touring bikes vs. trekking???
 

I was looking over the selle smp site and noticed that they have separate saddles for touring and trekking.
The touring saddles are made for riders in a 90 degree straight up posture, while the trekking saddles showed
the rider in a slightly bent forward position, say 70 degree.
I'm wondering if SMP is using some standard or if they arbitrarily came up with these designations to emphasize
slight design differences.

Want to be specific as to which items you are comparing? http://www.sellesmp.com/smp4bike/en/...talogo-tourism


Trekking is more a European term .. the Figure 8 bend handlebars , a Euro Favorite are allowing you to replace your straight bars with them and
retain the same shifters ..

As Before Saddle choice is between the part you sit on and the saddle .. dont distract your self with poorly defined nomenclature.
The company is likely making up their own definition Bolt upright has also Been called Dutch style

IE the grand Ma/Pa utility bikes not the Amstel gold race bikes..

This is My "Trekking" bike (as of 2008) WB Bicycle Gallery: Robert Clark's Koga Miyata WTR

since then I have changed several Components .. including the saddle ... The company Is in the North of the NL ..

marketing principal...

offer as many models of a product as economically feasable in the hope that, let's say, your 12 models of a given item (although there may be only marginal differences between them) as opposed to your competitor's one model will give your company a 12 to 1 advantage in enticing the consumer into buying one of your products.

Always buy the saddle with the coolest name ....

It is my understanding that a touring bike is meant to carry heavy loads over "reasonable" roads, whereas a trekking bike is meant to navigate trails with modest loads (similar to bike packing). See here.

Problem is that in English trekking usually means a rugged, extreme form of touring such that we think of crossing Mongolia as trekking whereas using bike paths with the little ones following in a duck row as touring.

Shimano now has a trekking pseudo group, which is basically XT with a triple 48-36-26 crank, basically unavailable in America while not common in Europe.

I do not think that these designations are inspired by shady marketing. They reflect real differences in how people use their bikes.

wow! Excellent commentary and great link. After reading the previous replies it occurred to me that my op seemed to imply that I was asking about saddles. I was merely citing the reference I used for the distinction between trekking and touring. I meant to question the difference between bikes. Thank you for tuning into my wave length and the excellent reply

For me touring is more on paved roads and such, while trekking is about going off to the back and beyond, isolated areas and rough roads.

The opposite of your take on it.

I am not sure which is which (trekking vs touring), but I like a wider flatter saddle for more upright riding.

Sweet looking trekking errr ah touring bike!

Nailed it

"trekking" is for the sudo-intelectuall know nothings that want
to impress you with their fancy pants chrome bits. they're
often seen touri....err...trekking...on their "fi-shays."

"touring" is for regular joe-six-packs who load up some gear
on a bicycle and go ride.

it's much like the two types you find on travel/tourism forums;

you got your reg'lar folks who go on vacation and are content
with the designation "tourist."

then of course you have the eco-crunchy rainbow warrior
quiche-eating, free-range tattoo, stinky dreadlocks, oversize
cut-off-with-scissors, no shoes, che gavuera t-shirt, mao ze dong
messenger bag, save the planet, blahblahblah, who insist
you call them "travellers."

Where do bikepackers fit in?

free-range redheaded bible-thumping fundamenalist stepchildren adopted
(aka street urchin rescue) by trekking-traveller partner-units.

Bikepackers don't fit in, they have to be custom created to fit a narrow niche with little ability for wider adaptation.