Touring bikes are made for loaded miles on road and track. Steel is still the material of choice for many tourers — comfortable, repairable anywhere and happy under weight — paired with full rack and mudguard mounts, wide-range gearing and a long wheelbase that stays calm with panniers on. Built for reliability over speed, and for being fixed at the roadside rather than sent away.

Our touring range centres on the Genesis Tour de Fer, Kona Sutra, Marin Nicasio and Four Corners, and the Surly Disc Trucker and Straggler, with framesets for riders building their own. There's real overlap with bikepacking and adventure bikes — broadly, a tourer carries weight on racks and a bikepacking bike carries it in frame bags, and plenty of bikes do both. Tell us the trip and we'll help you work out which suits, along with the racks and luggage to go with it.