I recent heard someone talking about touring bicycles. Can anyone tell me what exactly touring bicycles are?

A touring bike is designed for bicycle touring. There are many types used for different kinds of touring, like road touring, sport touring, expedition touring, etc.

thanks, can you also suggest me a good touring bike?

I would say from my experience that Cannondale cyclocross 6 is your best bet.

Hey, where do I find more info about this bike?

you could google or send an email to address removed by Moderators

Depending on what you want to do, many kinds of bikes can be used for touring, not just "touring bikes". Touring bikes typically feature:

* long wheelbase (favoring stability over responsiveness)
* long chainstays
* large number of braze-on mounts (often three water bottle mounts and mounts for front and rear racks)
* relaxed geometry (favoring comfort over efficiency)
* upright position for the rider (favoring comfort over efficiency)
* heavy-duty construction
* lower gearing (typically comparable to the gearing on a mountain bike)

These features are nice to have, particularly if you are carrying all your stuff (tent, sleeping bag, camp kitchen, food, water, clothes). If you already have a bike (for example, a mountain bike), you can generally repurpose that bike for touring with only a few adjustments at most. If you decide that you like touring, you can then get a touring bike that fits your needs.

There are many touring bikes from many manufacturers. And you don't have to have a "touring bike" to tour. In general, any road bike with eyelets/braze-ons for rear panniers can make a good tourer. So look for that. The eyelets are threaded holes down by the rear quick release. There should be braze-ons to hold the pannier forward struts on the seat stays just below where they attach to the seat tube. Dedicated touring bikes will also have braze-ons on the front forks, about half way down, to attach a set of front panniers. Most touring bikes are steel because they ride a little softer and because braze-ons work well in steel. But people also tour on titanium frames and occasionally on aluminum or carbon frames. A touring bike usually needs triple chainrings up front and a larger than normal cassette in the back. Dedicated touring bikes will also have brakes and frames with the clearance to take much larger tires than the usual road bike tires.

Just google "touring bicycles."

I don't know. Maybe pawanmengane and jaikumar can just go shill each other, and leave the innocent discussion forums entirely out of it. Thread closed.

--Juha, a Forum Mod