Frame for a touring bike

[dobladov]

Hi, I started to learn about building my own bike with Chinese parts recently, so sorry if this post might be a bit basic.

So my questions are:

• What would be your choice of frame for a touring bike?
• Which components would you use?
• Do you have your own already? Show and tell a bit about it, please

I personally don't need the lightest or faster option but one that allows me to carry enough equipment without compromises and it's a comfortable ride, something like the Riverside Touring 900 would be my ideal choice.

Having the possibility to attach mudguards is also important as I live in a country where it often rains, and the bike will be also be my commuting bike to work.

Other optional but interesting configurations that I would like to hear about is the possibility to have a belt drive as it seem like a very durable option when going on long trips.

Thank you for expert advice.

[tripleDot]

I'm no expert but here are some things you get you going.

Belt drive is great but the initial budget can be pretty steep. You'll need a frame with either a break on the seatstay or an elevated chainstay. And there aren't that many off-the-shelf model to choose from with those options. But you can go Chinese custom built titanium frames. There are several discussions about that in the Metal Frames cathegory. Internal gear hubs (IGH) are recommended for belt drive and the good ones are pretty expensive.

Depending on the kind of touring you have in mind... I mean how heavy you want to carry. Frame & fork material will matter. If your stuff are heavy (you bring your shelter, bedroom, kitchen and fridge), you might want to go with steel or titanium but if it's a credit card tour (sleep in hotel and eat in restaurants) a carbon fiber frame can make your rides faster and more comfty. Depending on your choice here, you have the option of using frame bags or panniers or combination of both. So make sure you have gear boses on your frame and fork.

If you really want to go with belt drive, Rohloff IGH is the most reliable, you can check out Shimano's line too.

Most people like to have dropbars on their touring bike but if you're not one of them, you might want to check out alternative handlebars aside from straight and riser bars.

For Chinese parts, I can recommend Rockbros and Zitto, they're relatively cheap and more than decent in quality. And they got lots of bike parts and products for bikepacking and bike touring.

[dsveddy]

I'll say up-front I think it will be hard to beat the price for a Riverside touring 900, especially depending on where you live and what tariffs are like for you. If I pretend that decathlon was in the US and I paid the USD equivalent for the Euro price, I question if I could beat the price.

With that in mind, I would spec out the entire build--parts & prices--in a spreadsheet, before you buy a single thing. If you do this you might find that it's not worth it.

Now, I don't have any real touring experience, but I have put some serious thought into a touring/commuter build.

1) belt drive is probably off the table unless you get a custom frame.

2) If your reference is the Riverside, the most similar frame that is well-reviewed/vetted is the Seaboard GR02 (make sure you get the fork with bosses option). Seaboard also offers steel gravel/touring frames (CX01 and CX03). Darkrock is another company that seems to be focused on hardcore/remote touring, but only offers steel frames.

3) As far as groupset goes, if you want something reliable and tested, I'd say Shimano Deore-XT or CUES,  and perhaps skip the hydraulic brakes for cable actuated. If you want a dropbar groupset, microshift sword looks like a good option. In any case, I have a hard time recommending any Chinese groupset brands for shifting components because they don't really offer robust options that aren't 1x.

4) for extra parts, I can reccomend ZTTO, rockbros like tripleDot has, but I also can recommend UNO for bars/stems/seatposts. I can also recommend GOLDIX, ONIRII and ZRACE as general brands. For chainrings I can recommend DECKAS, Stone, and Pass Quest.