Hi Mike,

My old touring bike was a Thorn Club Tour , which I rode for many years until the SNCF in their graciousness managed to dent the top tube. It was still rideable, but I had the beginnings of a crack developing, so it was replaced by a Velo Orange Campeur, which I built up myself, wheels and all. I would have gotten a Thorn but the replacement frame cost as much as the VO complete.

Both of these bikes were set up about the same way: Shimano triple crank 48/38/28, bar-end shifters, fenders /mud guards, 12-36 nine speed cassette, 700C wheels with 35mm Vittoria Randonneur tyres. Racks were Blackburn on the Thorn and Tubus on the VO. The bags are the same on both, a mix of Ortlieb and MSX with a Outdoor Research stuff sac to hold my tent.

Recently, I got a made-to-measure 650B randonneur bike from Cycles Cattin in Genoble. 

Still a steel framed bike, but with Shimano 105 brifters, and compact 50/34 cranks, painted steel mudguards, SON dynamo front hub, custom made front rack with headlamp, Ultegra rear hub laced to Rigida rims, 12-36 mountain bike cassette, Tektro v-brakes, Brooks B17 copper riveted saddle, Velo Orange randonneur handlebar, steel fork, and Tubus front rack. The 650B wheelset lets me use 35mm tires (up to 45 should I wish) without the weight of the 700C tires of the same section. The difference is really noticeable when climbing or accelerating on the flat. The made to measure frame makes it by far the most comfortable bike I've ever owned for long rides. Probably the last bike I'll ever buy for touring.

All nice bikes, Keith.

Good to meet another person who still uses V brakes!

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks. It was relatively hard to find a touring specific bike when I got the Thorn, and the VO was, as I said, a cheaper replacement with more or less the same features. Both of those bikes have/had cantilever brakes, but the builder of the Cattin, Fabien Bonnet, found the necessary parts to mount v-brakes which are stronger. Getting them to work with the 105 brifters was the genius part. I tried disc brakes on my Iceland tour, and they were worn out in less than 500 km. Now I know that Iceland was a particularly hard test what with the volcanic grit, but still. And there is more standardization for v-brake pads than for disc brake pads, so,easier to find replacements in a pinch. What impresses me most about the new bike is the comfort. I suspect that because it fits me exactly, being made to measure, I don't/won't have problems with the odd twinge here and there. And for this old, arthritic man that's reason enough for a custom bike. When I was younger I could tolerate a lot more "slop" in the fit, but I'm not young, nor am I an average size (188 cm, 77kg) so I figured, why not? I'm keeping the VO anyway, because for flatter rides where I might be camping it will come in handy because it carries more and is still comfortable enough as long as I remember to stretch before and after each ride and pause often to give my body a rest.

Cheers,

Keith

Hi Mike

My touring bike is a custom Lighthouse and my daily ride is a new this year Terraferma custom 650B Rando bike.
They both ride nice but the Terraferma is like magic...smooth, fast and comfortable.
Wife and I ride a Co-Motion Mocha tandem.

Randy R.

Some great looking bikes there Randy.

What size tyres are you running on the 650B Terraferma?

Mike

Thanks Mike
They are Compass 650B x 42
I was a skeptic about those tires until I tried them, they roll like butter.
The tandem is 650B x 42 as well, Panaracers.
If I had it to do over again the touring bike would probably be the same tire size.
It rolls on 700C x 35

Randy R

I started out bike touring in 2006 on a mid-90's vintage Cannondale T400. A friend had gotten it in a trade, and sold it to me for $100. I immediately spent about $800 putting new wheels, bar end shifters, and easier gearing on it, and I've used it mostly unchanged since then. It has the same saddle as the day I got it.

My wife and I decided to do the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route together in 2016. In anticipation of that, she bought a slightly used yellow Salsa Fargo which she named "Butter." After doing several long solo rides, including the Katy Trail, she decided that it was just a little too large for her. I raised the seat post as far as I (safely) could, and determined that it fit me well enough. It's now my go-to touring bike, because it can basically do anything. I'll probably use it for all my tours going forward. I initially thought the bike was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen, but it's kind of grown on me.

The most beautiful object I've ever owned is undoubtedly my Wabi Lightning SE single speed. I've actually done some very lightly loaded credit card touring with it. This probably seems insane, but it actually worked pretty well on a somewhat hilly five day tour a few years ago. It helps that the rear wheel has a flip flop hub: I usually ride it with a 48x16 gear, but I can flip the wheel over and use a 48x19. With that gear I've very, very rarely had to walk the bike up any hills.

Nice bikes, Randy!  Let me ask a question about your Compass tires.

"Compass 650B x 42... they roll like butter."

They feel great -- what's your experience with their durability?

The reason I ask is that I have a pair of Compass' 26 x 1.8 Naches Pass tires.  They roll soooo well, and they're fast -- after using them for about 400 kms in day rides during the early fall of 2017 and the spring of 2018, I reckoned that they were about a gear higher (=13%) on my Thorn Raven, than were my Marathon Supremes in similar conditions.

BUT.  In the 200 kms I rode the Compass tires in 2017, I had one flat; in a similar mileage this past spring, I had three.  That works out to about one per 100 kms. I was riding on suburban and peri-urban tarmac around Ottawa, where I live, and in West Québec.  The roads are not noticeably full of spiky things, and I can't recall ever having a puncture with my Supremes over the same terrain.  All four punctures were very small, and through the central part of the outer casing.  Although I couldn't find the spiky things, I was able to identify the tiny holes in the casing.

I don't mind repairing a flat now and then, but an average of one every 1-to-2 day rides is a serious negative incentive.  They're still hanging in my workshop, but I'm not at all sure that I'll mount them on my Raven when spring rolls around. (I have plenty of time to think about it.)

Cheers,  John

Hi John

My experience has been pretty good.
I used 700C x 32 Compass tires on the bike my Terraferma replaced and rode them a lot for two seasons, wore out two sets. Two punctures and one pinch flat (the pinch flat was my fault) in the two seasons of riding. Got roughly 3000 miles per set, maybe a little more.
The 700 x 42 tires have punctured one time this year.
I will mention that the first Compass 650B x 42 rear tire I put on the Rando bike was flawed, the inner fabric was not properly bonded and it wore a hole in the tube within less than 100 miles.
Compass Cycles replaced the tube and tire no questions asked.

I usually don't puncture much but the Compass tires are certainly more fragile than the Panaracer GT tires I used to ride, I used to average one flat every two or more seasons. I do not baby the tires but I do make an effort to not ride through the debris piles found at intersections and driveways, not sure if that helps but I feel better doing it.
I did experiment with Compass 700 x 35 tires on my touring bike, took them on a loaded 650 mile 10 day trip with no flats. I would say I am not decided about using them for an extended tour, I probably would prefer to err on the side of caution and use a somewhat more puncture resistant tire.
If I had results like yours I would probably not be as positive abut the tires, but the ride is so sweet I will gladly repair or replace a couple of tubes each year.
I agree with your conclusion, I feel I can typically pull about one gear higher with the same effort, that is impressive, I think.
I have heard of others with lack of durability experience similar to yours, I really can't say what the causes might be.

Randy R