Adventure bike touring (gravel?) recommendations

I’m thinking about the 1 in N+1 as part of a new year’s goal to use a bike for more than just my city commute. To give you an idea of the inspiration, I’m looking at this 7-day bike touring trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap: [https://www.spiceroads.com/tours/bangkok\_angkor](https://www.spiceroads.com/tours/bangkok_angkor). While they rent bikes on the trip, I’d prefer to have my own. The tour company recommends a gravel bike due to the poor quality of roads in Cambodia, and they’ll rent you a mountain bike for the tour.

My existing bikes don’t work for plane travel or adventure touring, so it’s an excuse to go shopping! (Though the thought of riding a Brompton on beat up roads in Cambodia is pretty funny…)

Budget is flexible. It seems like a lot of what I’m interested in would be in the US$ 2-4k range.

So, the list of needs that I’ve come up with:

* I’m thinking about this as a touring/adventure bike, so as much as I’d love an e-bike, I need an analog one. If I’m going to check it on an airplane, batteries are not allowed. And I probably need to be slightly careful about weight to stay under airline weight limits for bike cases.
* I’m located in the US, but will likely be traveling worldwide, and getting replacement parts outside the US is definitely a consideration. I’m guessing that means “stick with SRAM/Shimano”
* As much as it’s amazing to feel the light weight of carbon fiber, I like the feel of steel. My first adult bike was steel, as is the Brompton, and I definitely feel the difference versus the aluminum frame of the Tern. I have a preference for steel, though you could talk me into aluminum.
* I’m doing bike touring to see things, and I’m used to riding upright in the city, so I’d prefer a more upright geometry than an aggressive/racing style.
* I don’t climb well, so having a good gear range for climbing is important to keep up with a tour. If I rode at home in the hills, I’d have to deal with 10% grades, so a wide gear range is important to actually use the bike at home, tool.
* Given the desire to tour in places where traffic is a little bit different than my home, I want to be able to use my Garmin Varia radar tail light because I can no longer imagine riding without it.
* I think drop bars would be really nice to have. Everything I’ve owned has flat bars, but I’ve put bar ends on all of my bikes to give me different hand positions.

​

Because I’m aware that having too many requirements makes it hard to meet them, I’ll add a few things that I think are nice to have but I can be flexible on

* I want disc brakes, especially if I tour in the rainy season in southeast Asia. (The company describes Cambodian roads as either dusty or muddy.) I think I have a strong preference for hydraulic brakes over mechanical.
* I love the 1x drivetrain on the Vektron because I have always found front derailleurs to be finicky. But I realize it might be hard to get a wide enough range on the gears with a 1x drivetrain.
* I want some flexibility in tire width, but I’m not sure how much.
* The biggest open question I have is about suspension. I don’t think I need full suspension, and wouldn’t want the weight, but maybe front suspension isn’t a terrible idea given that I’ll be riding on marginal roads. Rear suspension could be emulated either by using my Brooks Flyer sprung saddle, or maybe a suspension seat post.
* I might use the bike to commute to work while at home, so being able to throw my Ortliebs on it to transport stuff to the office would be good.
* I love having lights that just work. My Brompton has a dynamo system and not having to charge the lights is amazing. I am guessing this is an add-on to do myself, so maybe making sure that there’s cable routing to do this?

​

My thoughts so far

* It seems like the Salsa Vaya or Fargo invented this niche, but … mechanical disc brakes at this price point? I like the idea of the Fargo’s swappable dropout plates and being able to change the drivetrain, but I recognize that it’s probably also a gimmick that I’d never use.
* All-City Gorilla Monsoon, though I’m not sure what the closing of the brand means for future support. Yeah, yeah, I know QBP will probably keep supporting them through the existing dealer network, but …
* Kona Sutra
* Surly Disc Trucker
* Canyon Grizl. I think the geometry is too aggressive, and I’m wary of ordering a bike that I’ve never been able to test ride.
* Wilde Rambler. Checks a lot of the boxes, and they seem small and ready to customize the ride, but again, I’m not sure about ordering a bike that I’ve only seen pictures of.
* The Marin Nicasio has cheaper parts (Tiagra or Microshift), so isn’t the right option.

​

All advice appreciated. I feel like I am about to keep doing so much research on the bike to buy that I forget to book the trip and actually go riding!

by ThermiteReaction