Chalk it up to the call of the open road, but there’s nothing more romantic than the idea of a multi-day bike tour—hopping onto a capable bicycle and pedaling for days through countryside and small towns with everything you need strapped to your frame. Touring isn’t about moving fast, it’s about self-sufficient exploration, and it demands a bike that you can ride comfortably for hours on end while carrying a heavy load.

In an industry that thrives on specialization, the touring bike is designed to be a versatile machine that can be your everyday commuter as well as the bike that takes you from Portland to Patagonia. Touring bikes differ from “regular” road bikes in a few ways. Here’s what you need to look for.

See our top picks below, then scroll down for more in-depth reviews of these bikes and other great options, as well as helpful buying tips and advice.

Best Value
ADV 2.2 Bike
Co-Op Cycles ADV 2.2 Bike
$1,600 at REI

Great price point to get up and get out.

Timeless Style
Marrakesh Alivio
Salsa Marrakesh Alivio
Credit: Courtesy

Can be converted to a singlespeed.

A Classic, Updated
Disc Trucker
Surly Disc Trucker
Now 24% Off

Carry more gear with pack mounts on the fork.

Best For Long Hauls
AWOL Expert
Specialized AWOL Expert

Integrated lights powered by a Dynamo hub.

Most Versatile
RLT 9 STEEL
Niner RLT 9 STEEL

Massive tire clearance, and compatible with internal droppers.


Classic, Adventure, & Expedition

Classic touring bikes are typically steel, have upright geometry, long chainstays, and often have fenders and a rear rack for panniers. They can look vintage even if they’re brand new. The wheels of classic touring bikes are usually 700c and have a high spoke count (32- or 36-hole). Classic touring bikes used to have rim brakes, but mechanical disc brakes are starting to take over the category. Classic touring bikes can have either a flat or drop bar.

Adventure bikes are built to blur the lines between mountain bikes and road bikes. They love pavement, they love gravel, they love dirt, and that’s good because you might come across all of those surfaces during your tour. They typically have a drop bar, mechanical or hydraulic disc brakes, and a “dealer’s choice” of wheel sizes with clearance for a variety of tire sizes. And many adventure touring bikes are equipped to handle a dropper post.

Expedition touring bikes are exactly what they sound like: burly steeds crafted to handle big miles in remote territory. They’re almost always made of steel, with 26-inch wheels and rim brakes. All of this is designed to make them easy to work on and find spare parts for, even if you’re in a tiny town whose name you can’t pronounce.

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Touring Bike Materials

Steel is the classic frame choice because it is strong, stiff, and can be fixed in a pinch by any mechanic with a blowtorch. But you’ll find plenty of aluminum touring bikes on the market, and an increasing number of carbon frames, too, although repairing a carbon frame in rural wherever isn’t really an option. You can find titanium touring bikes too, which are notably expensive, but they’re tough and light, and the vibration damping can be a godsend on rough roads and dirt.

[Related: 7 Amazing Cycling Tours That Should Be on Your Bucket List]

Touring Bike Geometry

There are a handful of subtle differences within touring bike geometries that set them apart from road bikes. Touring geometry is more upright, creating a riding position that’s more comfortable during long hours in the saddle. You’ll see different bike companies refer to this as their “endurance” or “adventure” geometry. This “endurance” geometry plays out in a handful of different ways. The wheelbase and chainstay of a classic touring bike is typically longer to make room for rear racks and panniers, and the bottom bracket is typically lower to increase stability. The head tube is typically longer on a touring bike, essentially elevating the handlebar, and there’s more slack, helping to extend the wheelbase. Touring bikes also generally have a shorter top tube, or more important, a shorter “reach,” which is the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube. All of this is designed to keep you more upright, making you reach less for the handlebar.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]


―BEST FOR RUGGED, OFF-ROAD TOURING―

Masi Giramondo 27.5

Masi Giramondo 27.5

Giramondo 27.5

Masi Giramondo 27.5

$1,200 at masibikes.com
Credit: Masi

This is where touring meets bikepacking. The Giramondo is built specifically for long dirt tours where singletrack comes into play as much as forest roads. It has an old school mountain bike aesthetic, right down to the WTB Mountain Drop Bars, but a geometry built for touring, mechanical disc brakes and enough tire clearance to accommodate 29x2.0” tires (although we like the 27.5x2.1” shoes that come stock). The bar-end shifters can be divisive (you either love them or hate them), but you can’t argue with their proven performance on classic touring rigs. Speaking of touring, there are mounting locations for racks, fenders and three bottles so you have plenty of storage options on multi-days in the middle of nowhere.


―MOST VERSATILE―

Niner RLT9 Steel

Niner RLT Steel, $5,000

RLT Steel, $5,000

Niner RLT Steel, $5,000

Credit: Niner

What if your bike were actually several bikes that transformed based on your shifting moods or chosen terrain? That’s the concept behind Niner’s re-designed RLT9, a super customizable long hauler that’s built for gravel, pavement, dirt…whatever floats your boat. The hand-welded Reynolds 853 steel frame anchors the build, but the RTL9 also features a PF30 bottom bracket that makes it easy to go from the stock 11-speed drivetrain to a single speed set up. Big time wheel clearance has room for tires up to 700x50c, but also fits 650b wheels, too. You can even add a dropper post if you’re looking to get into the steeps. Niner borrowed some tech from the mountain bike world, most notably the lower bottom bracket height and a slack headtube angle to boost all-day comfort, and the rig comes stock with Shimano GRX800 components, which are built to handle the dirt and grime of gravel. We also like the 26 different mounting points, and the custom bags that Niner makes that mount directly to the frame with no need for straps or Velcro.


―BEST FOR LONG HAUL TOURS―

Specialized AWOL Expert

Specialized AWOL Expert

AWOL Expert

Specialized AWOL Expert

Credit: Specialized


The beautifully named AWOL has all kinds of touring goodies on a steel frame and fork with Specialized’s relaxed “adventure” geometry. You get rack and fender mounts on both ends, a Shimano Tiagra groupset, a triple chainring with a wide gearing range, and 29er wheels with 45mm Borough Armadillo tires that are as comfortable on dirt as they are on the road. Hydraulic disc brakes give you stopping power, and the bike comes with a handlebar custom to the AWOL that flares out 12 degrees at the bottom to improve stability.


―BEST VALUE TOURING BIKE―

Trek 520

Trek 520 Disc

520 Disc

Trek 520 Disc

Credit: Trek

This is Trek’s longest-running touring bike, and Bicycling’s editors deemed it one of the best Trek bikes of 2018. With a steel frame, rack, and mudguard braze-ons, and a wide range of gears for steeper gradients, the 520 is ready for multi-day bike tours, serious commuting, and bikepacking. It’s an incredibly stable package, even when you load it down with gear on the front and back. Tubeless-ready wheels and mechanical disc brakes bring this classic bike into the modern age.


―TIMELESS STYLE―

Salsa Marrakesh Drop Bar Brooks

Salsa Marrakesh

Marrakesh

Salsa Marrakesh

Credit: Salsa


Six different frame sizes help you dial in the perfect fit of the Marrakesh, which uses butted 4130 chromoly tubes for the frame, and has an alternator dropout so you can run it as a singlespeed if you like. The Low Deck Rack, designed specifically for the Marrakesh, keeps the rear load low and enhances stability. The 700c/29er wheels can accommodate 700x40mm tires or 2-inch 29er tires. It has mechanical disc brakes, room for three bottle cages, mounts for spare spoke—there’s even a kickstand plate. And it comes with a super plush Brooks B17 saddle.


―BEST FOR ROWDY TRIPS―

Salsa Cutthroat GRX 810 1X

Salsa Cutthroat

Cutthroat

Salsa Cutthroat

Credit: Salsa

The Salsa Cutthroat is an ideal match for the performance-focused gravel rider who commonly encounters gnarly terrain on their adventures. It’s nearly a hardtail mountain bike, with a rigid fork and drop bars. Outfitted with a full-carbon frame and fork, a Shimano GRX 1x groupset, and 29x2.2-inch Teravail Sparwqood tires, five bottle mounts, and front- and rear-rack mounting points, this bike is ready to embark on your next adventure and deliver a performance-oriented ride for the duration of your journey.


―CLASSIC STYLE FOR BIG ADVENTURES―

Kona Sutra

Kona Sutra, $1,499

Sutra, $1,499

Kona Sutra, $1,499

Credit: Kona

Kona describes the Sutra as a blend between a mountain, road, and touring bike. It certainly has the style of a classic touring bike, with upright lines on a steel frame and a gorgeous Brooks B17 leather saddle. Add fenders and panniers and you could be fooled into thinking you’re riding something vintage, but you also get mechanical disc brakes, a triple chainring with a Shimano Deore drivetrain, and 700c wheels that accommodate 40mm or 29er 2.2-inch tires, which are more adventure oriented.


―BEST FOR BRINGING ALL OF YOUR GEAR―

Jamis Renegade Escapade

Jamis Renegade Escapade

Renegade Escapade

Jamis Renegade Escapade

Credit: Jamis


Jamis’s Renegade is a gravel beast designed to go for the long haul. It’s an extremely versatile bike with a “long and tall” endurance geometry that’s built to be comfortable and stable, whether you’re commuting or riding to California from Maine. It has more than 20 fork and frame mounts so you can load it up with everything you could possibly need: fenders, rear panniers, front panniers, or water bottle cages. It can handle 25 pounds of gear in the rear and another 25 pounds up front. The steel frame has clearance for 700cx42mm/650x47mm tires on tubeless MTB rims. And with hydraulic disc brakes, the Renegade can take any “road” you could possibly throw at it. It’s even ready to handle a dropper post. Models range in price from $829 to $3,699, with frames available in carbon, steel, and aluminum.


―BEST FOR CUSTOM BUILDS―

Velo Orange Polyvalent

Velo Orange Polyvalent Frameset

Polyvalent Frameset

Velo Orange Polyvalent Frameset

Credit: Velo Orage

The lone frame-only offering included in this round up, the steel Velo Orange Polyvalent is ready to become your favorite bike. Compatible with 650B (up to 47mm wide) or 26-inch (up to 2.3-inches wide) tires and disc brakes, the frame also features three bottle mounts, frame and fork eyelets for racks and fenders, and a 68mm English threaded bottom bracket. The beauty of this frame—in addition to its classic look—is that it allows you to create the steel touring bike you’ve always wanted, free from the compromises you might have to make with a manufacturer built bike.


―A CLASSIC BIKE, UPDATED―

Surly Disc Trucker

Surly Disc Trucker

Disc Trucker

Surly Disc Trucker

Now 26% Off
Credit: Surly

Surly’s Long Haul Trucker has been a favorite of touring cyclists for decades, but their Disc Trucker, which was originally introduced in 2012, has been completely redesigned for 2020, giving it the edge over its older cousin. Surly shortened the chainstay length for snappy acceleration and adopted a thru-axle for increased stiffness. The new Disc Trucker also has a decreased stand over height and increased stack height, which gives the bike a more upright geometry for long days in the saddle. The new Truckstop handlebar complements that all-day geometry, and a new fork accommodates pack mounts so you can carry some of your load on the front of your bike. The bike isn’t all new and glitzy, though; you still get the tried and true 3x9 drivetrain so you have plenty of gears for the climb.

Headshot of Graham Averill
Graham Averill
Graham Averill is a freelance journalist who likes to write stories about travel and adventure and has more than 20 years of experience testing outdoor gear such as bikes, shoes, backpacks, tents, and apparel. He’s particularly fond of Hawaiian shirts that wick moisture. A perfect day for Graham would involve equal parts skiing, surfing, mountain biking, and napping. He writes for Outside, Adventure Journal, Men’s Journal, Beta and contributes expert reviews to Popular Mechanics, Bicycling, and Runner’s World.