Originally Posted by
jeffpoulin
By "expedition" bike, do you mean something you can ride to China and back over dirt roads? For that kind of riding, I think the Giant Expedition 1.0 is a very good bike. Well, more like a tank than a bike. Very heavy and very durable. If you don't mind riding 8 mph everywhere you go as you haul 80 lbs of gear, this bike will get you there every time without breaking down. That's my idea of an expedition bike. The other bikes listed are touring bikes.
An expedition bike usually refers to a touring bike designed on a rigid MTB frame with 26" tires as compared to road style 700cc tires. Generally, the chain stays and the wheel base is longer then a typical MTB but the BB height is slightly higher then a road style touring bike like the LHT. The framed is designed to handle a load with out shimming, something that may be a problem with a converted MTB tourer. Many times these bikes come with trekking bars and disk brakes and are designed for rougher terrain but not necessarily hard core technical MTB riding. For what ever reason this style is more popular in Europe. The only mass produced expedition bike in the US that I am aware of is the Novara Safari but even that is being produced in 700cc tires in larger sizes.