perhaps to a person not of the bicycle lifestyle persuasion...
I could see a "loss in translation" occurring

a touring bike?
perhaps as if it were the type of bike a tourist would ride down the boardwalk, or promenade

to the cycling affectionado obviously a touring bike is what you'd ride on Tour
for lack of simile
touring bikes are to bicycles what a Continental is to automobiles
Continentals are vastly known as an automobile manufacturer, not the type of auto-car which was differentiated from sedans, and cabriolets by its obvious spare wheel(s) typically mounted either on the trunk and/or along its running boards near the front of the vehicle...

simply put, a majority of people just don't realize the differences