Re: Using racing bike for touring

>     Thanks to everyone for your really useful suggestions and for
> letting me know about your experiences.  From your replies I can see
> that it might still be possible to tour on the (small) Giant OCR1
> compact road bike, maybe using the Old Man Mountain pannier system if
> it will fit.
>     Since posting my message I've found out that there's a Tifosi CK7
> Audax bike (with pannier system on) available. It has to be built up
> (approx 10kg in weight when built) and would work out at a similar
> price to the Giant (perhaps a bit more expensive).  This might be a
> good option for me as I'm in Ireland and the only touring bikes
> available here are Dawes.  I'm trying to avoid getting one of these as
> I'd like a bike with a more lively feel and one that is not going to
> put me too much over the 20kg weight allowance on planes.  (I'm also
> keen to continue using drop handlebars as I've been very happy with
> these on my old bike.)
>     Has anyone had any experience of touring on the Tifosi Audax bike
> that you could pass on?  Thanks again.  Yvonne

While I have no experience touring on the Tifosi Audax bike (I am sure
it is nice), I had met a few British ladies touring on Dawes Galaxys on
a few of my road tours.  They all seemed to be very happy with them, so
I assume they ride great.  

If you plan to choose a touring bike over a race bike, the lively feel
or effect may get unnoticed or muted once you loaded the bike down with
panniers.  A lot of people made reference that frame material
determines the lively feel of the bike.  In reality, it is the design
of the tubes, specifically butted tubes that will make other alloy
materials other than steel be - close to - steel compliant.  Aluminum
bikes (good ones) can be made to ride like a steel bike.  We are not
taking about what goes on sale in Wal-mart.  A true testament would be
7005 T-6 butted Aluminum touring bike which rides exactly the same as
my old stolen Miyata LT-1000 steel using similar rims and tires
unloaded.  The only difference between an aluminum bike and a steel
bike is stiffness.   It is this stiffness that makes my aluminum bike
shines more than my old steel bike when loaded, which is NOT the
function of the material but the way the tubing was constructed.  I can
feel that there's less twisting on the bottom bracket and less of a
feeling of fish tailing on the rear of my aluminum bike while towing
the BOB or loaded down with those big 47 L panniers.  It was flexy on
my Miyata LT-1000 as well as on my ex-Olmo Columbus Gara race bike.