Road Bikes
Our road bikes are a more varied crew. We have some frames from UK frame builder Graham Weigh, which use Reynolds 531 Touring tubing designed with a specific touring geometry.
We also have some French-bought Giant frames which are more pure-race shape, as well as some Trek road bikes.
In all cases the road bikes are now equipped with triple chainsets, some of them converted by The Chain Gang.
For many keen riders this is tantamount to treason, but I believe that once you've ridden a triple you'll never go back.
You never have to be frightened of hills again, just patient enough to cycle slowly up them in 1st gear!
Some of the bikes only have 21 gears due to restricted width of the rear stays, but most have 24 gears. The difference is frankly minimal.
Road bikes are pure delight on a decent road surface, much faster than either hybrids or mountain bikes. They can be more temperamental, and with thinner tyres are more prone to punctures.
But, again, with decent equipment throughout they can be maintained in a 'click, click, click' condition with very little difficulty. And 'click, click, click' on a road bike is far more exciting!
Road bikes can be used on all our French Bike Tours, but the ride can be a bit hard on tracks.
Many people think they are more prone to buckled wheels on an uneven surface, but with good quality rims this problem is minimised, and in any event your guide will true out a buckle in a few minutes.
They certainly suffer more punctures, especially if the tyre pressures - normally much higher than on hybrid or mountain bikes - are not maintained.
But as your guide will fix all your punctures anyway, why should you worry?
And there will always be a track pump waiting at the hotel to get the tyres back to adrenaline level again.