Iām thinking of getting a Giant Toughroad SLR 1 2023 for touring Europe.. Iām not sure if its adequate for very long distance / comfort and wondered your thoughts :)
Rear rack is rated for 25kg carrying capacity. It'd be absolutely awful to ride well before you hit that.
Nice
These limits are mostly just to protect the manufacturer from lawsuits. And then it is often not even about material fatigue, but about handling. I could see them limiting it to 25kg, because with 30+ kg in the back without bags in front you would have far less control on the front wheel
Crossing six countries š
Looks good to me
I have recently bought this bike and recommend it. Good range of gears (even if at a 21inch crawling gears it can feel harder to push on steeper uphills) extremly lightweight for a touring bike, and its drives amazing on all terrains
Brill thanks for sharing! Do you think it could handle 2 month bike tour through 6 countries in Europe ? Netherlands - Belgium - France - spain - Portugal
Surely, its a robust bike and a european tour wont be much of a challenge for it as you probably wont face too tough conditionsĀ
I bought this bike recently. For reference I'm about 5 foot 10/11 and got a size small and it fits me good. I may put a slightly longer stem on it though. The build quality is really strong and I do feel it would be able to tackle most of what is required of it. I plan on taking it through north france/ Belgium and Holland next year. I've not taken it on any long trips yet so can't comment on that aspect. For the price and the quality of the components I'd say it's the best bang for your buck currently.
5 foot 10 on a small? If it fits it fits, but that seems wild, as an XL is meant for 6'1-6'3ish (my height) I'd think you'd at least be a medium if not a large size
Agreed , Iām 5foot 8 and ride a medium in pretty much every bike Iāve tried. Even at my height Iād be worried about feeling cramped and having too much seatpost sticking out.
Yeah I did take a bit of a risk on the size. I've always had medium bikes but felt they were a bit too big for me. The smaller size gives me a more upright, comfortable position. Bicycle sizing is always a bit of a minefield though.
Awesome thanks for the input! Thinking of going for a medium Iām 5.10
Yea it's a bike
Looks okay for mild touring on bike paths, but no hub dynamo lights would be a no go for me. Lights are very important for visibility.
I would really miss drops on a long trip.
I would prefer a drop bar gravel bike personally, especially if you will be anywhere near the mountains.
I find them really uncomfortable and feel less safe in comparison
That's fair, if you want comfy and cruisey this is fine. I do recommend you spend some time on /r/ultralight before building out your kit.
I ride something a similar geometry and setup and it's been great for my week long rides.
It would work fine. I'd want multiple hand positions for a long trip. Bar ends would easily add extra hand positions - preferably the bigger longer barends which offer a few hand positions. I'd also want aero bars. Aero bars not only improve aerodynamics but also allow you to take all of the weight off of your hands/wrists which can be very welcome for long trips. It's a touring bike. Some people like flat handlebars and other people like dropped bars and handlebar choice is very personal - you need to figure it out for yourself. Try some bikes with drop bars and some others with flat bars and see what YOU like. As far as how much hauling capacity you should have - it depends upon how much stuff you bring and whether or not you're using the light or heavy options. Distance doesn't matter a whole lot in terms of how much you bring. If you're going for a 3 day trip or a 3 month trip the gear that you bring will largely be similar. Clothes get washed. Some people pack everything and others pack light. If you're a beginner and you seem like a beginner from this post you're probably going to pack too much. Over the course of your trip send your unused gear home over the trip. A bunch of relatively local trips of 1-3 nights gets you experience. Taking some overnighter trips will do a lot to make a big trip less overwhelming. A bad night sleep or a sore rear end sucks. A bad night sleep or a sore rear end for a weekend is a different thing than those issues going on for months.
Straight bars without alt grips for bike touring...ouch. I would upgrade the saddle too.
When you say ātouring Europeā, do you mean ācredit card tour from Amsterdam to Brusselsā or more like āsingle track from TromsĆø to Istanbul ā?
Iād be worried about the weight limit if that rear rack.