Sport Touring Bikes: A Bike for The Rest of Us

by Barry Sanders

Originally written October 1997; Updated November 2007

I'm Not a Racer

Like most cyclists out there, I'm not a racer. I have no business spending $3000+ on a superlight, tricked-out racing bike. I'm primarily a recreational and commuting cyclist. 95% of the time I ride on craggy old pavement, multi-use trails or cobblestones. What I really need is a durable, comfortable, reasonably lightweight bike that I don't have to "suit up" to ride. I need something I can just throw a leg over whenever I feel like taking a little spin around town, or down to the ice cream shop, or for a ride with my lovely wife.

Though a sleek, fast road racing bike might be fun to ride, it is likely to be expensive, won't be very comfortable, nor will it be versatile for such things as carrying books home from the library. 'Hybrid' bikes are a possibility; but they are often heavy, and can be expensive. Mountain bikes are pretty comfortable; but they are usually heavy, slow and their knobby tires are noisy on pavement. If you're looking for a versatile, functional and [very] cheap alternative, I think I've found the answer.

In the used market, there are plenty of high quality bikes of a type that were popular in the 1970's and 1980's. They belong to a category that is all but forgotten in today's highly specialized, serious, extreme, highly segmented, racing-oriented cycling market. They're the good old "sport touring" bikes that many of us remember from our youth.

What Are Sport Touring Bikes?

Sport touring bikes exist somewhere between a racing bike and a touring bike. They are similar to a touring bike, but with sportier handling. Sport tourers lack the low-rider front rack braze-ons and cantilever brakes usually found on touring bikes. They're heavier, longer and geared wider than a racing bike. They often have cushy foam grips covering their drop handlebars, and (in some cases) "safety lever" extensions on the brakes (which should be used with care).

Most people don't know what sport touring bikes are. They call them "ten speeds" or "racing bikes." They just know that nobody wants them anymore, so they sell 'em dirt cheap or toss them into dumpsters. The prices I see commonly run from about $20 to $70 or so. If you keep your eyes open, you just might walk away from a garage sale or thrift shop someday soon with a well-equipped Japanese- or American-built bike with high-quality aluminum alloy components in excellent condition for less than the price of a single Kevlar-beaded tire for a fancy-schmancy racing bike. It's by far the best cycling value that I'm aware of.

What Makes Sport Tourers Different?

Sport/touring bikes are very comfortable, yet fast and efficient. Steering is stable; but not sluggish by any means. They're upright enough to be safe in traffic, but still 'aero' enough to go efficiently into a headwind. They're geared wide and low enough for casual riding and hill-climbing; but there's a 52/13 gear ratio for riding fast. Their high-pressure (75-90psi) semi-fat (1 1/4" or 32c width) tires are comfortable and stable on cobblestones, rough pavement and gravel roads; but still fast and nimble on smooth pavement.

Unlike the vast majority of road bikes nowadays, sport tourers have rack and fender eyelets. Many come with rear cargo racks and/or fenders already installed. Some have frame-fit pumps and lights as well. The fact that sport tourers are designed to accept cargo racks and fenders makes them ideal candidates for bicycle commuting. Fenders, racks and lights are essential commuter accessories, and standard items on many bikes sold outside the US market (where cycle commuting is much more common). If you want to ride your bike to work when the streets are wet, you want fenders. If you want to ride to the farmer's market for some purple potatoes and gladiolas, or pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store, you need a cargo rack (and a basket or panniers).

An enthusiastic supporter of cycling and cycle commuting who was taken before his time, Ken Kifer had much to offer on the subject of what makes a suitable commuter bike.

A note about tire sizes: Many older road bikes were equipped with 27" tires. By the late 1980's, 27" tires had all but disappeared, replaced by the international standard "700c" size tires, which are available in a wide variety of widths, tread types and specialties from every bike shop. Either size (27 inch or 700c) is fine, really. Many older sport touring bikes will accept either 27" (630mm rim diameter) or 700c (622mm rim diameter) wheels by adjusting the position of the brake pads on the caliper arms (takes just a few minutes). Because there are still so many 27" wheeled bikes on the road, replacement tires are still available, both at bike shops and at department stores. Important note: 27" tires will not fit 700c rims/wheels, and vice versa.

Ride it Home for Twenty Bucks (or Less)

Great bike deals are out there. All you have to do is look. I find bikes by the dozen from local apartment owners. I buy them for $20 and give them to friends as gifts. I get them for free, fix them up, and give them to charities. I've found numerous bikes sitting in dumpsters or at the curb, waiting to be hauled away.

Have you ever been to a garage sale, yard sale or tag sale? If you haven't, you should give it a try. It's fun. You have to be there when the sales open early in the morning to get the great deals, which disappear quickly. Not every sale is a treasure trove; but there are some nice bikes that get often get snapped up by the early risers.

You're not an early riser? Try the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, Habitat, DAV or other thrift shops. Thrift shops can have some nice bikes at very low prices; but they don't hang around for long. You have to check frequently to find good deals. You might also ask the local police department if they have bike auctions to get rid of recovered bikes that have not been claimed.

Bike Bargain Hunting

Perhaps my best bike bargain ever was an aluminum Cannondale sport touring bike that I found at a garage sale for $35. I took it home, polished it up, repacked the bearings with grease, installed a fresh set of tires and brake pads, and it became my daily commuter. (Today, an equivalent Cannondale would cost about $1,500 new).

At a neighborhood garage sale I bought a beautiful metallic brown late '80's Miyata sport touring bike for $20. It looked like it had hardly been ridden (and the owner confirmed my suspicion). The rear wheel was a little wobbly; but everything else looked perfect. I walked it home, and spent 20 minutes truing the wheels, lubing cables and adjusting brakes. My wife has been riding it on local club rides for over 9 years, and it's still just as nice as ever. I just recently replaced the original tires. We are hoping to do a cycling tour in Central Europe (one of these years), and I'm sure she'll take her Miyata.

Two blocks from my house at a yard sale, I found an early 90's pink and purple Specialized Rock Hopper for $20. Like my wife's Miyata, here was a bike in like-new condition, ready to ride. Not a scratch on it. I took it home, cleaned, lubed and adjusted it and ended up giving it to a close friend as a birthday present. She was so touched by the gift she almost cried. It turns out that she never had a bike as a child, and had been meaning to try cycling for years. She loves her "pretty pony," as she jokingly calls it, and says that cycling is more exhilarating than she had ever imagined. Folks, this is what I live for.

The grey Sekai 500, pictured at left, was found abandoned at the curb, ready for the garbage collectors. I had to replace the rusted chain ($5), and bought some used wheels for it ($25) and some cables; but I ended up spending about $50 total. I gave it to my father in law. His doctor recommended cycling as therapy. He loves it.

A few years ago, I bought a Bianchi Brava sport touring bike from an Internet seller for $60. The BeBop pedals on the Bianchi were worth more than that (and that's why I bought it). The Bianchi - converted to a single speed by the previous owner - became my new favorite bike, and my best commuter bike yet. Nowadays, single-speed road bikes and fixed-gear track bikes have become all the rage for commuters. Urban bike couriers have preferred single speeds for many years for their bombproof reliability, light weight, razor-sharp handling, speed and simplicity. Older sport tourers, incidentally, can be easily converted to single speeds by swapping out the rear freewheel cluster with a BMX single speed freewheel ($15-$20). You'll need to remove one of the front sprockets and switch to a 1/8" track/BMX chain ($7).

Case Study: The Ross Grand Tour

One of the sport touring bikes in my collection is a Ross Grand Tour from the mid 1980's. There's a good chance that this bike was designed by legendary frame designer Tom Kellogg. Tom has since gone on to design ultra-high-end bikes for Merlin, Seven and Spectrum; but he started out designing at Ross Bicycles in Allentown, PA in the early 1980's.

The Ross Grand Tour has all of the requisite features usually found on sport-touring bikes: randonneur-style drop handlebars, squishy foam grips, stem-mounted long-throw friction shifters, alloy "safety-levers" (actually not very safe), non-aero brake levers, a wide 'anatomic' saddle with a thick weatherproof plastic cover, integrated chain guard, clamp-on cable stops, removable derailleur hanger, horizontal dropouts, fender eyelets and a Greenfield cast aluminum kickstand.

A Bargain at Twice the Price

This Ross sport/touring bike was given to me by my friend Robb, who didn't want it. Robb had saved it from the dumpster a few years prior, and then I saved it from the dumpster again. (See what I mean? Nobody wants these bikes.)

Robb was all set to buy a mountain bike. I tried to talk him into keeping the Ross (even before I discovered just how nice it was); but he had strong reasons for wanting what he wanted. Hey, I've been there. He didn't want an utterly unsexy, squishy-gripped, girly-looking, drop-bar-n-safety-levers, 15+ year old bike. He wanted a shiny new macho, sexy, black-on-black, aggressive knobbies, point-n-shoot, click-shifting, lotsa attitude mountain bike. And that's what he bought. I originally accepted the Ross bike from him thinking I would give it to a friend in need; but then I got to looking at the darned thing, and realized that I might want to hang onto it after all.

A New-Found Appreciation

After adjusting the saddle height (very important), I found that the Ross fit me quite well. After a few minor adjustments, I took it out for a little spin. It felt light when riding, and fast. The Sugino alloy cotterless cranks were plenty stiff. The stem-mounted shifters gently guided the chain from gear to gear perfectly, occasionally needing a little trimming to adjust-out a bit of chain chatter. The Gran Tour handled beautifully, even with the narrow handlebars that were popular back then. Riding 'no-hands' was a cinch. There wasn't a rattle or squeak on the bike. Everything was tight, even though it had been sitting in a garage for 5 years. I hadn't done a thing to it except clean the dust off of it. The bike was still shiny, with very few nicks in the paint. After a few rides, I really began to like this old bike. I found myself opting for the Ross instead of my high-zoot carbon fiber mountain bike for more and more riding situations.

Like many cyclists, I had once been prejudiced against sport touring bikes; but I started to realize why they had once been so very popular. I came to appreciate the simple function of the integrated chainguard, which did a good job of keeping my pant legs from getting greasy, and kept my shoestrings from getting eaten by the chainrings. The stem-mounted friction shifters were smooth as silk, and much more conveniently located for city riding than downtube-mounted shifters. I started calling them "garage sale STI" or "poor man's STI.". Even the Avocet plastic-covered anatomic saddle was very comfy - having a little 'dip' in the middle like popular anatomicl/ergonomic saddles being touted nowadays (the old is new again). I found myself riding without padded shorts, and having no soreness at all even on long rides. I began to feel a bit foolish about having tortured myself for years on butt-wedge cutaway saddles.

Practical, Yet Fun

At the end of the day, what really matters is which bike am I really going to ride? Which one is practical, and yet fun? Which bike will I ride to go get groceries or return my videotapes? Which one will I ride around the pretty neighborhoods with my wife and with friends who come to visit?

They're just good bikes - all around. I can return books to the library and stop at the post office on the way. Oops - I forgot my lock. That's OK. Who's going to steal this thing anyway? Think about what a stress reducer that would be: No longer worrying about your bike getting stolen!

What's Not To Like?

If you want to get into cycling for fun, exercise and transportation, without spending a lot of money, you can't go wrong buying a good old sport touring bike. The price is unbeatable. They're fun and comfortable to ride. You won't have to worry too much about bike theft. They'll last forever. What's not to like? Isn't that really what you're looking for? Try one and see for yourself.

<=BCS=>

2003 Update: The US bike market has changed quite a bit since I wrote this article in 1997. The new "fitness bike" category is particularly interesting. They offer many of the benefits of sport touring bikes, hybrids and road (racing) bikes in one versatile design. They look like sport touring bikes with flat handlebars - and that's what many of them are. Bike designers must have taken a look at all of the good old sport touring bikes that people have been converting to flat-handlebar commuters for decades, and decided it was time to provide such a bike to their customers. I heartily applaud this very smart move, and hope to see even more practical, commuter-oriented bike designs in the future.