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Every cyclist knows that the number of bikes they need can be determined by the formula ‘n+1’ where ‘n’ is the number of bikes currently owned. It is therefore entirely unthinkable that I might tackle cycling the length of the country without a new steed to take the strain. After all, an expedition of that magnitude requires a touring bike and nothing in the garage quite fits the bill. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I set about doing some pretty extensive research guided by two simple principles: buy British (because of the strong touring heritage) and buy from a local, independent bike shop. It didn’t take much research to determine that my principles were somewhat flawed. I discovered that all but bespoke high-end bikes are manufactured in a small number of very large, multi-brand Far East factories so the closest you get to ‘buying British’ is to buy a bike designed in the UK (much as the iPhone is proudly designed in California). I also made the painful discovery that independent local bike shops aren’t necessarily better. I went to several and was generally treated fairly poorly by people who reverted to the Internet to answer my questions. They also invariably had nothing in stock to actually show me and they were unable to offer much in the way of discount or finance options. It was with a feeling of distinct unseemliness that I found myself in Evans Cycles….

When it came to researching the bike I learned a lot very quickly. I found the best source of information was cycle forums and independent bike reviews. I discovered that weight is far less important than when buying a traditional road bike; after all, the plan is to strap panniers on so what is the point of saving 700g on the frame? In the world of bike buying this is a really liberating realisation. It means that there is no need to worry about all that carbon nonsense, which in turn means that a fairly high spec bike is much more affordable than a true road bike equivalent. And there is the added advantage that steel makes for a much more comfortable frame. I then set about finding a bike with as many of the classic touring features as possible within budget (max £1500). Ultimately I settled on the Ridgeback Panorama. It offered everything I needed: comfortable geometry, big gears (for getting up hills with weight), big disc brakes (for getting down hills with weight), resilient components and a rear pannier rack. I had chosen my weapon!

After the disappointment of the independent bike shops my experience at Evans Cycles in Cheltenham couldn’t have been more different. A very friendly and extremely knowledgeable assistant called Craig spent literally hours with me going through the finer details of the bike to confirm my choice was right. Evans also offered a finance option – interest free for 2 years (although I did have to buy some much needed accessories to get the total price up to £2000 to take full advantage of the deal!) It isn’t how I expected it would happen but I can’t recommend Evans Cycles highly enough.

So I’m now the proud owner of a touring bike. There can be no excuses now – I better get training!