The confusing search for the perfect bicycle

As usual, I over-analyze and over-research everything, and finding bicycles for Joan and me was no exception.

If my idea of a perfect bike was my Schwinn Varsity Sport (without the tonnage) or the Motobecane (without the French hardware), my task was simple: I just needed to find a lightweight bicycle with similar geometry.
This image shows just a few of the dimensions that make a bicycle—that is, how it rides, handles, performs, climbs, steers, and tracks. Throw in the material (steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, bamboo) and you get even more variables.

Bicycle geometry

What is a touring bicycle?
It's a bicycle built for longer rides, usually carrying much more than the rider and a few tools. It should be:

• strong
• comfortable and easy to ride (hour after hour, day after day)
• repairable (in the middle of nowhere)
• reliable

This short list excludes almost every single bicycle manufactured today.
First, it must be strong. Well, aluminum and carbon fiber are strong, but not easily repairable. Both types are reliable until something happens to the frame. Just try to repair aluminum or carbon fiber in the middle of South Georgia.
And both types of frames are fairly stiff, perfect for racing, cyclocross, and a myriad of other things people do with bicycles.

Steel is the answer
Yup, steel is the old standby—the material that was used for a century or more—for just about every bicycle. Yes, it's heavy, but when you're thinking about carrying 40 or 50 pounds, the bike's weight is not so important.
Steels flexes a bit and gives you a smooth, solid ride that absorbs shocks without breaking. And steel can be repaired almost anywhere you can find a farm or a shade-tree mechanic with a cheap welder.

Back in 1976, I was decked out for a winter trip with my custom bicycle (steel, of course) and supplies for a week: clothing, tent, food, maps, sleeping bag, ground cushion, spare tube, tire patches, tools, and of course, a camera.

Whether the bike weighs 18 pounds or 28 pounds, it's not quite as big a deal if you're hauling 40 additional pounds. And these days, I'm almost twice the person I was then, so if weight is a real concern, I should lose a few pounds.

---

Next: Visiting some bicycle shops