Choosing An Expedition Touring Bike
Expedition bikes are the toughest machines available for bicycle touring.
They are eye-wateringly expensive. Plan on setting aside a minimum of $2,500 and as much as $5,000 for the bike, racks, pedals, saddle and of course a good lock! The price is justified by the fact that this is a bike that will last a lifetime. You can take it across continents, around the world or even on several circuits of the globe.
Because you might be riding on this bike for decades to come, do plenty of research. Start exploring the options as early as possible before your trip and certainly no later than 6 months before you leave. Some custom expedition tourers may take 3-4 months to build.
What distinguishes these bikes from cheaper touring bikes?
- A Robust Frame – The geometry is made to be as comfortable and durable as possible for long-distance touring under heavy loads.
- Custom Sizing – Many expedition touring bikes are made-to-measure or come in a wider range of sizes than the standard bicycle.
- Gearing Systems – Increasingly, expedition touring bikes come with a Rohloff Hub, an internally contained gearing system that eliminates the derailleur, keeps your transmission free of dirt and is virtually maintenance free. Belt drives are also sometimes available.
- Wheels – Many expedition bikes will have hand-built wheels, which are stronger than machine-built wheels. Wheels will ideally be 26″ so replacements can easily be found anywhere in the world, though many manufacturers offer a choice.
- Space for Wide Tires – There will be space for extra wide tires and mudguards.
- Quality Components – Everything on these bikes will be a high quality product, to minimize the chance of a break down in remote parts of the world.
Now that you know the basics, here are some specific brands of expedition touring bikes that you might consider. Click the photos of each bike for more information.
KOGA WORLD TRAVELLER |
 SANTOS TRAVELMASTER |
 THORN RAVEN TOUR |
 TOUT TERRAIN SILK ROAD |
BRUCE GORDON ROCK ‘N ROAD |
ROBERTS ROUGHSTUFF |
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Where do you start? Personal preference obviously pays a key role here. Starting with Drop bar or flat bar? Steel Aluminium? Titanium? 26″? 700c?
After riding both drop bar tourers and flat bar tourers I must admit I prefer a flat bar tourer (specifically butterfly bars) with 700c (28″) wheels. I favour the cannondale aluminium frames and usually custom build them to my own specification. You cant really go wrong with a mid-spec shimano groupset such as the Deore group, strong, rubust and good value for money and also available in 48T touring gear ratios. Ensure your wheels are double walled and eyeletted for strength. Many cyclists opt for 36H as they are stronger although all my tourers have been 32H and I have never seen this a problem. If you decide to build your own wheels ensure you choose good quality spokes. DT swiss offer double butted spokes which are strong and lightweight. If you feel that strength is more important, opt for the plain guage.
Spending money on good quality racks is paramount. Tubus offer some fantastic lightweight and strong racks, although pricey they will not let you down. Plus within two years of your purchase if the rack were to fail they will send a replacement for you wherever in the world you may be and within fives years will replace the rack. Blackburn and Tortec also produce good quality front and rear racks.
Nothing can rival the advice you can get from your local bike shop. No amount of online data can substiture the advice and experience from a long distance touring cyclist plus precise sizing can be determined.
Hope this helps
CALLUM
Hi Callum, some nice tips there. I completely agree with spending money on good racks and double-walled rims are iimportant too, though on any decent bike costing more than a few hundred dollars I’d be shocked to see single-walled rims.
FRIEDEL,
You would be surprised! I much prefer to build my own wheels rather than using stock wheels, nothing beats a hand built wheel. Currently using Mavic’s A317 Disc rims (700c) which I am very impressed with. Strong and light. My previous tourers where all 26″ (except the drop bar) and I used cross country rims (XC717 disc) and once again never missed a beat, never needed to retrue.
There isn’t a noticable difference in drivetrain components (deore, SLX, XT) although I would highly reccommend a Hollowtech 2 chainset on any setup, lighter, less tools, less maintanence and it will never damage your frame even if you are running it rough!
CALLUM
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Alastair Humphreys and Alastair Humphreys, Friedel Grant. Friedel Grant said: working on a list of expedition touring bikes. any to add? http://travellingtwo.com/resources/expedition-touring-bike #biketour [...]
[...] The Shimano option is certainly less expensive. With an expected retail price of just $419 U.S. or about €300, it costs a fraction of the Rohloff and will be infinitely more accessible to cycle tourists who love the convenience of internal hub gearing but aren’t prepared to spend thousands of dollars on a top-notch expedition touring bike. [...]