Which touring bike??

[Sacha]

Hello all...I'm looking for some advice on touring bikes.  

I'm in the early stages of finding a bike to go touring through north and east Europe for a couple of months this year.  This will be my first proper trip, but I'm hoping to do much more in the future!  I've looked at the Thorn Brevet and Commutour (my budget is £700 max) but not sure on the differences between the two, or between model numbers.  Help!

So far the Dawes Galaxy has been highly and repeatedly recommended, but I've recently heard great things about Thorn.  I'm not sure which Thorn model would be suitable for my needs though.  Can you help??

Many thanks, Sacha [:I]

[Robin Thorn]

quote:Originally posted by Sacha

Hello all...I'm looking for some advice on touring bikes.  

I'm in the early stages of finding a bike to go touring through north and east Europe for a couple of months this year.  This will be my first proper trip, but I'm hoping to do much more in the future!  I've looked at the Thorn Brevet and Commutour (my budget is £700 max) but not sure on the differences between the two, or between model numbers.  Help!

So far the Dawes Galaxy has been highly and repeatedly recommended, but I've recently heard great things about Thorn.  I'm not sure which Thorn model would be suitable for my needs though.  Can you help??

Many thanks, Sacha [:I]

Hi Sacha
It's best to pose questions to us directly, not via the forum, as there's no guarantee we'll read them! Usually, a kind soul points questions out to us!

Regards
Robin
robin@sjscycles.com
01278 441522

[Chris Land]

With respect to the official advice you will get from Team-Thorn, it is worth asking the users.  The key question is really what you are going to use it for?  Are you camping, or hostelling/B&B?  Travelling solo or with a group/partner?  Planning to ride on good roads, or possibly venturing onto bridleways and rougher roads (I include Coventry city centre under this category!).

Given destination, 26" wheels seems a good starting point so a Thorn or an Orbit would look good.  If you're not in a rush, you can also start looking for a good second-hand bike which will get you more bike for your money.