are they just in and out shops? Buy a bike online and away you go? I want advice... maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.

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On another side note, both times I've had a quick five minute test ride on these bikes... I feel ******* amazing

[Sweep]

Just had a look at the gearing on that bike.

Turns out my 7 speed has a lower gear - a 22T small alivio chain ring with an 11-28 cassette.

Not criticising, just saying - others may have views on this.

Glad that you are enjoying your cycling.

[ndxcc]

Just had a look at the gearing on that bike.

Turns out my 7 speed has a lower gear - a 22T small alivio chain ring with an 11-28 cassette.

Not criticising, just saying - others may have views on this.

Glad that you are enjoying your cycling.

Hello, thanks for the reply! Can you please explain that though...

[largeallan]

"I'm not sure if it's my shorter stature or the fit of the bikes but with both of them I found I had to get down on the drop bars to use the brakes. Is this normal? Or am I doing it wrong? Should I be able to squeeze the brakes enough from closer to the top of the bars?"

I'm 6'1" and I felt the same way with drops.....I've rotated my whole handlebar backwards so the brakes are in a better position from the tops.

.....also, I've never really 'got' bar-end shifters. To me they're not really any improvement on down-tube shifters (which I quite liked, back in the day)

[Vorpal]

It does take a little practice to be able to use the brakes from the hoods, if you aren't used to it. Some people never manage it.

You can put some auxiliary (also called 'cross') brake levers on the top of the handlebars.

[DaveP]

I imagine Sweep is pointing out that the bottom gear on the Jamis is a bit on the high side. Most of my cassettes go up to 32 teeth and a lot of the time - at least when I'm fit - I don't use the bottom gear. But its very nice to have the option!
As Vorpal said earlier. If your gears aren't low enough you can walk it. My longest push has been about 6km, but that was with a tandem and trailer...
I had a look at the Shimano site. Unless I'm mistaken you could use a 30 tooth sprocket with this mech. Its not a common size, but they are available. Doing so might require a new longer chain. I think I would still go for it, personally. The cassette would cost about £18
As for the brakes - did you try riding on the hoods? I can operate my brakes from that position, but it does depend on the angle at which they are mounted. You can experiment by rotating the whole bar slightly. Re positioning them properly would usually entail re taping the bars, a DIY job requiring new tape...

I had a look at the Fuji specs. It does indeed have a better quality drivetrain with lower gears. Mudguards are not expensive and fitting them, though fiddly, is usually not too tasking. However I also read the single review. It appears that the rear drop outs are horizontal which IMHO is a total mismatch with quick release hubs. QR is intended to lock the wheel into the frame, not to withstand the pull of the chain. I think someone has goofed big time with this one. Avoid.
The Galaxy Al doesn't look too bad, but I don't like cantilever brakes. I find them a real pain to set up and I don't think they are as effective as v brakes. Do feel free to differ. You wont be alone!.

[ndxcc]

Thanks DaveP I had removed the Fuji from my list, mainly because it was a 54cm frame only and I think that will be too big. Glad I did now based on your feedback.

Vorpal, again thanks for this brakes info, I'll look into that if I'm struggling on my practice weekends away. I assume it'll be fine and just something to get used to.

Sweep, thanks for your gearing help, I've now figured out how to calculate gearing (thanks to Vorpal!) so I know what to look for.

Regarding the bike, I might look at extending my budget and try the Genesis Tour De Fer. It's a big step up, but none of the bikes in my current price range seem up to. If I'm considering the bike as a long term purchase. Spending many a happy weekend and tour away then I should get something I know is up to the job straight away and something I'm happy to build up in the future. Spending £500-600 on something I (and you guys) think is 'just ok' isn't really what I want to do.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... -de-fer-15

If you know of any other decent bikes in this price range please mention them.
Bearing in mind that Dawes and Ridgeback will be out of the question, based on what I've read around this forum the frame fit won't be right for me.

[ndxcc]

Ordered the Genesis Tour de Fer 2015 Touring Bike, looking forward to trying it out even though I have to wait until March 16th.

Been told by EBC that I can try out the Croix de Fer for sizing, but from what I understand the TDF has had some fairly fundamental updates from the CDF so not sure if there's much point in that.

I just want to get going, looking for a bike takes ages!

[Vorpal]

I'm sure you will love it

[Moonwai]

Well hows the new bike going?