Ideal bike for seeing the World

[Lord Pikey]

I have been thinking this morning about what id like to do when my current contract ends. I decided traveling around Asia but most importantly on a bike for short periods. no more than 50 miles a day depending on terrain and sight seeing opportunities.

So taking into account avaibility of parts in remote areas and harsh enviroments what would you take as your ideal bike.? either self build or off the shelf

Things to consider

• subtle as not to shout "mug me" ?
• hard tail or full sus
• cable or hydraulic brakes?
• weight saving or robustness?

my current steeds are a Specialized Allez, Orange Crush and a zaskar with a crack.

What do we think?

Replies with piccies appreciated as i have been out of the bike hunting scene for a few years so not sure whats about anymore.

[pdV6]

You probably want it to be as simple and as bomb-proof as possible.

• I'd be thinking along the lines of a rigid steel frame, so it can be bent / welded back into shape just about anywhere in the world and is likely to have all the attachment points you need for paniers etc.
• Tough wheels with standard threaded spokes.
• Brakes - I'd have thought ye olde centre-pull unless you take a few spares along. If you must have discs, cable-operated would be far easier to repair (you'll still need to take your own spare pads with you though).
• Gears. The guy who recently did the round the world record opted for an Alfine gear hub for robustness, but was aware it was a risk in that if it failed away from the West he'd have practically no chance of repairing it. Your call.

[Bonefish Blues]

www.thorncycles.co.uk/ravensterling.html a good shout.

Was browsing their site yesterday re another post and this caught my eye (which watered due to the price, mind).

[JuniorD]

Have you ever read the book 'Why Don't You Fly' by Christopher Smith? If not, it's a really well written book about a ride from UK to Beijing. His website describes the bike:

"...S.J.S. Cycles’ Thorn EXP, a custom-made long-haul expedition bicycle with Reynolds 725 steel tubing. 26-inch heels made for a low centre of gravity and stability under heavy loads, and in keeping with a philosophy that favoured toughness and longevity over high average speeds, I selected Vredestein Spider 26 x 1.9 tyres. A 26-42-52 crank-set was married to an eight-speed 11-34 cassette, the massive 52-tooth outer chain-ring..."

Seemed to do the job all right!


http://www.cycleuktochina.com/about.htm

[Lord Pikey]

JuniorD said:

Have you ever read the book 'Why Don't You Fly' by Christopher Smith? If not, it's a really well written book about a ride from UK to Beijing. His website describes the bike:

"...S.J.S. Cycles’ Thorn EXP, a custom-made long-haul expedition bicycle with Reynolds 725 steel tubing. 26-inch heels made for a low centre of gravity and stability under heavy loads, and in keeping with a philosophy that favoured toughness and longevity over high average speeds, I selected Vredestein Spider 26 x 1.9 tyres. A 26-42-52 crank-set was married to an eight-speed 11-34 cassette, the massive 52-tooth outer chain-ring..."

Seemed to do the job all right!

http://www.cycleuktochina.com/about.htm

Cheers,

Just spunked for it on Amazon. lets hope they can deliver it before Friday when im off on holiday.

Edited by Lord Pikey on Tuesday 28th July 13:29

[Floor Tom]

pdV6 said:

You probably want it to be as simple and as bomb-proof as possible.

• I'd be thinking along the lines of a rigid steel frame, so it can be bent / welded back into shape just about anywhere in the world and is likely to have all the attachment points you need for paniers etc.
• Tough wheels with standard threaded spokes.
• Brakes - I'd have thought ye olde centre-pull unless you take a few spares along. If you must have discs, cable-operated would be far easier to repair (you'll still need to take your own spare pads with you though).
• Gears. The guy who recently did the round the world record opted for an Alfine gear hub for robustness, but was aware it was a risk in that if it failed away from the West he'd have practically no chance of repairing it. Your call.

I don't think he used an Alfine but rather a Rohloff(sp?)
I have a friend who would like to cycle from the UK to Austrailia (taking ferries where appropriate obviously) and we have discussed this many times. The conclusions we have come to.
-Steel frame so it can be repaired
-26" wheels to put up with the load of panniers
-Rohloff geared hub and a single chain ring. These things are very reliable (though also very hard to fix yourself). Plus you can then use a singlespeed chain and cogs. Much longer lasting.
-Cable disc brakes but also have the mounts on the frame for standard V brakes. The levers are the same
-Learn how to carry out some not so basic repairs, change a broken spoke, replace wheel bearings etc

[pdV6]

Floor Tom said:

I don't think he used an Alfine but rather a Rohloff(sp?)

You are, of course, correct.

[anonymous-user]

i would go for v brakes and take some spare pads. all you need to do is come off or have someone hit the bike and damage a disc and you are screwed. also, reagardless of how old the frame is, someone will see the disc brakes and think "ooh shiny" and steal the bike.

[Lord Pikey]

After reading the spec on that sterling bike im thinking for that price you could get a discrete titanium frame. Stronger than steel without the weight of a Halfords special.

[Floor Tom]

Lord Pikey said:

After reading the spec on that sterling bike im thinking for that price you could get a discrete titanium frame. Stronger than steel without the weight of a Halfords special.

Not as easy to fix if it cracks though, A high grade steel isn't that far behind in weight and is far easier to get rewelded

[Lord Pikey]

good point.. i forgot about that.

i should have remembered as i have a cracked Zaskar frame in my garage that i still cannot find anyone willing to have a go at reparing it.

[Hard-Drive]

I think Mark Beaumont wrote an article in cycling weekly a couple of weeks back on things to bear in mind...I did not read it so I don't know if it was bike choice specific but probably worth a read if you can get hold of it.

If you are heading to Asia I might be tempted to almost look at something second hand but good quality...531 framed Claud Butler Dalesman/Dawes Galaxy might fit the bill, easy to repair or for that matter bodge if you are short of parts or local welding skill, understated, and reliable. Get something that will take front panniers too, bikes handle horribly if it's all on the back.

Good luck¬

[rhinochopig]

To add to the steel frame, rohloff etc. I would also add Ti front and rear ring/cog as these will last a long long long time.

My winter MTB bike is a 9 speed (single Ti front and 9 cassette) and the ring is still like new despite having gone through several cassettes. You can also turn them over if they do wear to avoid sharks teeth.

I'd also maybe even tempted to go for a belt drive bike - there have been some excellent reports on the longevity of these set-ups.

[Mr_C]

Consider Magura rim brakes, they are unbelievably reliable and high quality, and if you do pop a hose out they're very easy to bleed (you can even bleed them with water!)

[samwilliams]

I've just got back from cycling to Kenya, and took a Thorn Sherpa. It did the job marvellously, needing absolutely nothing other than basic maintenance for pretty much 6,000 miles. Which was a good thing, as I would have had no idea how to fix it!

[PH5121]

A friend of mine spent April and a bit of May cycling 2500 miles up the East coast of America on a standard steel framed Dawes tourer. (I realise he would have been able to access repairs easier than in Asia, and that the roads would have been better quality).