Bike Lust

I am reconnected to cycling. Last year I put in 1400 miles -- not the 4000 I used to put in before, but respectable for a recreational cyclist. I used to commute every day to work, and I lived in Southern California where riding is year-round.

Now I'm in Michigan, a beautiful state, and more importantly I am married to someone who shares this love of cycling. She might not be quite as obsessed -- but she does enjoy it for herself, and wants to share it with me.

I am going to give up my Navarra Randonee for a new touring bike -- but which one? What do I really want? What do I really need?

I had no idea what was out there.

So I read touring blogs, forums, mailing lists and searched for brands I knew. Last time I used rec.bicycles.marketplace to get opinions; this time I never had to say a word.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/reviews/board/?o=3Tzut&board_id=3566&v=4

That place also has cycling journals from all over the world, and can be very distracting to someone who works from home.

This is what I knew:

1. I want a touring bike That is, I want a bike which is comfortable for several consecutive long days, and requires a minimum of effort to pedal. Which means that there has to be some aerodynamic positions for headwind, and comfortable upright positions for traffic and sight-seeing. Which means drop bars, but higher. It also means that I want 700C over 26"wheels because 26" wheels have higher rolling resistance; but I want to add rolling resistance for wider tires so that it's more comfortable on rough pavement, more stable, and less prone to flats.
2. I also want 700C tires because everyone I ride with uses this size, so we can share spare tubes if necessary.
3. It needs to take loaded touring. I'm 50 lbs heavier than my commuting weight, so there's me. It should be able to do a cross-country bike trip with a minimum of trouble. I want to throw on water bottles (3), racks, panniers, a bell and maybe even lights. Oh, and a computer of some sort. And fenders.
4. Reliable. I want a bike that I can get on and go. When I shift, it should shift and not think about it and make a decision later.
5. I want a Brooks saddle. I've always wanted a Brooks and I regret not buying one before.

I wasn't worried too much about aesthetics or color.

So with that list of requirements, I began to read.

Waterford

"America's Dream Bike". Waterford makes fantastic bikes, and maybe someday I'll buy one. But right now I don't know enough about what I want in a bike frame in terms of fit or geometry to make a custom frame worth it. And, for the same price, I could buy a great production bike AND a plow truck. OK, the plow truck would be used, but still. Not worth it -- yet.

Rivendell Atlantis

Last year on the PALM I saw someone on a beautiful bike, which turned out to be a Rivendell Atlantis. It's a beautiful bike and I love that company. Unfortunately, it's impossible to test ride them, and they run about $3500 complete. Is it worth it? Well... no. I ride a small/medium frame, and the wheels for this bike are 26" in my size. This probably helps with toe overlap, and rides beautifully, but I want 700C wheels.

Surly Long Haul Trucker

When anyone asks on the net "What touring bike should I buy", the answer always the LHT. It's a $1,000 version of the Atlantis; similar geometry, but the frame is made elsewhere, and not lugged. Since it's so well recommended, and since it's so reasonably priced, I considered it in spite of the wheel size. However, the LBS (Local Bike Shop) who sells it, and had one in stock, wasn't all that impressed with it, and just let me look at it, leaning against a wall with no handlebar tape. It looked OK, but I didn't want to buy a bike from this guy. And I still wanted 700C wheels. And I didn't want to be yet another guy on a Surly.

Trek 520

Boring. Yet... I would bet more long tours have been done on this bike than any other. It's a mature, stable platform; reliable, solid, and once was my "attainable dream bike". This year's model has everything I want -- including the gearing -- but there's only one Trek dealer near me. And they didn't want me to ride it because there was a puddle in the parking lot. My stepson has a Trek from this shop. They were not interested in selling a touring bike.

Cannondale T1/T2

I love Cannondales, but I have yet to ride one. (Maybe later today) My wife owns a Cannondale Hybrid; My father in law rides a T2000 from 2000. The dealer we would buy from is currently on Winter Break, or I'd have already ordered it. I tried riding one at a different bike shop -- the same one with the Surly -- but that bike wasn't rideable. The Cannondale Touring bike was my "UNattainable dream bike", just because it was so close to being the perfect touring bike out of the box, and so expensive. The T1 has good components and a fantastic color scheme. The T2 has better gearing and decent components with an OK color scheme. Again, I barely remember the color of my Randonee, so I don't know why I care what the color of my next bike is. No bike shop is going to cut me a break, and they all will take two weeks to get a medium. So do I buy it because I know it's what I've always wanted, or do I ride it first?

Raleigh Sojourn

What a beautiful bike! I don't remember being quite so impressed with a bike's looks before. I found a dealer I like who showed me one in my size. It already has fenders and a Brooks Saddle. The handlebars look great. It rides straight, solid no-nonsense, and it does have three bottle cage mounts and a heavy-duty rack. The wheels and brakes are not what I thought I wanted: disc brakes and only 32 spoke wheels. When he told me the price I almost plonked down my credit card. However, I promised myself I would wait until I ride a Cannondale. Is it love or lust? I don't know, but I like the dealer, and I love the looks of the bike.

T2 vs Sojourn

Both bikes have a lifetime frame warranty. The T2 has better components and better gearing and weighs about eight pounds less. The Sojourn is $500 cheaper, when the fenders and saddle are added to the T2, but much closer in price if I swapped out the front chainring and derailleur. There are differences, but I'm hard pressed to say that these differences matter that much to me. T2 is aluminum, Sojourn is Steel. T2 has canti brakes, Sojourn has disc. T2 has STI shifters, Sojourn has bar ends.

The Sojourn is really pretty. The Cannondale is... nice.

Stay tuned