Touring Bikes

What is a touring bike?

Touring bikes are built for adventure. They’re designed to get the rider out and about, often to some of the most extreme parts of the globe.

What are the features of a touring bike?

Given what it needs to do, a touring bike will invariably come with thicker, tougher tyres for overcoming potentially rough terrain.

Expect a longer wheelbase, which will help deliver on more comfortable, cruisy style riding, but which will mean the bike’s manoeuvrability is not as fluid.

Racks and panniers are also an important touring bike feature. You might just need to fill them with a picnic for the day’s adventure, or you might be packing for a multi-week safari. Taking it to the next level, it is not uncommon for some touring bikes to feature trailers or a trailer carrying capacity. Say hello to serious touring!

Fenders, lights, and bigger-than-usual bidon cages are also common features for touring bikes.

Different types of touring bike

In the case of touring bikes, it is not one size fits all! You have options, and they include:

Road touring bikes

As the name suggests, these touring bikes are made for expeditions that take place mainly on sealed roads.

Sport touring bikes

This bike is the zippy option within the touring bike category. It is intended mainly for day use and therefore won’t have capacity to be packed up like a donkey!

Tandem touring bikes

Why fly solo when you can share the load? A tandem touring bike is a great option for two people who might not be at the same riding fitness (and one doesn’t want to either be held back or hold back the other). A tandem touring bike is also a terrific option if one of the two has some kind of physical impairment and could really benefit from the assistance of another rider.

Mixed terrain touring bikes

These are basically a hybrid bike – a mix between road and mountain. These bikes usually come with low mountain bike gearing and they’ll have a fairly good carrying capacity as well.