Touring bike?

[Ultralight]

Hey cyclists, I am considering buying a touring bike and taking up some short-to-medium regional tours.
Any suggestions for touring bikes? Models? Brands? Ways to keep my expense below a million dollars?

Thanks,

UL

[mschrisgo2]

As far as staying within a reasonable budget... Go shopping. Make friends with the guys at the bike shop. People turn in perfectly good bikes on newer, more expensive bikes all the time. The shop usually sells the "used" bikes at very reasonable prices. And they come tuned, etc.

As far as brands, etc. I'm not much help. My touring bike has a mixte frame, as i am a short woman who powers the h--l out of a bike, so it has to be strong. Not a lot of choices, test rode a couple, bought a used Centurion. That was a lot of years ago, and I still use it several times a year, mostly spring and fall when it is not so hot outside.

[Baldilocks]

Hi. This is my first post. I actually made an account so I could answer your post. My bike of choice is a old ridged mountain bike. I prefer Mountain bikes because you can ride them on more terrains. I've rode my mountain bike thru the snow. I was actually looking for a bike to replace my 19 year old mountain bike. The problem I was having was finding a bike without front shocks. What I ended up buying was a Giant Atx Lite. I can't say enough good things about this bike.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/atx-lite
I ended up having Jones H loop handle bars put on It. I really like the multiple hand positions.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1789&stc=1http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1790&stc=1

[Ultralight]

Hi. This is my first post. I actually made an account so I could answer your post. My bike of choice is a old ridged mountain bike. I prefer Mountain bikes because you can ride them on more terrains. I've rode my mountain bike thru the snow. I was actually looking for a bike to replace my 19 year old mountain bike. The problem I was having was finding a bike without front shocks. What I ended up buying was a Giant Atx Lite. I can't say enough good things about this bike.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/atx-lite
I ended up having Jones H loop handle bars put on It. I really like the multiple hand positions.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1789&stc=1http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1790&stc=1
Baldilocks:

Glad you joined! Very cool bike! :)

Have you taken it on any adventures yet?

[LDAHL]

I'm not exactly a hard-core cyclist, but I've had pretty good luck with my old Trek.

[Baldilocks]

Have you taken it on any adventures yet?[/QUOTE]

Not yet. So far, I have rode it to and from work daily. Once we sell the old house, I would like to do a bike overnighter to a KOA cabin. I think the hard part for me will be planing the food.

[Ultralight]

Have you taken it on any adventures yet?

Not yet. So far, I have rode it to and from work daily. Once we sell the old house, I would like to do a bike overnighter to a KOA cabin. I think the hard part for me will be planing the food.[/QUOTE]That's be cool!
Do you have a restrictive diet?

[Rogar]

I think an early decision for touring type bikes is if you like drop handlebars or flat. I have a cyclocross bike (used from Craig's list), with drop handlebars and a little racey but a little more beefy than the lightweight racing bikes. I actually prefer a mountain style bike with fat tires. It is comfortable for me and stable. The fat tires slow one down, though.

[Baldilocks]

Do you have a restrictive diet?[/QUOTE]
No, but I would be trying to eat only food that didn't require refrigeration. I'm sure I could do it. But I also have to be concerned with how much room I have for cloths, sleeping bag and something small to boil water in. Normal camping, we have always had a cooler and my wonderful wife has planed most of the menu.

[Ultralight]

No, but I would be trying to eat only food that didn't require refrigeration. I'm sure I could do it. I think you could do this. Every small town has a grocery. You could stop in, grab some fruits, nuts, etc.

I read a book some time back called Spandex-optional Bicycle Touring. It explains all these strategies for eating while touring -- from the super-frugal on up the expense chain. The book is so tiny, but well-written and a joy to read. When I checked it out from the library I was thinking: "A bike tour might be fun someday."
But after reading it I thought: "I could probably actually do this. And it would likely be amazing!"

[Ultralight]

Hi. This is my first post. I actually made an account so I could answer your post. My bike of choice is a old ridged mountain bike. I prefer Mountain bikes because you can ride them on more terrains. I've rode my mountain bike thru the snow. I was actually looking for a bike to replace my 19 year old mountain bike. The problem I was having was finding a bike without front shocks. What I ended up buying was a Giant Atx Lite. I can't say enough good things about this bike.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/atx-lite
I ended up having Jones H loop handle bars put on It. I really like the multiple hand positions.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1789&stc=1http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1790&stc=1

Any updates on your cycle commuting or lite touring?

I have taken virtually every touring bike in the city on a test ride. None are a good fit. I tried everything from the Fuji Touring to the Trek 520 to the Salsa Vaya.
Some are very expensive, but I can't seem to find a good fit because I am apparently "all torso."

[Baldilocks]

Any updates on your cycle commuting or lite touring?

I haven't done any touring, but I commute almost every day. I work only 2 miles from home. I don't ride real hard on the way in. I take the long way home. And on the way home, I put it in the highest gear, stand on the peddles and mash for about 12 to 15 seconds. Then I shift to a lower gear and sit and spin for about 40 seconds. I try to repeat this all the way home for the sake of exercise. I'm down from 205 to 193. Plus going faster is always more fun.

I have taken virtually every touring bike in the city on a test ride. None are a good fit. I tried everything from the Fuji Touring to the Trek 520 to the Salsa Vaya.
Some are very expensive, but I can't seem to find a good fit because I am apparently "all torso."

Sorry you haven't found anything yet. Have you thought about looking for this topic on a bicycle forum? I can relate to struggling to find the right bike. When I was looking for a new bike, the mountain bikes without suspension were too expensive. When I considered bikes with lock out forks, the mechanic said keeping my forks locked out all the time would ruin them. When I mentioned switching the forks with ridged forks, the mechanic said I would ruin the geometry. The funny thing is, when I bought my original mountain bike, I planned on upgrading the bike to suspension forks some day. It never happened. Meanwhile, I learned how to ride fairly technical mountain biking trails with no suspension. But I also like riding a mountain bike on the road. I like to be able to jump curbs and ride over the worst roads without bending my rims. I also learned you can ride a Mountain bike thru the snow and the skills used on the trail help with that. Here is a bike forum that may of addressed the long torso topic. Hope your search goes well. Hope to be seeing pictures of your new bike soon.
http://www.bikeforums.net/bike-forums/