New fast tourer?

Julian said:

Would I be best going for something in the fast tourer category? 531=20 frame or aluminium? Double
chain wheel or triple? How much should I=20 advertise my old bike for? LBS or brand name?

I wouldn't be too hopeful about getting much for a 15 year old bike with =

10 speeds, to be honest.

But for your next bike, an awful lot depends on how much you're willing=20 to spend. If you want a
fast tourer then a Dawes Audax or similar (see=20 similar entries from Thorn and Orbit too, for
example) is a very nice=20 setup for this line of work. Not cheap though, and if you're thinking=20
more =A3400 than =A3800 then a Horizon (maybe last year's colours can sti= ll=20 be picked up at a
relatively lower price, a new one is ~=A3470) would do =

the job. Anything much below that you're looking second hand for a toure=
r.I wouldn't worry about the frame material particularly, and you'll have=20 trouble getting a
double chainwheel on anything other than racing=20 machinery these days. You may wish to consider
a racer in any case=20 (though personally I'd stick with a triple chainwheel unless you're a=20
dedicated fit [censored], extremely weight conscious, live somewhere flat=20 or simply can't afford
the extra), though comfort will probably be lower =

and you may need to consider mudguards and rack which may or may not be=20 easy to fit. But lighter,
and if the comfort compromises bother you=20 less than the weight and speed improvements then
possibly the way to go.

If I was buying a fast tourer I'd get one of these:
kinetics-online.co.ukspeedmachine.htmlOpen ↗ Not cheap, but fast and very, very, very
comfortable. And cooler than=20 liquid helium.

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics,
Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Julian <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Would I be best going for something in the fast tourer category? 531 frame or aluminium?

You can't buy 531 any more. There's a lot of equivalent or better steels out there now. THere's also
nothing wrong with Al and it'll often be cheaper.

: Double chain wheel or triple?

Tripe. It costs bugger all to add to a new bike and lots to refit.

: How much should I advertise my old bike for?

20 quid? Well, maybe 50.

: LBS or brand name?

Find a good local shop.

You could of course get the Falcon updated. It would probably be more expensive than a new bike, but
it would be exactly what you want and allow you to spread the cost. 700c wheels would be possible if
your (or new) brakes can reach that little bit further, I replaced the 27" wheels on my 1986 Raleigh
with 700c wheels and had no problem. The frame will be able to be adjusted to fit a wider rear axle
which will have 8 or nine sprockets. A frame builder will be able to do it properly and ensure the
tracking remains good or you can do it yourself, see Sheldon Browns site for help. This is one of
the big benefits of a steel frame, they can be straightened easily and safely. A new BB will be
possible for a new chainset.

I wouldn't worry too much about the weight, I reckon obe could save the difference by
taking less kit.

"Julian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

I don't race (too late and too old), but I do like to cover a bit of distance. I currently have a
15+ yr. old Falcon Cotswold (10sp, 531 frame) which is in good nick because it hardly got any use
for the first 12 yr. of its life. Even so I'd like to replace it with something more modern i.e.
700c wheels instead of 27" to give me more tyre choice, better brakes, hopefully lighter and maybe
more gears.

Would I be best going for something in the fast tourer category? 531 frame or aluminium? Double
chain wheel or triple? How much should I advertise my old bike for? LBS or brand name?

Cheers
--
Julian

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Clinch said:

Julian said:

Would I be best going for something in the fast tourer category? 531 frame or aluminium? Double
chain wheel or triple? How much should I advertise my old bike for? LBS or brand name?

I wouldn't be too hopeful about getting much for a 15 year old bike with 10 speeds, to be honest.

But for your next bike, an awful lot depends on how much you're willing to spend. If you want a
fast tourer then a Dawes Audax or similar (see similar entries from Thorn and Orbit too, for
example) is a very nice setup for this line of work. Not cheap though, and if you're thinking more
£400 than £800 then a Horizon (maybe last year's colours can still be picked up at a relatively
lower price, a new one is ~£470) would do the job.

Spa Cycles currently have last years compact framed Horizon at £350; an absolute bargain and a great
place to start. Bits can be replaced as and when as I am doing with my own Horizon.

--
Swop the ok-coral for yahoo to reply

"Arthur Clune" wrote

Quoted message said:

You can't buy 531 any more. There's a lot of equivalent or better steels out there now. THere's
also nothing wrong with Al and it'll often be cheaper.

Actually, the Dawes website shows the Galaxy as being made of Reynolds 531. I suspect that they are
using up their existing stock of Reynolds tubing.

Apparently Reynolds is making a new steel tubing (520?) which is more suited to TIG welding than 531
was, but works just fine in lugged/brazed frames.

Some people appreciate the fact that a steel frame is repairable, which an Al frame is not.
--
mark

mark said:

Some people appreciate the fact that a steel frame is repairable, which an Al frame is not.

"a lot more likely to be" would be more accurate, I think, but it's something worth bearing in mind.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... If I
was buying a fast tourer I'd get one of these:
kinetics-online.co.ukspeedmachine.htmlOpen ↗ Not cheap, but fast and very, very, very
comfortable. And cooler than liquid helium.

I appreciate what you're saying because I'm a recumbent fan, but aren't these a bit porky?

SteveC

Steve Collier wrote: [Speedmachine]

Quoted message said:

I appreciate what you're saying because I'm a recumbent fan, but aren't these a bit porky?

They're not the lightest things on the planet, certainly, but the frontal area is very low so they
can still shift at a tidy speed thanks to superior aero. Wouldn't be the fastest uphill, of course,
but the weight is going on useful stuff that applies to touring: suspension makes the bike more
comfortable and makes it far more efficient over poorer surfaces (even on my Streetmachine, I find
it noticeably easier to keep up with upright racers as soon as the surfaces start getting poorer).
The main difference between HPVel's pannier racks and the Forth Bridge is they're not red, and the
build is chunky enough to stand up to a lot of miles.

So, you can have something leaner, but it'll be more like a racer than a fast tourer. My main bike
has been a tourer since as long as I've been able to afford my own bike, so the touring side clearly
appeals to me more.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"mark" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Apparently Reynolds is making a new steel tubing (520?) which is more suited to TIG welding than
531 was, but works just fine in lugged/brazed frames.

525? This has actually been around a while, but seems to have gained popularity of late. It's
similar to 531, but the alloy uses chromium in place of manganese (though still with a *minor*
Mn content).

David E. Belcher

"Peter Clinch" wrote

Quoted message said:

mark said:

Some people appreciate the fact that a steel frame is repairable, which

an

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Al frame is not.

"a lot more likely to be" would be more accurate, I think, but it's something worth bearing
in mind.

Pete.

You are correct.
--
mark

"David E. Belcher" wrote

Quoted message said:

"mark" wrote

Quoted message said:

Apparently Reynolds is making a new steel tubing (520?) which is more

suited

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to TIG welding than 531 was, but works just fine in lugged/brazed

frames.

Quoted message said:

525? This has actually been around a while, but seems to have gained popularity of late. It's
similar to 531, but the alloy uses chromium in place of manganese (though still with a *minor* Mn
content).

David E. Belcher

Apologies for mixing up the numbers of the various steels. By "new" I meant that the steel
tubing in question had been introduced more recently than had 531, so I suppose I should have
been more specific.
--
mark

"Julian" asked about tourers......>

As we are on the subject of tourers I was impressed by the write up in Sept 2002 issue of Cycling
plus magazine for the Paul Hewitt Cheviot and am seriously considering one, so I am wondering if
anyone here has tried this bike and if so what their impressions were.

many thanks

Malcolm

In article <[email hidden]>, M Series <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

You could of course get the Falcon updated. It would probably be more expensive than a new bike,
but it would be exactly what you want and allow you to spread the cost. 700c wheels would be
possible if your (or new) brakes can reach that little bit further, I replaced the 27" wheels on my
1986 Raleigh with 700c wheels and had no problem. The frame will be able to be adjusted to fit a
wider rear axle which will have 8 or nine sprockets. A frame builder will be able to do it properly
and ensure the tracking remains good or you can do it yourself, see Sheldon Browns site for help.
This is one of the big benefits of a steel frame, they can be straightened easily and safely. A new
BB will be possible for a new chainset.

I wouldn't worry too much about the weight, I reckon obe could save the difference by taking
less kit.

That's an interesting idea, I quite like the ride I get from the Falcon frame. I'll follow that up.

Thanks to all
--
Julian