Would this bike be a suitable entry level tourer

[tm2383]

Can anyone tell me if a city bike is suitable for use as a tourer? I am looking for a budget entry level bike and saw the B'twin Hoprider 520 City Hybrid for £320. Are city bikes heavier than tourers?
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-520 ... 07666.html

[Sweep]

Someone with more expertise than me will be along soon, but personally i would avoid anything with suspension.

Actually i would avoid anything with suspension for use as a regular city bike.

I speak/write as someone who has two bikes a amongst several with suspension. Although both are fun bikes, since neither are used for flying down mountain tracks the suspension is a needless expense and complication.

Pneumatics are your friend.

[ANTONISH]

I've seen people touring on all manner of bikes from carbon road bikes (with rucksack) to heavily laden Dutch roadsters.
If the bike is reliable and your itinerary isn't too ambitious I'm sure a "city bike" would be ok.
I've not used a bike with suspension but I'm sure that Sweep is right in this regard.

[horizon]

tm2383: this bike weighs 18 kg. A better (more expensive) touring bike will weigh around 14 kg, possibly less. Even trekking bikes come in at that price and weigh only 14 kg. E.g. http://dawescycles.com/product/mojave-gents/.

So you have to decide whether that extra 4 kg matters - for many people it's the weight of their tent and sleeping bag combined and more.

But I think more important is how far you want to travel in a day. If you are planning on tow paths and camping and keping to say 30 - 40 miles per day then this bike is OK but higher mileages may need a lighter bike (and no suspension).

That rack by the way will take 25 kg but that might not be over rough ground day after day. If you need a front rack then suspension causes complications.

[Bicycler]

Weight is important but don't overestimate its importance. In a race grammes matter on tour they do not. An 18kg bike may be 30% heavier than a 14kg bike but in practice with a 75kg rider and 15kg load there is only a 4% difference in weight. Nevertheless, that bike is fairly heavy. I would also second Sweep's comments about the suspension. Dynamos and their lights are great bits of kit but maybe superfluous if you don't envisage much night time riding.

Often bikes sold as "city bikes" area fair bit heavier and more upright than bikes sold for touring. Flat bar touring bikes tend to be called "trekking bikes" and are similar to some hybrids but generally come equipped with a rack and mudguards. Retailers tend to stock many more hybrids because they like to charge extra for these "accessories". Nevertheless, sometimes it is cheaper to buy a hybrid with the necessary eyelets and clearances and buy a good rack and pair of mudguards separately. If buying a bike without these necessities remember to add their weight when comparing with those bikes on which they are included.

[maxglide]

I was perusing Decathalon with the same idea.

I considered the Hoprider 520 but they didn't have one in the shop. Looked at the Riverside 500 which was comfortable, but disliked the front suspension, therefore probably ditto for the Hoprider 520.

Better for touring might be the Hoprider 300 and Hoprider 500, both without suspension and looking fairly robust. B'twin have chunky downtubes on many of their hybrids.

The Hop 500 with 24 gears might win out over the Hop 300's 21 gears, but a downside, depending on your POV, is both have 700c wheels instead of 26".

[tm2383]

Thanks for all of the great advice. The other possibility I thought of was a hybrid bike. Halfords have a Boardman MX Sport for £405 at the moment if you use a discount code. It can take a pannier and mudguards. With what I would save on the discount, I could afford to have these fitted as well. It weights 13.8kg. Again it has front suspension forks. My reason for buying a bike with suspension is that I have problems with my neck. I had to stop using a road bike as my neck was too painful riding it. I thought that the extra benefit of front suspension may have made things easier going over bumps and jar my neck a bit less.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... tAodNDcAXw

Sorry for the huge link

[ipswichcycler]

Do you think it could be the more sporty position of a road bike that might have aggravated your neck?

[ANTONISH]

My reason for buying a bike with suspension is that I have problems with my neck. I had to stop using a road bike as my neck was too painful riding it. I thought that the extra benefit of front suspension may have made things easier going over bumps and jar my neck a bit less.

[/quote]
I think ipswitchcycler has hit the nail on the head. If you have a more upright position and larger section tyres you will probably solve that particular difficulty.

[foxyrider]

Suspension could actually make things worse as you'll be bouncing around! Get too upright can be counter productive too.

Some extra bar height along with a shorter reach will sit you adequately upright whilst still maintaining a comfortable position. If you are going 'flat' bar consider using 'butterfly' bars to give you more height and hand positions - a lot of shops will sort you out with this maybe for free.

[PH]

I'd be happy to tour on either of those bikes, I like the Boardman, but the Decathlon is a lot of equipment for the money. And that extra equipment will account for at least some of the weight, one you’ve added rack and guards the gap narrows. I don't really see the point of suspension forks on a tourer, though plenty of people like them, at least the Boardman* gives you the option of locking it out, so there's no harm trying it.
I did my first few tours on a Raleigh Pioneer, not ideal, not as good as my present tourer, but loads of fun non the less.

*You might be able to on the Decathlon but I can’t see it said.

[pjclinch]

There's suspension, suspension, and suspension.

First, cheap suspension is there to look like expensive suggestion but for the most part adds weight and goes "Boing", and typically makes the bike less efficient for little gain.

Second, suspension that is well engineered, but for a different job. For getting around town the suspension on a world-cup level downhill mountain bike is pointless as it's designed to take enormous hits on the back of Big Air at high speed. Just an expensive way to slow you down and flag you up to thieves around town or on tour, even if you'd really value it going down bonkers downhill courses.

Thirdly, there's well engineered suspension that's right for your particular job. Something like a Moulton, designed for the road and adding little weight in return for increased comfort and efficiency, would be great on tour if it otherwise suits. Tends not to come cheap though, as there's no mass market.

For jarring jolts, prevention is better than cure. Even on a loaded tourer it's usually possible to hop the front wheel over a lot of bumps and holes, and even if that's not the case then taking them stood up with your pedals horizontal at 3/9 o'clock and with your knees bent to take the shock will substantially reduces the whack. With a bit of practice you can get used to doing this with a loose grip on the bars too (all skills you learn quite fast if you did mountain biking before suspension was widely available!)

And what everyone else said about avoiding a crouch. That's a lot of why I tour on a recumbent (sadly not cheap either).

Pete.

Pete.

[tm2383]

Thanks for all the replies. I opted for the Boardman in the end. I reckoned that it would be a good bike for fun cycling around local town and country roads, but one that could be modified for a short tour easily enough. I'm not thinking about setting out on any epic cycles around far off lands or anything! The staff in Halfords showed me how I could fit it out for touring. I also went for a slightly larger frame than I would normally go for with a larger wheel base with better clearance between the pedals and the back wheel to accomodate panniers mounted at the back of the bike. I appreciate all of the comments about suspension forks and no where you are coming from, but I was scared not to go for them. I had a mountain bike a few years ago that didn't have suspension forks and it sometimes gave me problems with my neck as well, even on a normal road, although not as much as the road bike. My last mountain bike had suspension and I had no problems at all. The forks can be locked out on the Boardman anyway if you want to do that. It will be more difficult mounting a mudguard on the front, I am told, because of the disc brakes, but perhaps there is a way around this? Thanks again for all of the advice.

[tm2383]

One thing I should have mentioned for anyone making a similar decision. Here is what clinched it for me. An almost identical, but slightly sportier Boardman (thinner tyres, lower handle bar position etc) was reviewed on the Freewheeling France website as a commuter bike which was a possible candidate for touring, due to the fixing points for pannier racks and mudguards. The bike he reviewed had narrower tyres than the one I bought, so he thought these would need upgrading. He also suggested higher bars for a higher riding position, which mine already has. The reviewer concluded that while it might not be suitable for a month long tour of the Alps, it would be suitable for short tours. This is exactly what I am looking for.

http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books ... -2014.html

[Erudin]

Looks good, are you getting a rear rack fitted?

I find a Crudcatcher and Raceguard work well to keep the worst of the muck off, or a front mudguard like pictured below.

Lidl are selling Pannier Bag Sets for a tenner from April 6th, Planet X also have some good deals.