Picking a Bike to Tour

If you’re going to go on a bike tour, then the first thing you need is a bike. Simple enough conclusion that dissipates the moment you start looking. There are cyclists that are firm members of “the best bike to ride is the one you have or can afford,” school of thought. While their attempt to keep new riders from overthinking things is admirable, if you are going to a ride a bike over 1,000 miles, a basic two-wheeler from the local big box store will not do.

Shopping for a bike to tour with is a little like buying a house or car. You start off with excitement that soon turns sour as you get overwhelmed with the choices, pricing, and conflicting advice received from blogs, reviews, and social media posts.

As a child, I raced BMX bikes when the sport was just getting started. BMX bikes were expensive, compared to anything found at K-mart. I took a little, unjustified, and immature glee at that fact as a kid. Because of that, I thought I was prepared for modern pricing of bikes.

I was wrong.

In fact, it did not prepare me for anything. The days of old people's bikes, cheap Kmart bikes, and the cool BMX bikes were gone. The choices today are myriad. Now you mountain bikes, touring bikes, gravel bikes, and cruising around town with groceries bikes. You can buy them from local bike shops, or order directly online. Worst, doing a google search will inevitably show you a bike you love, and discover is only available in Europe.

If that was not enough, e-bikes are now not just a thing, but a HUGE thing. I admit the first time I saw one, I derisively commented, “What’s the point? Just get a motorcycle.”

It is a sentiment that most e-bike owners are used to receiving. There is a huge divide that turns into all-out war online, but then again what does not these days. In my case, it was out of pure ignorance. One, most e-bikes do not have throttles (the part on a motorcycle or scooter that makes it go forward), the rider has to peddle. The peddling is motor assisted and is a godsend for disabled or older individuals. It’s also a welcome gift for anyone tackling hills and rising elevations for long stretches of distance.

Complicating the research process was the fact that Covid was having a huge effect on the biking industry. On one hand, more people were looking for a way to stay active or not bored, and bikes were flying off the shelves. More than a few times I walked into Academy Sports and saw the bike area empty; picked to the bone. Local bike shops that sold the type of bikes I would need to tour had seen sales boom and then stall as their suppliers ran out of stock first and then materials as Covid closed their supply chains.

What You Need

Modern bikes have become specialized. Depending on what you plan to do there are bikes designed not only for the rigors of the task, but the equipment that goes along with it. The reason you cannot or should not just go to a local retailer is the bikes they sell—while cheap—are not designed for long rides. They are heavy, lack attachment options for gear, etc.

A long-distance tour requires a bike that will allow attaching panniers, multiple water bottles, and other gear. It needs to able to handle weight without being too heavy itself. The last thing you want when you are two states from home in the middle of the woods is your bike breaking down.

This was very hard to explain to my brother. As a tactic to get him invested in the trip, I told him he could pick his own bike. Great idea in concept, but in execution it was an annoying mess. He would not look at the sites I gave him, instead opting to look at Amazon or Google images for a bike. I cannot count the number of times David picked a bike that was discontinued or so cheap I knew it would not work.

I strongly considered swallowing my ignorance on e-bikes and getting one. The chance at having some help to get up prolonged elevations was just too good to pass up. Neither I nor my brother is in tip-top shape. I had watched enough YouTube videos to know the hills in Montana and Wyoming would not be fun. Ultimately, the cost for two e-bikes capable of traveling 50 miles on a charge was too high.

The chosen ones, so to speak, were a Trek Marlin for David. A bike he chose, then forgot he chose and got mad at me for choosing for him. (Shoulder shrug) What are you going to do?

I picked a Giant bicycle only to discover it was last year’s model, and no one had one. I also discovered that local bike shops will not, and sometimes cannot order bikes for which they are not dealers. I found a bike shop in Idaho that had one Giant bike of the model I wanted left, but local shops would not let me get it shipped to them.

So, I went another direction and decided on the Salsa Journeyman Sora 650. Salsa has several bikes in the line, but one look at the purple finish and I was sold. Which is surprising, because purple is not a color I gravitate toward, but it just looks so pretty.

The Marlin came in a little over 600 hundred dollars. The Salsa cost 1200. Each more expensive than non-bikers are used to seeing, but less than other available options. I thought they were excellent choices for our first trek outside. Yes, I would have preferred David pick a bike more geared toward touring, but at some point, you just have let it go. If it turns into a poor choice in the saddle, it will be a lesson for him.

Now that the bikes were chosen, it was time to get them spec’d out for the tour.