The Different Forms of Touring Bicycles and Their Uses

Touring bicycles are a special class of bicycles that are custom made for long distance bike tours. These bikes are distinctly different from ordinary bicycles because these are installed with special racks in the front and rear of the frame, which are equipped with greater luggage carrying capacity. Moreover, touring bikes also feature mudguard/fender mounting points, triple water bottle mounts and a long wheelbase with sturdy wheels, meant for bearing a heavy load.

The various types of touring bikes

You could get various types of touring bikes for different purposes, road, trail, tandem, recumbent and sport/touring bicycles being some of them. Here are some relevant details you would like to know about each one of them:

Road touring

The road tourer is the classic type of touring bicycle. It has characteristic frame geometry that ensures maximum stability, handling and comfort. You can enjoy provisions of attaching fenders and mounting points for panniers and carrier racks. The wheels of an average road touring bicycle measure 700C (622mm) and fitted with rims that have the same diameter as that of a racing bike.

But if you go for a special type of touring bike, you will see that its rims are much wider and contain greater clearance in the frame for wider tires. If you are a collector of vintage bikes, you can still find the 27-inch (630 mm) wheeled touring bikes popular in North America in the 80’s. In England, companies like Thron Cycles, Roberts and Hewitt used to manufacture 26-inch touring bikes that were designed for both on-road and off-road uses.

However, the 700C wheel touring bikes were found to be more advantageous because of their additional strength, readily available tires and portable light weight. You can get touring bikes in some other variations as well like the 26" (or 650C) wheeled bicycles that are hugely popular now and was used for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. These smaller wheels are different from the larger wheels in their rolling resistance, tread, air pressure and tire width.

Sport touring

These types of touring bikes are very lightweight and assembled with light wheels with narrow 25-28 mm (1 - 1.125-inch) tires. Its frame geometry can allow you greater relaxation, fast-handling and responsiveness. However, in these bikes, you cannot carry much besides yourself and a pocketbook. Its specialty is its mix of closely-spaced ratios for speed and a few small gears for long climbs. You could get certain models with provisions for mounting slim fenders and a rear carrier.

Recumbent touring

Recumbent bikes do not have their handlebars in the front but either above or below the seat. You have to sit in it with your legs in front. The provision of carrying a gear on the front wheel varies from one model to another.

Tandem touring

Tandem touring bikes are usually designed for carrying a couple but it is not suitable for carrying too much luggage. In spite of this limitation, it allows the two riders to share their pedaling capacities.