(Matt Murphy) said:Hi, I'm currently planning a bike trip this May to June
through France and Italy. I want to camp while travelling
so this means I will be travelling quite heavy (stove,
tent, sleeping bag, etc.). I want to go about 100 km a day
although it's possible that somedays I could go further.
Conceivably much further, unless you're getting off the bike
frequently to sight-see. After all, on tour you may ride 10
hours a day quite frequently, and at a very modest average
of 15 km/h you can still cover 150 km in a day.
Have you checked out the Trento Bike Pages? There is a
wealth of information about touring- IMHO the best starting
point for touring on the Web:
www-math.science.unitn.itBikeOpen ↗
Quoted message said:The majority of my biking experience to date is on a
triathlon bike. I know that touring is a slower and steady
trip but I enjoy speed on a bike and so I'm hesitant to
use a mountain bike.
Why would you use a mountain bike for touring? Use a
touring bike; there are many to choose from and a Google
search will help you find them. IMHO your best starting
point for loaded touring like this is
bgcycles.combgcycles.comOpen ↗ which is Bruce Gordon.
Quoted message said:However, in July I'm planning on going to Iceland and I'll
probably bring the bike I end up buying which means
getting something a little more solid. If anyone has a
recommendation on a faster bike that can endure gravel as
well I would love to hear it.
Friends of mine have done Iceland. Twice. "Gravel" is a
generous description for the roads covered in golf-ball
to tennis-ball-sized rocks. They found much of the roads
unrideable as a result, not to mention the winds. In this
case a mountain bike or a bike that will take 40+ mm
tires would be helpful- again, Bruce Gordon is the guy to
go to, IMHO.
Quoted message said:Currently I have been recommended the Devinci Caribou, but
apparently it is limited to the skinnier tires and can't
be fitted with knobby tires, etc. The other Devinci bike I
was recommended was the Amsterdam, which is a performance
hybrid. I've seen a few Cannondale models, and the Trek
520 and XO and I am uncertain which of these (or others)
would be optimal for the uses I want.
From your limited description, it's hard to say what might
be best to suit you. You can tour the French and Italian
Alps on a "race" bike with a saddlebag quite well.
Quoted message said:Also, regarding the use of straight vs. drop-down, does
anyone who has toured out there have a suggestion on what
is preferable. I realize drop-down has more options on
hand positions, but I've also heard most people with drop-
downs just end up keeping there hands positioned as if
they were straight bars.
Then they're not making use of their equipment for one
reason or another. IMHO the most common being that their
drop bars are in the usual road racer position- low and far
away. If the bars are up high enough, all positions are
comfortable and useful (although not particularly aero,
which is an issue for road racers). It's odd, probably less
than 1% of bicyclists race, yet racing bikes for road and
dirt dominate the market perception of cycling.
Personally, I hate flat bars with a passion. My hands go
numb almost immediately and having only one position (unless
bar ends are added) annoys me. When there's a stiff
headwind, I like to get down in the drops and ya can't do
that with flat bars. I was out for a calm, quite ride today
with 30+ mph winds out of the north. I spotted a large club
ride (75+ riders) broken up into groups, and noticed how
unhappy the riders on flat bars looked as they struggled
much harder into the wind than the riders with drop bars. On
days like that, flat bars are a major disadvantage. OTOH,
some people just prefer flat bars, or have back or other
problems that necessitate their use.
