Touring bike: self-build or buy something all sorted?

[bealers]

Hi,

I fancy a touring bike and am considering taking some trips next year but i can’t decide whether to do up one of my bikes - which I know will end up costing hundreds - or bite the bullet and buy one ready to go.

Last year I bought an old racer on ebay for £50 with a Reynolds 531 frame and a bunch of other branded parts (from memory Mavic wheels, sun tour group set and Weimann brakes). I chucked £150+ at it to get winter tyres, mudguards a rear pannier and some SPD pedals as well as all the cables replaced (it had been sat in a shed for 20 years). I then used it for a winter as a commuter.

Whilst the frame is solid and I enjoyed riding it, it did start to show its age. At absolute minimum I will need to change the brakes and also the gear levers. The jury is also out on the rest of the gears and I don’t know whether to trust the wheels; they are also a non-standard size apparently. I quite fancy some touring handlebars too and imagine there will be other ‘essential’ upgrades.

I also like the idea of building it myself but a final factor to consider is that I’m not knowledgable on bike bits, on what’s ‘good’ and what’s not. I understand that I’ve got a superb frame that i could sell for good money on ebay but I wouldn’t know what bits to buy to do it justice or what sort of bits to fit on a tourer (but I guess I could research this without too much hassle)

So, I have an excellent donor but I can’t figure out if it’s going to end up costing more to get it all sorted or just buy one ready to rock. Touring bikes seem to start at £800 plus, so maybe it will work out cheaper self-building?

What would you do?

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that I already have a really nice road bike but it’s impractical for anything other than hooning around the lanes on and I also have bog-standard but perfectly fine Raleigh hybrid that I muck about on with the kids/go to the shops on etc.

Thanks

[tatanab]

DIY every time for me.

If I bought a "stock" machine it would have the wrong gear ratios, the wrong bars, the wrong saddle, etc.

My last build was 2 years ago. I had a new frame on order that I knew would take at least 6 months to arrive so I had plenty of time to shop around buying parts in sales or on ebay . I do not think you can compare the cost of modifying a donor bike with the cost of an all new bike. If you are building all new yourself then it will be more expensive than a similar off the peg machine. But you will have something that is assembled by you to suit your specific requirements and ideas.

I suppose I should say I am an old git who has always done things this way because we could not walk into a shop and see the enormous range of bikes that are available these days off the peg.

[Brucey]

presumably your 'non-standard' wheels are 27" ones with a 630mm seat dia.?

You can tour on those, no problem, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to carry a spare (ideally folding) tyre in some places. If you have a major wheel problem you would probably have to buy a whole new wheel and tyre assy in 622mm ( 700C) size, but then the same is often true if you start out on 700Cs anyway.

You don't say what kind of touring you plan to do, what load will be carried or what kinds of roads you will ride on.

But if your weinmann side pulls are medium or long reach then they will most likely struggle with anything more than unladen riding, even if they are in good shape with decent cables and pads. A set of DP brakes or (in a period correct style) a set of centre pull calipers would be a useful upgrade.

In general terms having a nice frame (no heavier or stiffer than needs be for the load, in steel), nice reliable wheels, and a decent transmission (with an adequate range of gears) are the priorities. A gazillion gears, STIs, the latest style of headset or BB, indexing even are all things that are in truth, low priority items for touring purposes; some of them may even be detrimental to overall reliability.

If your current steed really can't cut it then buying another used bike is a good way of increasing your stash of parts; with careful choice you can end up with enough bits to build a decent touring bike and another bike for commuting or resale.

cheers

[TonyR]

Difficult choice. The advantage of building it yourself is you will learn a lot about the bike, have it built as you want it and be able to fix anything that goes wrong on it during a tour. But it will cost you a lot more than buying a new bike built up.

Given what you have said about your knowledge of bikes it might be a tall order to start with that frame. It sounds from its age as if it has 27" not 700c wheels which will make replacing them and getting tyres restrictive. You can swap them to 700c but then you have to replace the brakes with long drop brakes which is a story in itself.

If you want to replace the wheels you will probably find the rear dropouts too narrow for modern hubs so you'd need to cold set the rear triangle to accept one or use an old hub. And then there's the gears. Its probably a 7 or 8 speed and parts for that are getting harder to get. You could upgrade to 9 or 10 speed but then you'll end up playing around with bottom brackets to get the right chainline and need new shifters as well. None of this is any problem for someone familiar with bikes who can spot all the issues from the start but they can be frustrating and expensive if you keep discovering them as you go on the build. But you will learn a lot that way - how do you think I know about them?

[robc02]

I normally prefer self build for all the reasons stated above, plus I often have spare parts or can buy secondhand parts that contribute to the build. ....BUT - and it might be quite a big "but" - sometimes complete bikes can be bought at such good prices that it is worth it even if you want to change lots of the parts. For example, about a year ago I bought a mountain bike for not much more than the price of the frame and fork - partly down to discounts on complete bikes that were not available on the frame and forks.

[TrevA]

Factor in your time spent trawling the internet for parts and a self-build becomes even more uneconomic. If you buy an off-the-peg tourer you can have it tomorrow. How long will it take to spec and assemble a self-build? I'd rather be riding my bike than faffing about trying to spec it and fettle it.

FWIW I have an off-the-peg Ridgeback Panorama and have only had to change the stem on it. I use the stock saddle for commuting and day rides but put a Brooks B17 on for longer tours.

[beardy]

Factor in your time spent trawling the internet for parts and a self-build becomes even more uneconomic

It may be that some people actually enjoy doing this. The riding of the bike often isnt economic either.

[TonyR]

Factor in your time spent trawling the internet for parts and a self-build becomes even more uneconomic

It may be that some people actually enjoy doing this. The riding of the bike often isnt economic either.

Its not just enjoyment but you also learn a lot about the bike, how its assembled and the components you are using. That means if something goes wrong on a tour (and it has several times for me) you are in a much better position to fix it. And that knowledge gives a confidence that makes the tour much more enjoyable.

[niggle]

This thread might help: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=84081

I had a relatively easy time with it as had a very standard 2008 frame to build up, with modern rear spacing, 1 1/8" threadless steerer etc.: something from 30 years or so ago can have various compatibility issues with modern parts, though when I did have a 1980s touring bike the only bit that seemed really incompatible with modern standards was the narrower canti boss spacing, which does not apply to your situation.

[JohnW]

DIY every time for me.

If I bought a "stock" machine it would have the wrong gear ratios, the wrong bars, the wrong saddle, etc..............I do not think you can compare the cost of modifying a donor bike with the cost of an all new bike. If you are building all new yourself then it will be more expensive than a similar off the peg machine. But you will have something that is assembled by you to suit your specific requirements and ideas.

I suppose I should say I am an old git who has always done things this way because we could not walk into a shop and see the enormous range of bikes that are available these days off the peg.

+1..........no question.

[Cunobelin]

There is a "third way"

My wife and I bought Thorn tourers and spent a few hours at St John Street sussing the options.

We have two completely different machines both customised exactly as we wanted them, but bought complete from the Company with the savings and ease that brings

[bealers]

Hi all,

thanks for all the replies. Very useful feedback and food for thought.

I'm definitely leaning towards the self-build with some of the (possibly) additional costs being negated by the experience gained and of course the sense of satisfaction. Though a number of your answers show that research is needed before spending any money.

Thanks again.

[TonyR]

Hi all,

thanks for all the replies. Very useful feedback and food for thought.

I'm definitely leaning towards the self-build with some of the (possibly) additional costs being negated by the experience gained and of course the sense of satisfaction. Though a number of your answers show that research is needed before spending any money.

Thanks again.

You're always welcome to seek advice here as you go along. And if you ask before ordering parts we may be able to help you avoid some of the more expensive mistakes. Good luck.

[c53204]

I'm in similar boat. My old steel Mountain bike is way past it's best. I'm tempted by a Dawes Galaxy Cross Disc £599. Tick all the boxes for me...

1. Longish Day rides 50-100 miles.
2. 25 mile round trips along canal paths
3. 4-5 times a year, a week or longer Camping or Credit Card touring.