Willy Smallboy wrote:
Can a good hybrid be made into an adequate good touring bike? By
adding dropped bars and going to bar end friction shifters? It seems
that it would be cheaper for me to get a hybrid because they have a
26" tires, canti breaks, and low gears. These three things add a lot
of cost to a bike.
I would want to be able to add front and rear bags and I am not sure if
racks would fit.
The touring bike I like would cost 4k and is more than I can afford.



$799 will get you either the 26" wheeled REI Safari:
http://tinyurl.com/vcqi or the 700C wheeled Randonee with drop bars:
http://tinyurl.com/2fus3

Converting a hybrid can work, but mounting racks is usually a challange.
There are also many other toruing bicycles worth considering that are
far less that $4K. Adventure Cycling's magazine just published a page
full of choices, including some recumbents, and "folding" bicycles
suitable for touring. They also have an article in the most recent
edition about touring with a BOB trailer.



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