Touring / Audax

Are another special type of road bicycle. An excellent multifunctional choice that will work for commuting and leisure riding. Designed for comfortable long-distance travel & load carrying. Touring bicycles are stronger and have fatter tires than pure road bicycles. They come with bosses on the frame & forks for fitting panniers & luggage racks. Because of their durability and ability to carry heavy loads, they are good commuter bicycles. These are great for weekends away or longer trips if you are adventures.

The riding position is more upright than a racing bicycle so better prevention against back fatigue. Due to less bum-up riding position the vision is better. They do, however, tend to retain drop-handlebars so that the rider can still get down low to tackle a stiff headwind. Brakes need to be strong to provide stopping power for a heavy object (rider + luggage + bicycle) traveling at speed downhill. Saddles are built for comfort rather than speed & weight saving. They have a lower gear range compared to regular road bicycles, to allow for carrying heavy loads up steep hills.

The category covers a range of bicycles including ‘fast road’ or audax bicycles – essentially road bicycles with room for fatter tires and mudguards – and cycle-cross bicycles, which usually have mudguard eyes unless they’re high-end models.

Durable and easily accessible components are chosen for touring bicycles, as the rider never knows where exactly they’ll be when their chain breaks or they need a new inner tube.

PROS

• Tough, lots of load-carrying capacity, still fairly quick.
• Low gearing, smooth tires, and stable handling make long road rides comfortable.
• Designed to accommodate touring bags for multi-day rides.

CONS

• Not quite race-bicycle quick.
• Less agile handling than road racing bicycles.

• October 10, 2017