Touring
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Get what you pay for?
Trying a touring bike for the first time? Should you spend $3000 or will a $1000 bike do? Craig Garrett tests the Mongoose Randonneur and the Cannondale T2000
This article first appeared in Ride On December 2005 - January 2006 issue.
You’ve been getting about on a mountain bike or a hybrid. But lately you’ve been flicking through travel books and planning the big tour. There’s a range of brands out there and a range of prices. But how do you know what’s for you? If you spend more, are you going to get a bike that will serve your needs any better?
Personally, I’ve always gotten around on my mountain bike. So I jumped at the chance to take two touring-specific machines for a spin. The first model is the more economical Mongoose Randonneur provided by Ivanhoe Cycles, the second, the higher-end Cannondale T2000 from St Kilda Cycles.
Before we take a look at each model, I have to stress the importance of getting correctly fitted for any bike you’re looking to buy. Spend time talking to the bike shop staff and take the bikes out for a 10- or 20-minute ride.
Mongoose Randonneur
| Frame | 6061 alloy touring |
| Fork | 6061 alloy touring |
| Bars | Ritchey BioMax |
| Stem | Ritchey Comp |
| Levers | Shimano Sora STI 24 speed |
| Brakes | Avid Shorty 4 cantilever |
| Crankset | Shimano Sora Triple 52/42/30, sealed bottom bracket bearings |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano Sora |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano Deore |
| Rims | Alex Adventurer, black, 36 hole |
| Saddle | WTB Speed V Comp |
| Seat Post | Alloy adjustable suspension |
| Tyres | Hutchinson Globetrotter |
| Sizes | S (17”) M (19”) L (21”) XL (23”) XXL (frame only, 25”) |
| Price | rrp $1000 (at time of printing) |
The frame and fork are touring specific, built to take the weight of loaded back and front panniers. The frame has bosses for attachment of a rear rack and for three water bottle holders (including space for a large-sized holder). The forks have mudguard eyelets and ‘low-rider’ front rack bosses.
The frame’s geometry handles different road and weather conditions well. It is light for a steel touring frame and will get you from A to B on a long tour, can handle a bit of low-level off-road riding and it is zippy in traffic for commuting.
The Randonneur comes equipped with entry-level Shimano Sora STI 24 speed integrated brake and gear levers, which, though they may take a little while for first-time users to get used to, soon become intuitive. They are simple: the large lever moves the chain towards the large cog or chainring, and the small thumb button moves the chain to the small cogs/chainrings (on both front and back gears).
The bike is built low and with drop handlebars your position is fairly aggressive. However, the handlebars are designed for at least four different positions: on the cross bar or ‘tops’ of the bars; on the brake lever ‘hoods’; and in two positions on the ‘drops’ or ‘hooks’ of the bars, either up the front on the curve or down on the end. The result is that on long rides you can give your arms, shoulders and back a bit of variety.
Also important for long rides is a good saddle. The Randonneur saddle has gel padding and a compact shape: good for long sessions of sitting down. The seat post has suspension, which damps out unpleasant and fatiguing vibration.
If, like me, you don’t use drop bars regularly, you may find the ride a little harsh through your arms. I felt I needed my hands on the hoods most of the time for quick gear changes and strong braking but I found this position meant I felt a lot of the bumps in my wrists and arms.
I didn’t test the bike with a full load, but for an entry-level touring bike at around $1000 you’re getting value for money. It’s light and responsive, but sturdy and designed to carry touring loads. It is also worth noting that the Randonneur is available in an XXL frame size for people 6’4” and above.
Cannondale T2000
| Frame | CAAD3 Aluminium Alloy Touring |
| Fork | TIG-welded Cro-Moly, 1 1/8" |
| Levers | Shimano Ultegra 27 speed |
| Brakes | Tektro Oryx with Cannondale B-levers |
| Crankset | TruVativ Firex SL 48/38/28, with TruVativ ISIS Gigapipe SL bottom bracket bearings |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano 105 |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano XT |
| Rims | Mavic T519 36 hole |
| Tyres | Continental TravelContact 700 x 37c |
| Saddle | Selle Royal Look-In |
| Seat Post | Cannondale Competition |
| Sizes | S, M, L, X, J |
| Price | rrp $2700 |
After my positive experience with the Randonneur, it was with some excitement that I jumped on the $3000 Cannondale T2000. The Cannondale’s frame is handmade in the US, traditionally a sign of high quality. I guess I figured it might be three times better!
I took it on a 112 km Audax ride up some fairly steep summits (and some fast descents), along potholed roads and through rain, hail and shine. Again, this bike is solid. It’s lighter than the Randonneur but you know it’ll go however far you need to go and carry however much you need to carry.
The first test was a 9km summit. As with the Randonneur, the Cannondale responded directly to my pedalling and made the climb almost enjoyable. However, I found the Cannondale to be a little twitchy on the downhills. This could be because it is lighter than the Randonneur or because the Randonneur’s more relaxed geometry and riding position felt a bit more comfortable to me than the Cannondale’s.
I was able to find good hand positions for strong braking and fast gear changes (the Shimano Ultegra STI levers are smooth), but despite the Cannondale’s responsiveness it still felt like it had less of a hold on the road. In its defence, we had rain and hail, and the road was more pothole than road in some places, but the Cannondale handled it all.
Again it’s a low bike with drop bars and its lowness keeps you in an aggressive riding position, even if you’re sitting up with your hands on the top of the bars. This may take a bit of getting used to and may be a problem for long touring if you do get sore in the arms and shoulders.
The bike comes with Wellgo dual-function pedals, so one side accepts a cleat attached to a dedicated cycling shoe and the other can accommodate walking shoes, with or without toe clips. I rode in normal shoes using toe clips and didn’t have a problem, but it may be worthwhile adding the cost of riding shoes into your budget.
The verdict?
Overall, these bikes were similar but I liked the Randonneur better – an interesting point when trying to decide how much to spend.Before the test I wanted to see what sort of difference $2000 makes. What I found was that the Cannondale came up lighter and had components with higher spec but the Randonneur was a better fit and feel for me.
The Randonneur frame geometry put my arms, shoulders, back and (importantly) my knees in a much better riding position and I would be happy to carry the extra weight if it meant feeling like I was a bit more connected to the road.
And the verdict is: it’s not always the more expensive bike that will be the best suited for your needs.