Hi everyone, I want to go on a trip of around 6000 kilometers through Europe. The problem is that I am from Costa Rica, and here there is no access to touring bikes. However, I found a CUBE bike dealer. This brand makes a model called Kathmandu that seems to be their touring bike. But the frame is made of aluminum, and as part of my research for my trip I have read that steel or chromoly is best.
Luggage would be limited to what was necessary: a tent, a stove, a few clothes, food, water and a few other things.
Would you think this trip would be feasible with an aluminum frame?
And if you have any recommendations or advice I would really appreciate it.🚴👍
by iwnlCracker
6 Comments
I did 4000 km fully packed on my aluminium frame this year, you’ll be fine.
The bike is perfectly capable of getting you through this; aluminium is really no “issue” at all. But I wouldn’t advise to choose a specific “Trekking/touring bike” just because you are touring with it. Choose a bike you’re having fun riding on; if it is a trekking bike with front suspension as you suggested, take it, but if you want a more agile ride a gravel or road bike might be the better pick for you.
Aluminum isn’t really problematic.
Another thought -> you can certainly buy a bike in Europe, and likely cheaper, though it would take you time to find one and get all the parts sorted that you might need versus doing that from home.
Y x si se te ocurre pasar por Zurich podes guardar mi contacto y si necesitas algo o donde hospedar aqui estamos 🙂
No need to fear aluminium. Plenty of bike shops here and good train connection so you won’t be stranded in the extremely unlikely case the frame breaks. (Which it won’t!)
People want steel when they go 1000s of km through sparsely populated areas where there are no bike shops and only hopefully some guy who can weld steel to fix their bike up again. It’s a stupid fear of aluminium.
There was a time when aluminum frames were too ofter breaking on such trip. This takes has passed. A new bike will do it’s job.
CroMoly Steel is in my opinion the most long lasting frame material and also has a smaller environmental impact than aluminum, but is definitely more expensive and less common nowadays.
I would consider to buy a bike without a suspension fork if you don’t need it. Those ones are not really long lasting.
I cannot reall answer your specific question but I have the 2023 version of the Kathmandu and it is a really comfortable bike.