Road cycling has become a popular hobby and sporting activity. It’s a great form of exercise and provides a cleaner means of transportation that minimizes carbon emissions. Finding a comfortable bicycle is the first step to embarking on this fun activity.
Road bikes and touring bikes top the list for avid and casual cyclists. At a glimpse, the models appear similar, but they’re designed for different cycling uses. I prepared this guide to explain road bike vs touring bike in detail.
What Is a Road Bike?
A road bike is a bicycle designed for cycling at fast speeds on paved roads. It gets its name from the terrain it’s designed for—the road. Road bikes are lightweight as the frames are made from carbon fiber or aluminum. Some niche models have steel and titanium frames.
What Is a Touring Bike?
A touring bike is one designed for long-distance cycling on complex terrains. It’s sturdier and more robust than road bikes as it’s designed with some motorcycle equipment. Touring bikes have steel frames that provide smooth rides, even on rough terrains.
Road Bike vs Touring Bike
Road bikes and touring bikes are suitable for their respective operations. It’s essential to understand before buying either of them:
Touring vs Road Bike: Construction Material
The construction of a touring bike is designed to withstand significant stress and carry heavy gear. As such, steel is the most suitable material for making the bike’s frames. Steel frames are more comfortable because they provide a cushion for various body contact points like the bum, hands, and feet when riding on rough terrains.
Steel frames are also less likely to wear out, and if they do, it’s easy to repair them. A visit to the local welder is all I needed to tune-up the bike after a 1,000-mile long-distance trip.
Conversely, road bikes have lighter carbon or aluminum frames, making it easy to propel the bicycle at fast speeds. However, they aren’t easy to repair as touring bikes. Aluminum, titanium, or carbon fiber frames need specialized tools to repair, which aren’t readily available.
Touring Bikes vs Road Bikes: Weight
The heavy-duty steel frames used on touring bikes make them heavier than road bikes. Most of them weigh 12-15 kg. The premise for heavy-duty construction is to enhance comfort, durability, and stability when hauled with extra loads of luggage.
Road bikes, on the other hand, are lighter, weighing a mere 9-12 kg. The light construction helps riders cycle at high speeds and haul them over a bridge or up a flight of stairs.
Road Bike vs Touring Bike: Geometry
The overall touring bike geometry promotes comfort and ensures the body maintains an upright posture. The wheelbase is longer for better steering. The chainstay is also longer, which allows more clearance between the front axle and the rear axle.
However, the handlebar is closer to the saddle, which encouraged me to maintain an upright posture. A road bike’s geometry is quite different. The head tubes are taller, and the lower bottom brackets keep the bike stable when cycling at high speeds.
In addition, the handlebar is bent to encourage a proper posture when cycling. The chainstay is also much shorter to improve the center of gravity and make riding at fast speeds easier. It was also easy to navigate uphill because the rear wheel is pretty close to the saddle.
Touring Bike vs Road Bike: Braking System
Rim brakes have been the most common type in road bikes, but newer bike models have disc brakes. Both types work by applying a brake pad against a surface, but I found the newer rim brakes easier to work.
First, they generate more braking power than rim brakes which meant I didn’t need to apply much pressure on the levers. Next, rim brakes are more reliable when cycling in wet conditions. Their unique placement (outer edge of the wheel) leaves the bike unaffected by the wet weather.
In contrast, disc brakes apply force on the rotor towards the middle of the wheel to stop the bicycle. This meant there was no delay when braking, which could cause a fall.
Conversely, touring bikes use cantilever brakes. They provide extra clearance over the tires, a pretty handy feature when braking in wet conditions.
Tour Bike vs Road Bike: The Wheelbase
The wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axle. Road bikes have a shorter wheelbase to provide more control when cycling and make them more responsive. That’s why it’s easier to negotiate a corner using a road bike.
Touring bikes have long wheelbases because the rear wheel is set a bit further back. The design makes the bike less responsive but enhances stability and comfort. The extra clearance also comes in handy when carrying heavy travel luggage.
Road Bike vs Touring Bike: Tire Size
Typically, road bikes have thin tires measuring 20-25 mm designed for use on smooth and flat surfaces. The thin construction means they wear out fast and don’t absorb shock.
By comparison, touring bikes have wide tires measuring 32mm – 45 mm. The extra width helps absorb shock when cycling on bumpy roads and enhances comfort.
Touring Bikes vs Road Bikes: Comfort
A bike’s handlebar and saddle placement determine its comfort. Handlebars on road bikes are a little lower than on touring bikes to encourage a more aerodynamic riding position when cycling. They are also referred to as drop bars. The saddles have regular height because road bikes are used for shorter rides.
Conversely, touring bikes have shorter saddles to enhance comfort and proper posture during long-distance trips. In addition, the handlebars provide additional hand positions, which helped me change the steering style occasionally. They are called butterfly or trekking bars.
Road Bike vs Touring Bike: Mounting Points
Long-distance travel meant I’d be on the trail for a few days; hence finding a bike that allowed me to carry all my essentials was on the top of the list. Touring bikes are a great buy if looking for this feature.
They are equipped with extra mounting spots, including a front and a rear rack, lots of clearance for fenders, and bottle holders. Road bikes don’t have that many mounting points, so I use mine for work commutes.
