wsw@hlwpc.UUCP (Bill Weiss) (01/29/85)
You can get a pretty decent touring bike for $400 off the shelf from any of the makers you cited. Just remember that they're likely to be similarly equipped. They're likely to have alloyed tubing (Reynolds, Ishiwata, Tange) with some (but probably not all) tubes butted. Component sets likely will be Suntour Cyclone (lightweight), Shimano 600 (reasonably durable), or a mixture of Suntour or Sugino. Look for lightweight aluminum wheels, preferably taking 27" x1 or 1 1/8" hi-pressure tires (low rolling resistance), and a leather saddle. You are unlikely to get sealed bearing components unless the bike is specifically designed for off-road use, in which case you're talking about a whole different animal. There's very little overall performance difference between centerpull and sidepull brakes. The former are inherently self-centering, but the latter are a bit lighter and more direct-acting. Cantilever brakes have enormous stopping-power but should be used where needed--eg, tandems or off-road use. They can pitch you over the handlebars in a sudden stop. Anatomic saddles are fine if they happen to fit your anatomy. But any good leather saddle, properly broken in, will conform to your contours over time. You can get a very good buy by buying a complete touring bike from a reputable mail order house like Nashbar or Performance. However, you can't get service or warranty action by mail. You can also buy bare frames mail-order or over the counter. Chances are these will be exotic racing frames, since there isn't much of a market for bare, medium-grade touring frames. You might consider buying a hi-quality touring frame mail order, and outfitting it gradually with hi-quality touring components from Shimano, Sugino or Sun Tour. Make sure you know your gearing requirements, as cranksets and dereilleurs have differing capacities. An earlier net. posting gave an assessment of component group quality. I'd add that the Campy Record and Super Record, although not as technologically advanced as the top Shimano group, are by far the most durable. However, they're not designed to take touring gears and are very expensive. The Sun Tour V series is my bet for low price and good performance. In chains and freewheels, Regina is the best. Bicycling magazine continually runs road tests on bikes in various price ranges. See if you can get the last two or three issues. ---Bill Weiss, AT&T Network Systems, (201) 631-6526
wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner) (01/30/85)
> You can get a very good buy by buying a complete touring bike from a > reputable mail order house like Nashbar or Performance. A friend of mine (who is a bike mechanic, but doesn't sell bikes), told me that several friends of his purchased complete bikes from BIKE NASHBAR and that they "kept falling apart". Apparently, lots of things are going wrong with them. Admittedly, this is only third-hand information, so does anyone have any experience with B.N.'s bikes, good or bad? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh no! I've got . . . . . HAPPY FEET!" Dave Wagner University of Washington Comp Sci Department wagner@{uw-june.arpa|washington.arpa} {ihnp4|decvax}!uw-beaver!uw-june!wagner