Today, we're talking about the best touring bikes you can buy with their price factored in.
This is going to be a long video with a tonne of advice, so strap yourselves in.
We'll start by discussing the most important aspects of a touring bike.
We'll then go through each touring bike category, where I'll be revealing my picks.
The cool thing is that even if you don't like my picks, you can apply this knowledge to any
touring bike you're looking to buy - expensive, cheap, new or secondhand.
To arrive at this shortlist, I've narrowed down the 270
different models that are featured in my 2022 Touring Bicycle Buyer's Guide.
This book goes into way more detail than I possibly can in this video,
so if you're interested - find a link in the video description.
So, what criteria did I use to select these bikes?
The first thing I did was calculate the low climbing gear of every bike in my book. Low
climbing gears are important for bicycle touring as they allow you to ride up hills
at a sustainable effort with all of your luggage. When your climbing gear is too high,
you'll be working much harder than necessary,
which results in more muscle fatigue, and frankly, makes hills much less enjoyable.
To compare the lowest climbing gear on different touring bikes,
we'll be using a unit of measurement called "gear inches". This is the diameter of the wheel, times
the size of the front chainring, and divided by the size of the rear cog. With this information,
we can compare bikes with different wheel sizes, tire widths, and drivetrain setups.
I'm looking for 20 gear inches or less for paved roads,
and less than 18 gear inches for dirt roads. But really, the lower the better.
Don't worry about the fact we're using inches as the unit. These numbers aren't ever converted,
and they are relative too. For example, a bike with an 18-inch gear will climb 10%
slower than a 20-inch gear, which means you'll either find the same hill easier,
or you can use this mechanical advantage to carry more goods.
I next assessed the frame geometry of each of these bikes. I'm looking for bikes that are long,
upright, and have the appropriate steering characteristics for the handlebar type.
More specifically, I'm looking for long chainstay and wheelbase lengths, a tall stack height up
front, and slower steering characteristics on the bikes that offer a higher steering leverage.
I then narrowed things down further by determining the bike's value for money.
As touring bikes have a pretty hard life, the price points I have chosen
are where you'll get the most reliability and performance for your money. These bikes
are almost always priced between US$1000 and US$2500. If these prices are still too high for
your budget, find an older version of these bikes second hand, and you'll never be disappointed.
Frame stiffness is another important consideration for a touring bike.
The majority of touring bikes support a front and rear load,
and your frame is the medium that needs to resist the twisting forces between these two
points. A bike that is not stiff enough will feel unstable and can more easily induce speed wobbles.
When it comes to the handling, stability, and general feel of a touring bike,
we want our frames to be as stiff as possible without weighing a tonne. An appropriately stiff
bike will use oversized frame tubes that make it feel very stable when it's all loaded up.
Due to the heavy loads and uneven road surfaces, touring bikes often benefit from wide tyres.
Narrow tyres work well on smooth roads, but the reality is that there is very little speed
penalty to using a wide slick, which you'll find is more comfortable and will take you
on more varied terrain. The optimal tyre with fender clearance for most on-road touring bikes
is around 50mm or 2.0". This configuration allows you to fit narrower tires on the smooth tarmac,
but also switch to 2.2" mountain bike tyres if you find yourself on dirt roads. If you're riding
exclusively on dirt roads, you'll find tires wider than 2.2 inches to be the best option.
And lastly, I've prioritized bikes with kickstand mounts. It's crazy how many touring
bikes don't even have the option of fitting a kickstand. My kickstand is just 250 grams,
and I use it dozens of times per day. That's whenever I pack my bike,
resupply at the shops, take a photo, or maintain my bike.
One last note. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the bicycle supply chain,
and there is also unprecedented demand for bikes. This means you'll likely have to
wait a while for these bikes after ordering - some more than others.
Let's start with the long distance touring bike category.
Long distance touring bikes are optimized to carry heavy loads on a mix of road surfaces,
however, they specialize in smoother surfaces.
This is the kind of bike suitable for cycling around the world on primary or secondary roads.
My dropbar touring bike pick for 2022 is the Masi Giramondo. This bike stands out
thanks to its price, which surprisingly went down recently. The steel Giramondo
offers a great climbing gear of 18 gear inches, which is 14%
lower than the average bike in this category. You'll find a generous 50mm tire clearance,
long chainstays, bombproof bar-end shifters, and excellent TRP mechanical disc brakes.
When you consider that this bike comes with Tubus steel racks valued at US$250 dollars,
it's even more of a bargain. If you haven't heard of Tubus racks, these are the best
in the business. I've never broken one, but in the unlikely event that you do,
Tubus will send you a replacement, free of charge, anywhere in the world, for the first three years.
With popular mass-produced touring bikes like the Kona Sutra now cracking the US$2000 mark,
this makes the slightly more expensive but USA manufactured Co-Motion Deschutes
a very appealing option. The Deschutes features larger diameter tubes than almost every steel
bike available, which results in one of the stiffest steel touring bikes.
Even when it's loaded to the brim, you can expect this bike to handle very well.
The quality of drivetrain parts is better than most bikes in this category too. It's fitted
with high performing Shimano 105 shifters that are hooked up to an 11-speed mountain bike derailleur.
This allows the fitment of a larger cassette to yield the 20-inch climbing gear.
Moving on to flatbar bikes, the Riverside Touring 900 made it onto this list
thanks to its exceptional price point. This tourer is fully decked out, ready to go. It has racks,
fenders, pedal power dynamo lights, an ever-popular Brooks B17 saddle,
ultra-tough Schwalbe touring tires, and a full Shimano XT groupset, which is about as good as
it gets. You can even charge your electronics from the front dynamo wheel using the USB
charger conveniently located in the steerer tube. Independent testing suggests that the Cycle2Charge
unit performs quite well at 20km per hour too. The Riverside frame offers long chainstays, the
steering speed is suitable for a flat-bar bike, and the climbing gear is under 20 gear inches.
Speaking of value, I still cannot get past the Cube Travel. This bike is more capable
than many touring bikes on a mix of surfaces as it has 29 x 2.2" tyre clearance with fenders.
The climbing gear could be better, but you can always improve that yourself
by fitting a cassette with a 36 tooth cog. The Cube Travel comes with a lot of great features,
including a rear rack, kickstand, Shimano 27 speed groupset, hydraulic brakes,
and even a dynamo hub and light set. The frame is available in five sizes ,and there are
an additional three step-through frames if you fancy something easier to get on and off.
If you're after a top tier frameset without the top-tier price, I don't think you can do better
than the KOGA WorldTraveller. These frames are incredibly stiff laterally, which allows them
to handle very heavy loads with grace. There is fully-guided internal cable routing inside
the frame, super smooth welds, a steering limiter to prevent your front wheel from turning too far,
super long chainstays to maximize the ride stability, and an abrasion-resistant powder
coat paint job. The WorldTraveller comes with everything you need to set off around the world,
including super strong wheels, dynamo lights, Tubus racks, Schwalbe touring tyres, a Topeak
pump, and a low 20-inch climbing gear. You can choose between a step-through or a traditional
frame, which are both available in five sizes. If you wanted to do some off-road touring like me,
you can buy some rims in the 27.5" diameter and then fit some wide 2.6" tyres.
Let's now talk about trekking bikes. Trekking bikes are long distance touring bikes built around
a suspension fork. The fork adds comfort on rough dirt and cobblestone roads. The downsides are that
it's harder to fit a rack for front panniers, and the suspension fork requires regular maintenance.
The Rose Multisport 1 is a great bike at an exceptional price point. It has
a coil-sprung suspension fork up front, which works out a little heavier than an air fork,
but is less likely to experience problems on a long trip. You can lock the fork for
the smooth road sections to ensure you aren't wasting your pedal power. The 21" climbing gear
is decent for most touring applications, and the frame geometry is both upright and stable.
The Multisport has a Shimano Deore 30 speed groupset, dynamo lights, rear rack, fenders,
kickstand, lock, chain protector, and a suspension seatpost. It's a killer deal!
The next touring bike category is light touring bikes, which are also known as gravel or all-road
bikes. Light touring bikes are designed to be lighter and faster on smooth surfaces.
They aren't as bomb-proof as long distance touring bikes,
but will still comfortably handle 10kg of luggage or so.
At a touch over 10kg, the Kona Libre AL sheds more than 4kg compared to a dedicated touring bike.
What really draws me to the Kona Libre is the frame geometry. Most bikes in this category have
evolved from a race bike lineage, which results in a long reach to the bars, and a substantial
saddle-to-bar drop. This puts your body in a speedy ride position but tends to be less
comfortable over long distances. Touring is about enjoying the ride in comfort and discovering new
places, so I think more bikes in this category would benefit from being as relaxed and upright
as the Libre. An added benefit of a tall front end is that you put much less weight on your hands, so
you're unlikely to experience numb fingers after a long day. Plus you have better access to the
drop section of the drop bars, which means more powerful braking, and much better bike control.
The Libre has excellent tyre clearance, good hydraulic brakes, and all the mounts you need.
But there are two downsides to this bike. The climbing gear is high, so you might need to
swap in some new drivetrain parts, and the large seat post diameter will likely provide inadequate
comfort - so factor in a carbon seatpost or suspension seatpost. I have a comprehensive
video on suspension seatposts up here, and a carbon seatpost resource linked below.
If you're after something fast, lightweight, and with dynamo lights, fenders, and a rear rack - The
Focus Atlas is looking very good. This frame is the stiffest touring bike tested by Tour Magazine,
which is a good thing when it comes to a bike that's loaded with luggage. This bike comes with
37mm tyres as standard, however, will comfortably fit 47mm tyres if you were to remove the fenders.
While the 24" gear is a touch high by touring standards, keep in mind that this bike is designed
for tarmac roads and lighter loads. Should you feel like pushing the limits of the drivetrain,
the Shimano GRX rear derailleur that comes with the bike is known to handle cassettes
with much larger sprockets.The Atlas also wins my heart because it comes with a kickstand,
and there's also a flat bar version of this bike if that's what you prefer.
My light touring bike with flat bars pick is the Cube SL Road Pro. Like the Focus,
it's been fitted with all the touring accessories you need,
right down to the dynamo lights. It also features the same 24" climbing gear,
and 47mm tyre clearance without fenders. The reason I pick the Cube over the Focus is that the
value for money is next level on this bike. It is 400 euros cheaper with similar quality components.
Off-road touring is the last bike category. Off-road touring bikes
are essentially mountain bikes with tougher wheels, and provision for racks, fenders,
and extra water bottles. A key characteristic is the wide tyre clearance on offer.
The Brodie Mega Tour caught my attention for a few reasons.
The first thing was the price. Brodie is a Canadian company,
so when we convert to US dollars we end up with $1300, which is hyper-competitive in
this category. The next thing i noticed was the choice of a 2X drivetrain. While almost
every off-road touring bike has switched to a 1X drivetrain, Brodie opted for a front derailleur.
What's the advantage? Well, you get smaller jumps between each gear change,
which is especially handy on flat or rolling terrain where you can better fine-tune your
speed in accordance with your pedalling cadence (RPM). It can be more efficient too.
The Mega Tour has a low gear of 18", generous 29 x 2.6" tyre clearance, a swept-back handlebar,
Shimano hydraulic brakes, and there's even a kickstand mount out back. This is not only a
recipe for a great off-roader, but it could easily be a long distance touring bike with some slicks.
In the plus bike category with 3-inch wide tyres, I picked the Genesis Longitude. It just so happens
that this is another 2X bike, but I primarily picked it because it represents excellent value
for money. The climbing gear is 18 gear inches, however, you could easily replace the front
chainrings to achieve 16 gear inches, should you need. The frame is a bit taller than average and
is decked out with mounts. It's tough enough too. I know quite a few people who are currently or
have previously cycled across continents with this bike. If the idea of a 14-speed Rohloff hub piques
your interest, the Longitude also has horizontal dropouts that make it an appropriate fit.
Here is a new steel off-roader that's a great buy. The Panorama Taiga EXP has a carbon fork to keep
the weight down, but it will also accommodate a mountain bike suspension fork should you need.
The stats on this bike are great. There's 29 x 2.6" tire clearance, a 20 inch climbing gear,
a 52cm wide handlebar, and the ability to fit a Rohloff 14-speed gearbox hub and belt drivetrain.
To achieve the low climbing gear, a SRAM mtb 12-speed derailleur has been hooked up
to an interesting Gevenalle indexed shifter. These shifters are not particularly elegant,
but having used them previously, they're fast shifting and extra durable.
As you can see, the Taiga's frame geometry is super upright. This is so you can comfortably use
the drops for long periods of time, where you have the best access to the brakes. And when you use
the hoods or bar tops, you will have less pressure on your hands than a less upright bike. The frame
also features long chainstays to keep your front wheel planted on the steep climbs. The only thing
to note is that the Taiga is using a lightweight 28-spoke wheelset. If you weigh more than average,
or are carrying a heavy load, you will want to replace it with something much stronger.
I never expected a titanium bike to end up on a value for money bike list!
This is the On-One Rocky Road, which retails at £1300, but can sometimes be found for under £1000.
That's smack-bang in steel or aluminium bike price territory. By using titanium, On-One can build a
frame with the equivalent stiffness and strength of a steel frame, with an 850g weight saving.
But the modest weight reduction is not the reason I would buy a titanium bike.
It's the scratch and rust resistance that i like most. You can easily buff out any scratches
on the frame so that it looks as good as new. Interestingly, the head tube angle is quite steep
compared to modern mountain bikes, which results in a quick steering feel, and reduced wheel flop.
Given your front luggage weight slows the steering back down again, this is not a bad thing at all.
The bike comes with a carbon fork, hydraulic disc brakes, and a 1X drivetrain. As the SRAM
SX derailleurs are not known for their durability, I'd recommend upgrading it to an NX or GX model
if you're cycling anywhere remote. To round things out, the frame geometry is quite upright,
the maximum tyre width is 29 x 2.6" and the climbing gear is ideal at 17.5 gear inches.
That rounds out the best touring bikes for 2022 with price factored in. It was super
hard narrowing this list down to so few, but you can see all the other great models in my 2022
Touring Bicycle Buyer's Guide. In this book, you'll learn about all the important features
of a touring bike, and can then use the tools at the back of the book to compare over 270 different
bikes. It's updated yearly for free, so expect to get great value out of it for a long time.