Articles about touring bicycles:
Rodriguez UTB Touring Bicycles - from $2,699
Available as a frame only from $1,449
Rugged, Utility, Touring, Travel, Adventure...
The Rodriguez W2 Adventure was originally designed and named for Adventure Cyclist and columnist Willie Weir, but its rugged construction and versatility quickly earned it the nickname Ultimate Touring Bike (or UTB). 26" mountain bike wheels and durable construction coupled with the Rodriguez custom approach to bike building has made this Rodriguez a standard in the industry for the 'go everywhere' traveler and the best value on a bicycle in this class. The UTB is priced similar to heavier, lower quality bikes made overseas.
Don't be fooled by imitations. Since 1996 when we built Willie Weir's first UTB, we've seen several companies try to copy this bike. The Rodriguez UTB is ready to conquer any terrain your heart desires. It is rugged, well-designed and with the Travel Option ($700) can pack easily into a 26" X 26" suitcase for airline travel.
Our UTB uses ISO compliant parts, so you'll be able to have it repaired for years to come. Can you believe that some manufacturers are actually using
proprietary parts on touring bikes?
Fat Tires
The Rodriguez UTB can run wide tires. Up to 1.75" wide ATB tires with fenders, or a full 2" tire without fenders. The new Extreme Journey model can handle full 2" ATB tires with fenders! Wow! That's really wide tires!
Still not convinced? Boy, you're a hard sell. I'll have to let you read what some of our UTB customers have to say as they describe some of the amazing adventures that they've had with their Rodriguez UTB's. That's a lot more fun than reading my junk anyway.
Take it with you
This bike used to come standard equipped with our travel option. Over the years, lots of our customers have requested a UTB without couplings. They wanted the ruggedness, and the ability to install really fat tires, or mountain bike tires for off-road, but didn't need the travel option that the UTB came standard with. For the person who really wants a commuting/touring bike that isn't afraid of
any terrain, the UTB is the best choice. If you do add S&S couplers, the UTB becomes the most convenient full sized model avalable today with the ability to pack into a 26" x 26" suitcase. For these reasons, the UTB is still our number one choice of the 'go everywhere' bicycle traveller.
How is the UTB different than the Rodriguez Adventure classic Touring bike?
The UTB uses 26" wheels instead of 700c, and the frame is built wider to enable the owner to install mountain bike tires if needed. The UTB also uses a heavier fork. Those are the main differences.
26" wheels provide two big advantages for the go-anywhere cyclist:- Rugged or really wide tires:
Some people like the ability to install real mountain bike tires or really wide tires on their commuting/touring bikes. 26" wheels make this possible. - Super Portability!:
If you travel with your touring bike and choose our travel option, the 26" wheels make packing the bike WAY easier. If you'd like to see how much easier, read this. - Journey Designed
Choose the UTB Journey model for super frame strength. This model, introduced in 2014, is actually built using several of our Rodriguez tandem tubes for those traveling with extreme amounts of weight on the bike.
