Hello. Ive been looking to get into touring and got this frame for pretty cheap and put it together as a commuter for now but was wondering if you all had any advice on how to turn it into a proper tourer. Trying to keep it pretty cheap and minimal if possible. Any recommendations on pack mounts, bottle cage mounts for a vintage bike like this? I have lightweight backpacking gear that packs down pretty small for what it's worth. Thanks in advance.
by Aware_Afternoon6722
3 Comments
Slap some bags on and pedal!
I would swap out those pedals though. And maybe get toe straps too. No reason to go fancy. Look for a used bike shop, or Amazon.
Might be worth $40 to have someone who knows what they’re doing confirm your brakes work as well as can be.
Other than that, if you have the bags, just pack up saddle up and go. Have fun!
I love this era trek. Looks like it’s already swapped from 27″ to alloy 700c wheels with nice wide tires. Add a pannier or two, and/or a dry bag strapped to the rack, pack very light, swap to some nice brake pads like Koolstops, and you should be ready to roll. A frame builder or bike shop should be able to add some rivnuts for another bottle cage or two.
While you may be perfectly happy, there’s a few things I don’t like about old bikes: long reach/deep-drop handle bars with no hoods position, and lack of gear range. For the hoods, I like the SRAM S500 levers ($50 used). For the huge chainrings, it might be worth looking at a subcompact crank or a vintage triple.
Since you are friction shifting, you can kind of use whatever you can find. Big fan of old Deore 9 speed stuff. Bike co-ops are your friend for this kind of thing.
Touring bikes usually have a longer wheelbase for a more “comfortable” ride