Touring Bike
A traditional bicycle made to be loaded up and ridden long distances. Built from robust and repairable steel with wide-range drivetrains (usually with triple chainrings) that allow the rider to scale the most intimidating mountain pass even with 30kg of equipment and supplies attached to their bike.
Touring bikes are usually even more upright than a sportive or audax bike, as speed is not a factor and comfort is the number one priority. They do, however, tend to retain drop-handlebars so that the rider can still get down low to tackle a stiff headwind. These bikes feature thick and puncture resistant tyres, high numbers of bottle cages, a frame mounted pump, and sometimes even spare spokes attached to the stays in case of breakages under the huge loads.
Durable and easily accessible components are chosen for touring bikes, as the rider never knows where exactly they'll be when their chain breaks or they need a new inner tube.
700c road wheels are standard, but 26 inch wheeled options are also available, purportedly because it's tough to find a 700c tube in India!
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