Retiring, getting into self contained touring

[PeteJack]

Congratulations on retiring and getting into touring. You'll wonder why you ever bothered with work and if you're like me you won't miss it. I ride a Trek 520 that I love dearly solely because the guy at the bike shop said I should. I don't have any recommendations but at the Bike Expo yesterday I saw some front wheel drive recumbents, a new one to me, the man selling them said they were as good as uprights for climbing. Anyone know about these? They don't look very practical for touring. A trailer perhaps?

[Tom Lilley]

What ever bike you get should have minimum 32mm tires, 36 spokes, Disc brakes and Surly racks.

Retiree Tom

[DaveB]

...at the Bike Expo yesterday I saw some front wheel drive recumbents, a new one to me, the man selling them said they were as good as uprights for climbing. Anyone know about these? They don't look very practical for touring. A trailer perhaps?

I believe your salesman need a physics lesson. Front wheel drive is not better for climbing traction since the weight transfer is rearward and that tends to unload the front wheel. For cars that are front end heavy anyway it's obviously not a problem but bicycles are rear wheel weight biased so a steep climb is likely to allow wheel spin if the front is driven.  Beyond that, climbing on a bike is power and torque limited and recumbents don't allow the rider to use his/her full weight over the pedals so low gears are required.  Which wheel is driven has nothing to do with it.

What ever bike you get should have minimum 32mm tires, 36 spokes, Disc brakes and Surly racks.

+1 On the tire and spoke recommendation but other rack makes (Blackburn, OMM, Tubus ) are also very good and disc brakes are by no means a requirement or even desirable at their present state of development.

[Tom Lilley]

I have a Tandem and Touring bike both with Disc brakes and it is the best braking system on the market. Some Road bikes are now coming our with a front disc break. So try it first.

[Ben the Slow]

Good quality mechanical disk brakes are well proven amd provide Improved wet weather performance and increased mechanical advantage to the tourer.  That said traditional braking systems have been used by many thousands of riders.  You do not need disk brakes, but please do not be worried about reliabilty or performance.

[DaveB]

  You do not need disk brakes, but please do not be worried about reliabilty or performance.

I still read way too many reports of noise, disc run-out, slow wheel changes, alignment problems and pad clearance issues to recommend disc brakes to the rider who isn't pretty well versed in mechanical issues.  Yes, they work.  No, they aren't simple, even mechanical discs, and hydraulics bring an entire set of issues of their own.

[Ben the Slow]

You can't go wrong with conventional rim squeezers.  I'll go cross country this summer on disk brakes, the Gucci factor got to me ;-)

[PeteJack]

There are good rim squeezers and not so good rim squeezers. My 520 came with Single Digit SD-5 brakes and for years I put up with noise and poor performance. On a steep downhill I just couldn't stop by braking from the hoods, I had to reach round to the drops and squeeze like hell. And they were almost impossible to center, I'd use up all the adjustment on one side without it lifting off the rim. Eventually I sprang big bucks $111 for a Single Digit Ultimate as opposed to $17 for a replacement SD-5 on the front. It's like night and day: powerful, modulated braking from the hoods, silent, center perfectly. Everything a vee brake should be. While I was at it I replaced the brake levers with Tektro RH520s  I do believe the new levers are a help too i.e. they have better ergonomics.

I've still got the old SD-5 on the rear and it seems plenty adequate so it's staying. I reckon you don't want too powerful braking at the back, locked wheel etc.

[Old Guy New Hobby]

I've still got the old SD-5 on the rear and it seems plenty adequate so it's staying. I reckon you don't want too powerful braking at the back, locked wheel etc.

You never know about unfamiliar roads or braking in sketchy weather. I usually try to apply equal pressure front and back, and release if the rear wheel skids. It's easy to survive rear wheel skids. Front wheel skids, not so much. Of course, this works best if front and rear brakes have similar stopping power.

[Pat Lamb]

On a steep downhill I just couldn't stop by braking from the hoods, I had to reach round to the drops and squeeze like hell.

Being able to brake from the drops is a good skill to have for any brakes.

[DaveB]

Being able to brake from the drops is a good skill to have for any brakes.

It's good as a skill.  It's not so good as an absolute necessity.

As to SD5's defects, I've never used them but I did have SD-7s on one bike and they were very strong and powerful.  Noisy but strong.  One thing I did do was change the OEM pads for Kool Stop Salmons which improved the feel and control, particularly in wet conditions.

[PeteJack]

I've never used them but I did have SD-7s on one bike and they were very strong and powerful

After I'd bought the Ultimate it occurred to me SD-7s have done the trick and been a lot cheaper, about $30. I guess I'll never know.

[SamSpokes]

Personally I think your bike choice depends heavily on the terrain you intend to cover, the distance you want to go and how much weight (or creature comforts) you intend to carry.

Could you give us an outline?

[JDFlood]

It's hard to choose a bike until you are experienced. You might. Try a cheap tour bike like a Trek 520 and see how it goes. I did... Realized I weighed too much with panniers and got a custom bike. I have credit card touring and a full loades touring. The trek is great for commuting.