best touring/everyday use frame

[finnlong]

What are peoples opinions on the best touring/everyday use frame/complete bike.
Want to be able to tour but also want to be able to go when i need to.

[oneder]

CX bikes fit that bill pretty well. Do it all geometry, fits nicely between a road and touring bike with the ability to run 23-32/38 tires.

[kulivontot]

CX bikes are good fit, so long as you don't mind messing with cantilever brakes. Otherwise, just look for wide tire clearances and rack/fender mounts. Long chainstays help you from whacking your rear bags with your heel.

[Powerful Pete]

Another vote for CX bikes. My choice is a Kona Jake the Snake... don't know if it is the best touring/commuting frame out there, but it is solid (if a bit heavy) and does its job quite well.

[rustychain]

Best??? If you want the best go custom. Independent Fabrication is an option, one of many.

[Camilo]

I picked up a decent alloy cross frame and set it up as a commuter and am very happy with it. Nice wide tires (I'm using smooth 32mm tires, it could take bigger), fenders and a rack. Very very smooth and comfortable. Although it's 5-6 pounds more than my semi-ww bike but is just as much fun to ride because it's so well suited for its purpose on rough gravel and pavement. Yes the route is hilly too, and I just don't feel the weight penalty as much as I thought I would.

It's kind of nice having a bike where I just put components on it without giving a minute's thought to weight!

[Camilo]

CX bikes are good fit, so long as you don't mind messing with cantilever brakes. Otherwise, just look for wide tire clearances and rack/fender mounts. Long chainstays help you from whacking your rear bags with your heel.

I'm using V brakes on my CX-commuter type bike. I find them very easy to adjust, fwiw. I've heard there's mud clearance issues (??) with them vs. cantis but I wouldn't know since I just use the bike on gravel roads, light trail use and pavement.

Like he said, there are features that make the frame more suitable for touring and/or commuting, and not all cross frames have them. For example, some more hard core racing frames lack fender/rack eyelets and even water bottle mounting bosses. Those things can be fixed with add-on stuff, P clamps, zip ties, etc. but why not choose one set up for what you want to put on it? There's a lot of excellent options.

[psycling]

What about a Co-Motion Americano? Excellent touring frame that can handle fenders and loads. Would work well as an everyday bike too for hauling stuff around town or just getting to work. As a bonus, custom geometry is available...

[YoKaiser]

Salsa Ti Fargo is a nice choice.