My first road bicycle! Help!

In that price range I think, in other words it's just a personal opinion, that the Rocky Mountain Sherpa 10 is the best deal. It's the lightest touring bike in that price range. You can read about it here: Rocky Mountain Road Bikes Scan down to the Sherpa 10.

There is also some very good informational touring sites on the internet, if you need those just let me know.

I wouldn't recommend getting any of the standard touring bikes. A cyclocross may be better, I met a guy who was cycling around the world in China (he had cycled from London) and asked him what was important.

He gave me a few points:

1) Buy a VERY thick and sturdy frame, it may be heavy but if you break the frame, game over.
2) Don't go for flashy niche components, go for something very easy to replace. A lot of components will break and they will need to be replaced frequently.
3) get racks for your bike, will help in the long run.

There were loads more tips but I can't remember them from the top of my head.

Just note that a lot of the time, you won't be on nice tarmac, and may be on dirt or even gravel/cobbles for 100km. Anyway, good luck on your journey!

The bike I mentioned has been used in touring all over the world with a frame breaking; so this [censored] about you need a heavy frame is baloney. Obviously you don't want a racing frame, or carbon fiber which by the way they don't make touring bikes out of CF because they will break...hmmm makes me wonder about something else... Anyways a unnecessarily heavy frame will make you tire faster because now your not just hauling 50 60 pounds in gear plus an additional 35 pounds of bike instead of 25! Those extra 10 pounds will hurt you when you climbing a steep mountain pass.

A cyclocross bike is not a bad idea, it's another option, but not a better option. If by some slim chance you have an accident and the frame bends or breaks steel can be bent and/or welded back together, aluminum cannot. Component wise you want good durable components like Shimano Deore, but use only Shimino, not that any other company doesn't make good touring gear it's just that an LBS in Badfunk Nebraska may not have the parts on hand and would have to order it meaning a delay for you. Quality racks are important; some low end touring bikes, like the Trek 520, come with racks but these won't last more then 300 miles loaded! Blackburn makes good reliable racks at a lower cost then top notch stuff and almost as good.

Riding on bad roads only means you need fatter tires, not in issue. Read the sites I give you and they recommend tires and tire sizes.

See these websites for more info:

Bicycle Camping and Touring -- Cycling Travel Advice and Long-Distance Touring Travelogues
America's Bicycle Travel Inspiration & Resource - Adventure Cycling Association
Bicycle Touring Shop

By the way, the Ken kifer site, he used a Trek 520, note the improvements he did on it especially gearing. All touring and cyclocross bikes come with the same gearing the Trek comes with stock. If you change your gearing as Ken notes on whatever bike you buy you will increase the ability to climb steep grades loaded. Also Ken chose the Trek because of the price, the Sherpa was not available at the time he did that.

Thank you both for replying so quickly! 🙂

I think that a cyclocross is too expensive for my price range (atleast the ones I found). Same goes for the Sherpa bikes.

I have been looking around at some bikes, but I couldn't find the price on Trek 520, do you know what it usually sells for?

And what do you guys think about the following bikes?

Trekkingbikes  - Cykelringen.se

Froze said:

The bike I mentioned has been used in touring all over the world with a frame breaking; so this [censored] about you need a heavy frame is baloney. Obviously you don't want a racing frame, or carbon fiber which by the way they don't make touring bikes out of CF because they will break...hmmm makes me wonder about something else... Anyways a unnecessarily heavy frame will make you tire faster because now your not just hauling 50 60 pounds in gear plus an additional 35 pounds of bike instead of 25! Those extra 10 pounds will hurt you when you climbing a steep mountain pass.

A cyclocross bike is not a bad idea, it's another option, but not a better option. If by some slim chance you have an accident and the frame bends or breaks steel can be bent and/or welded back together, aluminum cannot. Component wise you want good durable components like Shimano Deore, but use only Shimino, not that any other company doesn't make good touring gear it's just that an LBS in Badfunk Nebraska may not have the parts on hand and would have to order it meaning a delay for you. Quality racks are important; some low end touring bikes, like the Trek 520, come with racks but these won't last more then 300 miles loaded! Blackburn makes good reliable racks at a lower cost then top notch stuff and almost as good.

Riding on bad roads only means you need fatter tires, not in issue. Read the sites I give you and they recommend tires and tire sizes.

See these websites for more info:

Bicycle Camping and Touring -- Cycling Travel Advice and Long-Distance Touring Travelogues
America's Bicycle Travel Inspiration & Resource - Adventure Cycling Association
Bicycle Touring Shop

By the way, the Ken kifer site, he used a Trek 520, note the improvements he did on it especially gearing. All touring and cyclocross bikes come with the same gearing the Trek comes with stock. If you change your gearing as Ken notes on whatever bike you buy you will increase the ability to climb steep grades loaded. Also Ken chose the Trek because of the price, the Sherpa was not available at the time he did that.

Believe it if you think it's right. ken kifer went around america. I promise you, you will get a million problems the moment you get out of europe and the US. Good luck trying to fix any of your stuff in a bike shop in China, where they think Campagnolo is a type of food.

I agree, cycling around america, go for the other bikes. Going around the world, different story. The bike will be going through so much more stress than any other journey you will usually give it, hence sturdier frame. Sturdier doesn't always mean heavier, I just said heavier, as heavier is usually sturdier.

And no suspension, it will just break and cause many issues in the long run. If you do want to traverse the world on a bike, try looking at some relevant sites, traversing america will be important, but asia is a whole different ball park.

sufiankane said:

Believe it if you think it's right. ken kifer went around america. I promise you, you will get a million problems the moment you get out of europe and the US. Good luck trying to fix any of your stuff in a bike shop in China, where they think Campagnolo is a type of food.

I agree, cycling around america, go for the other bikes. Going around the world, different story. The bike will be going through so much more stress than any other journey you will usually give it, hence sturdier frame. Sturdier doesn't always mean heavier, I just said heavier, as heavier is usually sturdier.

And no suspension, it will just break and cause many issues in the long run. If you do want to traverse the world on a bike, try looking at some relevant sites, traversing america will be important, but asia is a whole different ball park.

With that kind of mentality, then the OP should buy a bike made in China for Chinese not imported to a western country.

Also I never mentioned the OP to buy Campy, re-read my post I said Shimano.

My touring bike, the Mercian, has Campy, but I bought the bike with that group because Mercian gets Campy stuff at insanely low prices and my intentions were to strip the Campy stuff off and put on Shimano and put the Campy on another bike. But now I changed my mind and will keep the Mercian as it is and will get a Lynskey Cooper CX-a cross bike, and it will be set up with Shimano for touring. I do not plan on going to Europe or Asia so whatever components that are on it will not be an issue.

And your still wrong about the weight of the frame being stronger...to some degree. If your comment was correct then buying a heavy Walmart steel bike would be the best, it's simply not true. Obviously, as I stated before, yawn, too light will cause a problem. But touring bikes are not made too light, the manufactures know that the bike is going to used for touring and build them to be stout. In fact touring bikes are more stout then your much touted cyclocross bikes! And touring bikes have longer chainstays then cyclocross making them more stable when heavily loaded. Compared to the touring frame set, the cyclocross stays are 1-inch shorter (like wise the wheelbase) and the bottom bracket is 7/8 inch higher. Though the head tube angle is the same (72 degrees), the cyclocross has faster turning ability but with much less straight-line stability.

Now the Lynskey Cooper CX is a crossbike, so knowing what I just said above why am I going with a crossbike? First off, it's titanium thus it won't rust and scratch and look crappy after a long tour. Second, Lynskey can custom tailer the bike, thus he can make the stays 1 inch longer and increase the forks rake. Third, he can beef up the stays and the downtube as well as the bottom bracket to suit my needs. And fourth, I aways wanted a ti bike.

Suspension wise, there are, and have been far more non-suspended bikes that have traverse this WORLD over the last 100 years or more then suspended bikes, in fact suspended touring bikes today make up a tiny fraction of touring bikes, and rarely does a fork or frame fail.

Wheel and tire sizes are a big issue because most of the world rides on 26" not our 700c. But since the OP lives in Sweden any bike he buys there should come with 26? if not he can request a swap.

Here is another web site that deals with touring in other countries, and they deal with what is the best type of bike and the kind of equipment etc; it's very detailed with lot's of reading: Bicycle Touring Around the World: cycle tourings best bike tour and travel travelogue story