One tour mountain bike that I bought in Malaysia.

A mountain bike that I bought in Malaysia.

This is the kind of bike I use for tour cycling. I write this because many people have asked me that question.

I prefer mountain bikes for tour cycling.

A mountain bike is easy to fix.

A mountain bike is easy to fix.

Even if I am af road cyclist, I prefer a mountain bike for tour cycling. This is simply because they do not break as often as other bikes do.

And because a mountain bike is easier to repair.

I know that I could also use a specific tour bike, but I kind of like to have fairly fat wheels, as I am often cycling in countries with a rough road surface. Specialised tour bikes are often quite expensive.

My Brazilian mountain bike on a beach in Bahia.

My Brazilian mountain bike on a beach in Bahia in Brazil.

I ride bikes that are not too expensive.

Cycling with another locally purchased bike.

Cycling with another locally purchased bike.

When I am tour cycling, I prefer to ride bikes that are not too expensive.

I don’t want to worry too much about getting my bike stolen.

It’s nice to sometimes leave a bike behind. For instance if I am returning on an airline that wants a lot of money to transport my bike. Of course, I am not buying the cheapest crap from the Walmart kind of places. Cause I do not like a bike that falls apart.

Mid range priced mountain bikes can easily do 2-3 long trips of 2000-3000 kilometers before they start to be worn down.

 

Buy a mountain bike locally.

I have bought a bike locally several times, in countries likeBrazil, Malaysia, The Philippines and Vietnam.

I have taken these bikes for tours of several thousand kilometers. In the 4 countries I mentioned, I paid less than 300$ for the bike. I never had any major problems with these bikes. The XDS mountain bike I bought in Malaysia for 275$ actually took me more than 10 000 kilometers through countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Norway. In the end it was stolen upon my return to Denmark.

Buying a bike locally saves me the hassle of transporting a bike to the country where I will be cycling. So I often buy a bike locally. Especially if I fly with an airline that charges extra for sports equipment.

Not all airlines charge for bicycles by the way. I am flying to India next week with Qatar Airways and I get the bike on the plane there for free. That bike is actually the one that I bought in Brazil last summer for just over 300$.

Cycling the Philippines.

Tour cycling the Philippines.

My bike is not a prestige symbol. It’s not my girlfriend either.

I sleep with mu mountain bike, but it's not my girlfriend.

I sleep with my mountain bike, but it’s not my girlfriend.

I know that some people almost treat their bike as their girlfriend. Give it a name and so on. They often hang it on the wall when it can not ride anymore.

I do not do that.

First of all because I travel 365 days a year and do not have a home. For me a bike is just something for transport and not a prestige symbol. I actually think it’s kind of funny when I meet cyclists on bikes that cost several thousand dollars, who have cycled far less than I have, even if I am usually younger than them too.

Now, I do not mean to talk bad about people who ride different types of bikes than I do. I just put down what I ride and why I ride the kind of bike I do, because a few people have asked me to do so.

If you would like to learn how I fly with my bike, when that is needed, then I have a blogpost about that on this link.

Happy cycling to everyone 🙂

Claus.

Take it easy and cycle the globe.

Take it easy and cycle the globe.

13 Comments

  1. Hi Claus,

    I would like to buy a local bike when traveling,
    but I like to ride my own bike for one reason, size!
    I am 190cm tall, and it can be sometimes difficult to find the right frame size,
    when traveling in Asia.
    I use a 26″ foldable mountan bike with ballon tires, works perfect for me and it wasn’t expensive.
    maybe my next bike will be even a 24″ tire size bike, for making it easier to take it on a bus from time to time.

    Have always a safe ride,

    Erik Neu from Germany

  2. Bala Karunamurthy

    Hi Claus, As said early, I will be cycling in the eastern ghats from mid Dec to mid Jan. If possible, please let me know if your intendented route covers any part of south India? It would be great to meet you. Cheers, Bala.

  3. I also prefer mountain bike when touring because I never know where the trail will lead me. Last time I went with Gravity FSX 1.0. This is not one of those cheaply-made full suspension bikes you see at big box stores. Brand name components, an acceptable weight, and a smart design and aesthetic make the FSX 1.0 one of the best bike values, regardless of type. And I agree that you don’t have to empty your savings to purchase a higher-end mountain bike, you can find a surprising amount of bikes that look and ride similar to competitive bikes just below 500$.

  4. Hi Claus

    I do cycling for the multi-day tour with my friends on vacation.Most of my friends use the expensive bikes like Trek, Bianchi etc. But for me, the Diamondback Overdrive series is enough.It’s not too expensive & also sturdy like any other expensive bikes to go for long rides. You also surprised to know that the Overdrive series comes under 500 bucks. Which is a great deal for a college student like me.

  5. Road bike is my first choice then I use mountain bike as a second choice. I think Schwinn brand is good for me. They are durable and comes with reasonable price.

  6. A mountain bike is going to be great for touring off-road, obviously, or overseas where 26″ wheels are far more commonly found than 700C. So if you’re going on a world tour, a mountain bike can be a great choice – though you want to make sure any suspension system you have is reliable, since it’s one more thing to go wrong in the middle of nowhere.

  7. Primarily road bike is great for this type of multi day tour or long tour, But if the terrain is unpaved or hilly terrain then you should choose any hardtail mountain bike that is durable. For instance I can recommend you killer hardtail from Diamondback mountain bike series which are solid bike under 1000 bucks. Happy Pedaling!

  8. I also favor a mountain bike when touring because I nevermore know where the trail will lead me. Last time I went with Diamondback Overdrive 29er. This is not one of those cheap-made full suspension bikes you see at big box stores.

    Brand name components, a pleasant weight, and smart design and aesthetic make the Diamondback Overdrive 29er one of the affordable bike values, regardless of type.

    And I accept that you don’t have to empty your profits to purchase an entry-level mountain bike, you can find a surprising amount of bikes that look and ride related to competitive bikes just below 1000$.

  9. Personally I prefer road bikes for riding on smooth terrain, but if the terrain is not like that or bouncy I recommend only mountain bike that can withstand strongly in this type of rough terrain.

    MTBs over 1000 dollars are great bikes you can rely on for tough terrain. Thanks!

  10. Tour on cycling is the best activity. I really enjoy while travelling on my cycle. So peaceful and amazing experience for me as well as for all cycle lovers. Thank you for sharing this wonderful article.

  11. I always wanted to travel whole USA on my bike and enjoy all the views.

  12. I love cycling. I am using a wonderful bike since 2015.

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