Can my bike deal with touring?

Question

I've got a 5 year old Shogun Trail Breaker 3 that hasn't been ridden much and is in good condition. I was thinking of doing a 3 month cycling tour in Europe this winter, and was wondering if this bike will be able to support full panniers for such a trip... A clarification: It DOESN'T have suspension forks, but the tires are extremely wide...

Answer 1

The bike will stand up to it just fine.  The real question? Will you.....

If your bike hasn't been ridden much, then you're not exactly in shape for a three month tour.

Aside from that, you're giving up a lot of speed and efficiency to the other riders who will likely be on touring bikes.  You'll be struggling to hang onto the back of the pack.  

Answer 2

This bike wouldn't be my first pick for doing a cross country tour.  It should, however, get the job done.

Here are the issue:

1. Long rides with a flat mountain bike handlebar are tiring.  Touring bikes usually use drop handlebars which give you more hand positions to help alleviate fatigue.

2. You are likely to spin out the gears on long down hill runs.  On the plus side, of course, you have plenty of climbing gears.

3. Touring bikes usually have a very long wheelbase to provide a stable, comfortable ride.  A mountain bike usually has a pretty short wheelbase for improved maneuverability.  Thus, you may feel somewhat beat up on long rides.

4. If you bike is equipped with knobby tires you'll want to put slick, road tires on.

5. Touring bikes are built with lots of braise on fittings to mount racks and fenders.  You'll probably need to use clamp on racks on this bike.

Hope this helps.