Hi all,
I'm new to bikepacking and I am planning my first cycling trip in New Zealand, very excited about it. I got inspired by my parents who cycled from Europe to China 30 years ago and also cycled the whole of New Zealand.
For me it is going to be a mix of mostly sealed & gravel roads and occasionally some trail gravel roads.
I want to buy a second hand bicycle that is suitable for these roads and can also carry panniers with a weight of about 15-25 kg and I got some questions about it. I already did some research online but mostly what I could find involved new bikes and because it is my first trip I don't mind starting off with an older second hand bike.
Example: TREK Touring Series 520 (old model), frame is too big for me, this is just an example
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/sports/cycling/road-bikes/large-57cm-over/listing/2707225405- I am 179 cm, what frame size to I roughly need?
- How do I know if the second hand bike I see online is suitable for bikepacking? Because some of the bikes look like roadbikes (thin tires, racing handle bars ect.)
- How can I see/do I know if the bike is suitable, strong enough, for panniers?
- Does the frame type, steel or aluminium, matter? I'm planning on cycling for about 2/3 months.
- What type of tires are best suitable for the type of roads I want to ride on?
- What type of saddle do you recommend?
- Bikes that have thin tires, are those tires easily changeable to a bit wider tires?
- Tips I need to look out for when buying a second hand bike for bikepacking?
Thanks for the replies,
Niels
