Which tourer

[RickH]

...with a 35.4 to 31.8mm shim would fit the bill...

you mean 25.4mm to 31.8mm, right?

cheers

Yes, sorry! Slip of the fniger. I'll correct it.

Rick.

[reohn2]

..............I note that in R2's photos his levers are mounted somewhat further inboard, presumably to clear the "Kelly" type shifter mounts.

Rick.

Yep you're right,but they're also perfectly placed for casual stopping and sitting up and noseying.
But they come into their own with my backside off the back of the saddle on steep gravelly off road descents where the drop levers are out of reach,I like me crosstops .

[mrjemm]

I was after something like this shape wise, my husband has these bars and really rates the shape for comfort so I wanted to try something with a bit of a flare.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/ ... lebar.html

Madame had something like that on the Mercian, but they were a bit too big'n deep for her smallness. Ended up with something short'n shallow like R2 uses, but trimmed. Not sure if the Randos were comfy or not, but if MrB likes'em, worth a try. Steal his for a while!

[heatonrider]

my vote goes to Paul hewitt - it comes with a fit on a jig. The review in last months copy of Cycle is worth a read. Came out well.

[Bensons]

Thank you, we have read that review. Thing is that unless you go for full custom frame there are only so many things you can change on a S, M, L sized bike so I am not bothered about a jig fit as we can sort that out at home. Or maybe I am missing something which is entirely possible as I only ride my bike and know very little tbh! I rely entirely on my husband for all things bike.

I am still dithering, I have a bike that fits me really well, the Bob J world tour has so many size options and the 21" frame looks perfect. We are still waiting for Spa to come back to us.

We have a LBS with a third generation owner very close to home who deals with Bob J. When my husband went in for a new frame this year he knew instantly what size frame he needed to order down to ½ an inch just by looking at him and knowing the frames he sells really well. It was the same size my husband thought he needed so he was happy - he thinks it is the best fit frame wise he has ever had. If I go for a World Tour I will order it in his shop for the benefit of his opinion.

I should have decided by now as ideally I wanted it by mid Nov. I am a ditherer when it comes to committing to a big spend.

[pwa]

Thank you, we have read that review. Thing is that unless you go for full custom frame there are only so many things you can change on a S, M, L sized bike so I am not bothered about a jig fit as we can sort that out at home. Or maybe I am missing something which is entirely possible as I only ride my bike and know very little tbh! I rely entirely on my husband for all things bike.

I am still dithering, I have a bike that fits me really well, the Bob J world tour has so many size options and the 21" frame looks perfect. We are still waiting for Spa to come back to us.

We have a LBS with a third generation owner very close to home who deals with Bob J. When my husband went in for a new frame this year he knew instantly what size frame he needed to order down to ½ an inch just by looking at him and knowing the frames he sells really well. It was the same size my husband thought he needed so he was happy - he thinks it is the best fit frame wise he has ever had. If I go for a World Tour I will order it in his shop for the benefit of his opinion.

I should have decided by now as ideally I wanted it by mid Nov. I am a ditherer when it comes to committing to a big spend.

If your communication with Spa is over the internet you may be waiting a long time for a reply. I don't think they are in the habit of replying to e-mails. Better to phone them.

You are right to say that a "bike fit" is unnecessary if you already have a good position on an existing bike and just need to replicate it. You just need the dimensions for your new frame, the specs of components that affect your position, and a calculator. More fun than letting someone else work it out for you.

[horizon]

If your communication with Spa is over the internet you may be waiting a long time for a reply. I don't think they are in the habit of replying to e-mails.

+1

You are right to say that a "bike fit" is unnecessary if you already have a good position on an existing bike and just need to replicate it. You just need the dimensions for your new frame, the specs of components that affect your position, and a calculator. More fun than letting someone else work it out for you

+1

[Bensons]

Thank you! We do realise that, although we have had replies in the past!!!

Not much point in me phoning them though as I don't speak the same language and my husband works 24 hour shifts and hasn't been at home much. Because I am still dithering I haven't bothered him re chasing them up.

[heatonrider]

Don't get this - you buy the bike and then you fit it yourself? -you want to do that when someone else can work it out for you and include that the cost! Then you do not have to change anything and you buy a great bike with a great fit! Plus a Hewitt comes with Hewitts handbuilt wheels which are the business - Paul's reputation is legendary. All bikes have a different geometry in anycase and Paul fits to a millimetre .........

[Bensons]

My husband can and does build bikes Heaton. I only need the right frame size.

Am sure he is fab but I am in Norfolk and he is not. We have a fantastic wheel builder in Diss.

I don't need to buy a ready made bike, just slightly swayed by the Spa Tourer but I think the Bob J sizing is better for me because it offers so many options.

[PH]

Before I bought my Hewitt I thought I had my bike fit sorted, I'd had a couple of decent bikes, read some stuff, swapped stems a couple of times and was generally comfortable. When I collected my Hewitt, I thought he'd got it wrong but on his recommendation and assurance that he'd change it if required, I persevered and within a couple of hundred miles I not only preferred the new position I'd changed my other bikes to match and use those measurements on subsequent bike purchases. So yes I'd reccomend a good bike fitting, even if you think you're sorted. Having said that, you'd buy a lot of fitting expertise for the price difference between the Hewitt and Spa.

[PH]

I don't need to buy a ready made bike, just slightly swayed by the Spa Tourer but I think the Bob J sizing is better for me because it offers so many options.

We're all different, Bikepacker who is one of the most experienced cycle tourists I know of didn't like the Spa Ti tourer and replaced it with the BJ which he is happy with. I think the BJ can only take 32mm tyres and guards which would rule it out for me.

[Bensons]

I still don't think I need a jig fitting - the second opinion of the very experienced chap in our LBS will do for me tbh. If he agrees with what my husband has come up with I will go with that.

Surely once you have got the right size frame for you there are not that many changes you can make, seat up/down/fore/aft, stem length/angle/bar choice/angle, crank length. I am not sure I understand how an 'advanced' bike fit can make something so different when there are only four frame size choices when you have someone who knows what they are doing involved (not me by the way).

Bob J's 1/2 inch size differences offer a lot of scope for getting it right, and, if I am honest I prefer the looks of the World Tour to anything else in that category and even though the Spa is very capable and good value I will probably go with the WT (easiest for me to order too because I can deal with the lovely man locally).

I plan on going in there tomorrow if I can make time, with my 'instructions', and my current bike, to place an order.

[PH]

It's not unusual for people to go back to their original plan after considering other options, you started out wanting a BJ and seem to have come full circle, I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.

Bob J's 1/2 inch size differences offer a lot of scope for getting it right,

Horizontal top tube and compact sizing offer different ways to attain the same fit, I'd be very surprised if the position you end up with on the BJ couldn't have been replicated on the compact frame of the Hewitt.

[fastpedaller]

I still don't think I need a jig fitting - the second opinion of the very experienced chap in our LBS will do for me tbh. If he agrees with what my husband has come up with I will go with that.

Surely once you have got the right size frame for you there are not that many changes you can make, seat up/down/fore/aft, stem length/angle/bar choice/angle, crank length. I am not sure I understand how an 'advanced' bike fit can make something so different when there are only four frame size choices when you have someone who knows what they are doing involved (not me by the way).

Bob J's 1/2 inch size differences offer a lot of scope for getting it right, and, if I am honest I prefer the looks of the World Tour to anything else in that category and even though the Spa is very capable and good value I will probably go with the WT (easiest for me to order too because I can deal with the lovely man locally).

I plan on going in there tomorrow if I can make time, with my 'instructions', and my current bike, to place an order.

I agree with your thoughts - If seatpin, saddles, stems etc were not adjustable we'd have to be very sure on EXACT frame sizing, but because they are it's (for most of us anyway) something unecessary(sp).
I'm a bit sceptical about 'advanced' bike fitting, as requirements would certainly vary eg if the rider wants to ride 10 mile timetrials or do 150 mile tours.