Touring frame differences

[b1ke]

I've never bought a made to measure tourer. Everything I've ridden has been second hand and I've toured well over 10,000 miles on them without issue. I swap stems and bars if necessary, same with tyres and then fit racks and my Brooks saddle.

I've toured on tandems, a cargo bike, mountain bikes and touring bikes (including a Sherpa). And I liked them all for various reasons. And probably disliked bits about some of them as well. But I lived with what I had because I preferred to save my cash for the road.

My personal opinion is that a lot of the talk around touring bikes is hype. Comparing the Sherpa to, for example, a Kona Explosif, I preferred the Kona for it's lightness and responsiveness. The Sherpa however felt a lot more robust and had every braze-on imaginable, plus it had good heel clearance. Whether that justifies the price is the decision of the buyer.

Can't comment on 700c wheels because I don't tend to ride those bikes, but I can't see why the same wouldn't be true.

[mercalia]

I've never bought a made to measure tourer. Everything I've ridden has been second hand and I've toured well over 10,000 miles on them without issue. I swap stems and bars if necessary, same with tyres and then fit racks and my Brooks saddle.

I've toured on tandems, a cargo bike, mountain bikes and touring bikes (including a Sherpa). And I liked them all for various reasons. And probably disliked bits about some of them as well. But I lived with what I had because I preferred to save my cash for the road.

My personal opinion is that a lot of the talk around touring bikes is hype. Comparing the Sherpa to, for example, a Kona Explosif, I preferred the Kona for it's lightness and responsiveness. The Sherpa however felt a lot more robust and had every braze-on imaginable, plus it had good heel clearance. Whether that justifies the price is the decision of the buyer.

Can't comment on 700c wheels because I don't tend to ride those bikes, but I can't see why the same wouldn't be true.

hear hear. I agree make the most of what you have rather than go after the ideal bike. When I bought my dawes 1-Down it was bought on the spur of the moment now 15 years or so ago at a large discount. Being a large person it wasnt a good fit at the time but by changing the steerer stem to a long one from Rose cycles and a seat pin which allowed me to push the seat further back - total cost less than £60 - the bike works rather well - the reach is what it should be and the seat relative to the pedals almost correct and certainly some thing that can be ignored - the body has some flexability. The 46/36/26 gearing couldnt be better ( for me now ) and the sti has proved very reliable and stable requiring little or no adjustment for years.