Last week, I wandered down to The Urbane Cyclist here in Toronto to have a look at Surly Long Haul Truckers. Urbane was/is one of two Surly dealers here in Toronto. I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing a new bike. It’s been almost 18 years with my Trek 790 which has done great service as a touring and long-distance bike but I’ve been wondering over the past couple of years whether or not it was actually suited for what I was using it for? Have I just been powering myself through all of my rides despite the limitations of the bike? Hrmmm…how much better would I be with a bike that’s built for what I intended to use it for? Would I have been happier with a Trek 520 touring model which was the other choice at the time when I purchased my Trek 790? And, how would I deal with losing it in case of an accident or theft? The 790 means a LOT to me because it’s been a huge part of my life. I’ve always wanted to be able to retire it, fix it up to original specs and then hang it on a wall somewhere.
Hence, the trip to Urbane. I can’t really afford a new bike at the moment but it doesn’t hurt to dream right? It turns out that Urbane no longer sells Surly bikes or, at least, the LHT. It seems that Curbside Bikes (up on Bloor St.) has struck a deal with Surly to be their exclusive retailer. This is very odd because Bikes on Wheels (sp?) in Kensington Market is a sister store of Curbside and they’ve just told me in December that they were now selling Jamis bikes. It’s odd because why would a dealer be seemingly trying to corner the market in touring bikes? Urbane now carries the Jamis brand which explains why I see a glistening Aurora right in front of me!
Aurora was sort of my intended purchase because of good reviews from sources such as Bicycling Magazine and from some online posters. I was a bit turned off of it because someone had purchased one of those $800 Auroras over at the Bike Show a few months ago and revealed that he believes that it’s meant for light touring and commuting. One of the parts on his bike broke and his tour was basically finished. I get a bit leery about things like that because on my 790 not a piece broke or wore out until a couple of years back when a shifter finally gave out. In fact, I am still on my first set of brake pads! I guess the lesson here is to get the hardiest parts you can get.
Chris of Urbane showed off the store’s own Urbanite model which was $1200 or so. It looks pretty spiffy but I am concerned that they don’t seem to have a set spec sheet. Not a big deal since they are willing to throw on anything that you like/need. And its price is pretty good for a production bike. An interesting piece of news is that they will have a new colour - black- sometime in late spring. In doing a bit of shopping around it seems that all of the manufacturers that I am interested in such as Urbane, Trek and Surly are coming out with bike frames in my two favourite colours - red and black. To my superstitious mind, it seems as if the cycling gods are now saying that it’s time for a new bike.
So, what am I looking for that can last another two decades? Or, more precisely, what will I be using my bike for? I am looking for something that will enable me to do long-distances at a good pace with rides that can last from pre-dawn to night and that can handle loaded, self-supported touring through rougher conditions if not Third World.
There are a lot of choices out there for me to dither over. There are good production bikes such as the Jamis Aurora which may be too lightweight; the Urbanite which is an intriguing choice and deserves at least a test ride or two; the Surly Long Haul Trucker which may or may not feel like a truck; Trek’s own 520 (gorgeous in black) which is the quintessential lower-priced touring bike and is a classic in its own right with a design not changed for two decades; and Cannondale’s Touring 1 which is brand new for 2008. I’m sure that I’ve missed a couple and I am certainly not taking into account the European manufacturers. Sorry, AW!
Then we come to that really special group - the custom builders. These include Rivendell’s Atlantis, sort of production/custom with a classic design but which I am not sure can handle my needs for self-supported touring; Bilenky which I’ve never heard of; Independent Fabrication’s Independence, great name for a bike but the company seems to be more concerned about colours/looks than anything else; Robert Beckman Designs, supposedly great bikes but looking a bit odd with what seems like long wheelbases, am sure that they can handle my touring needs; True North, a small Canadian builder just west of Toronto; Co-Motion’s Americano, very drool-worthy, pricey and can take the punishment; and, finally, probably the best builder out there, Bruce Gordon, heard that he’s opinionated but knows what he opines about.
Grrr…if I had the choice it’d be an automatic Bruce Gordon especially as he’s getting older and…well, you know.
Ok, it looks like I’ve covered almost the entire spectrum of touring bikes out there available for the North American tourer. I know a couple more such as Gunnar and Marinoni and there are probably at least a dozen more one-man shops out there but the above are what I’ve looked at.
For the straight production bikes, it looks like the Aurora is out of the running. There is a strong possibility that I may need to change parts on the bike in the future and who needs that? The Urbanite is a definite contender for its low price and the very friendly shop that it comes from although I may need to upgrade parts. Of course, if I have to upgrade too many parts then it’s another story. I’m not too sure about the LHT primarily because I’ve heard that it handles like a truck which to me sounds like a slug. The 520 is a strong contender and not only because of my strong brand loyalty; I mean, if you have a bike that hasn’t really changed in 20 years then you must be doing something right. Cannondale’s new Touring 1? No, primarily because I’ve never heard of it and I don’t much care for the local dealer.
On the off chance that an extra grand shows up somehow in my bank account. I may consider the custom route. Out of all the ones I’ve listed, my top three choices would be Bruce Gordon, Co-Motion’s Americano and, finally, True North. The biggest fear going the custom route, aside from a diet of white rice and chili bean curd for several months due to budgetary constraints, is being fitted for your new bike. That’s probably the main reason why True North is in the running here.
Uh oh…just remembered that Peter White has his own semi-custom touring set-ups based on Rivendell’s Atlantis. White is sort of a demi-god when it comes to bike lighting systems and wheelbuilding so I guess I will have to have a serious look at his set-up(s). It’s interesting to note that White, along with firms such as Independent Fabrication, have bikes in the low-2000 range since not a lot of companies play here. You have the production guys at the early teens and the customs going for three grand and more. I guess he’s trying to offer the best balance between custom and price.
An alternative idea is to go with a stock bike such as the Urbanite and upgrade components such as wheels. Ok, so we can dream for a while and see what happens down the road.
