Touring Bike vs Gravel Bike | Which is best for bikepacking?

Bikepacking Q&A EP:20
In this video I answer a follow up question from last month's mtb vs gravel video. Touring bike or Gravel Bike? Which is best?

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:18 - The Gravel Bike?
01:53 - The Touring Bike?
05:13 - Which is best for bikepacking?
05:56 - Summary and Q&A Reminder

#bikepacking #gravelbike #touringbike

[Cycling]

Let me know which bike you'd have in the comments :)

[blasty_mcblastblast]

the best thing about touring bikes is the geometry! having a slightly longer wheelbase, which increases stability and means your heels won't strike panniers, and a more upright comfortable riding position is wonderful.

[kai_v_k]

I have a touring bike with a flat bar and 55mm tyres, so actually wider than most Gravel bikes, so I would disagree that Gravel bikes have generally wider tyres, it strongly depends on the individual bike. My frame is from aluminium while my rigid fork is steel and has a rated capacity of 180kg. With chunky tyres I have taken the bike on the first 2000km of the Great Divide mountain bike route, while in the standard setup I have gone all over Germany (mostly to work), but also the UK and France and technically Switzerland.

I would categorize your Dads bike as a (beautiful) Randoneuse, rather than a general touring bike. It is just one variety of the wide array which can be touring bikes, where I would say flat bars are more common.
I do agree though on the downsize of classical panniers with aerodynamics and width, on the upside is the ease of mount and carrying capacity.

[susanmurchie]

have had a Dawes Galaxy tourer for quite a few years and love it. Dont feel it’s heavy and has taken me through the Western Isles and Wester Ross/Skye and Moidart and various areas in France including over Mont Ventoux. It’s still going strong after all these years, and i think it looks pretty cool!

[christopherwebb]

Coolness is in the eye of the beholder. I think the touring bike here looks cooler than the gravel bike. I'm a sucker for steel lugged forks. I think they look so much better than the space-age looking carbon forks. I'm also a bit of a retro grouch, so I tend to favor more classic looking bikes over more modern looking bikes.

[normancoutts]

I was convinced my Thorn Raven Sport Tour, now 14 years old, would be my last ever bike purchase. Then a mate temped me onto gravel and I made an impulse buy of a Decathlon Second Life RC120 GRVL - for under £400. What a revelation! I love it, but for any proper biking adventure, rather than a day's ride, I'd go with the practicality of the Thorn. It will do road and light trails happily. But the RC 120 is far more fun for a shorter blast. Horses for courses, and owning two is allowed. Luckily! I enjoyed your review of the two.

[isakohan]

Excuse me, your dad's touring bike is super cool looking!

[dhruv]

It’s a good concise and quite informative summation of the pros and cons of each. I have cycled toured over 20, 000 kms and bike packed around 5000 and have both a touring ( Surly) and gravel bike ( Marin ) which I use for trips less than a week or ten days. Multi week trips need a touring bike unless one plans to be sleeping extensively in motels etc.

[freespeechoneeach]

i have a marin four corners steel frame, 2.0 gravel tyres, 1x 10 deore, alt bars. pretty much does everything i want from it. around your neck of woods. Goole canal to Rawciffe Bridge to Snaith ( bacon butty at The Kitchen!) Carlton to Burn airfield. Selby canal then trans pennine trail to Howden then back to Goole. its about 35 mile loop which i enjoy but im 58 now so enough for me! great channel.

[ThaneMcMartin]

I recently purchased a Jamis Renegade gravel bike. With 20 frame mounts, it can easily be used for bike packing or touring. To accommodate either gravel rides or road tours, I have two wheel sets, making this bike amazingly versatile.

[larryrand]

A key topic not specifically addressed is comfort. I have a Bianchi steel touring bike with carbon handlebars and stem and a B17 Brooks saddle. It is easy on my body on a long ride--much easier than a stiffer gravel bike frame with a more aggressive geometry would be. Another topic missed is commuting. Because touring bikes are outfitted with all kinds of weather in mind, they make good commuter bikes--plenty of storage, fenders to keep you dry enough for work, excellent lights in case you have to work late, tires wider than racing bikes' but designed for the streets. As for looks, I think most touring bikes aren't all that flashy looking; this reduces them as priority theft targets. Flashier bikes are easier to fence. If your commuter parking space is outdoors or in an easy to access bike room, less flash is a good thing. It seems to me that gravel bikes are good for off-road touring and rec riding, which doesn't make them more versatile than the tourer/commuter bike. One caveat re: touring bikes. As much as I enjoy bikepacking, I can't seem to get away as often as I would like. My bike, now 27 years old and riding great, has 10 times as many commuting miles than it has touring miles. I'm thinking that the term should be commuter/touring bike rather than the other way.

[moenielsen]

I'll take a touring bike every day, and yes, touring is on the roads, not off-road, by definition.

[atulganguly]

Great video, thanks! I have a Specialized Gravel bike in carbon frame and I was wondering if I could use it for bikepacking/touring. I feel a little better knowing that it IS capable.

[gusnuk]

I have both. I'm not a strong neither fast cyclist, so i feel good with my heavy goofy Salsa Marrakesh (and 1990 Trek 520).

[sjwgarratt]

For a heavier rider carrying significant gear stick with steel every time. My modern steel touring bike is just 12kg with a cool sloping top bar and greater heel clearance for panniers. Normal runs 700c x 35 tyres can accommodate 650b rims and wider tyres for rougher terrains. Has plenty of lugs for flexibility, small increases in speed is not a criteria, on long trips reliability smooth and comfortable riding is key.
Great also for commuting or for general fitness why get a gravel bike?

[davidjohnston]

I have a 2016 model Australian designed Vivente World Randoneur which have the drop bars and Shimano Dura-ace bar-end shifters which I love, I'm very much a traditionalist but also love the Modern offerings too. These bikes as you say are definitely great for long distance touring but they are also one of the best bikes for around town Commuting, it has full mudguards, Hydraulic Disc brakes, Shimano hub Dyno and AXA light system included, side stand, front and rear Tubus racks and best of all, Schwalbe Marathon Tyres for Puncture resistant riding. It may not be as Light and nimble as a Gravel or roadbike but it feels solid and I'm not a light bloke. My Bike with all bags taken off weighs in a 14kg so I don't think they are too heavy and are about 10kgs lighter than a E-bike. I'd like to have both though, a Gravel and Touring bike and a MTB to really go bush.

[simonwiltshire]

I've been useing a kona sutra with 2.25 tyres on it a 3by 9 gear set up and it will take everything i give it.

[randelscyclevlogperthwa]

If you, re over 90kgs, get a tourer for all your rides. They're made to take the weight, aluminium is rubbish in my experience.

[stephenking]

For me touring bikes are best. They are robust and practical… and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The classic thin tube steel frame just looks like a bike should look. I’ve always thought gravel bikes were a marketing solution that lacked a real world problem. A good mountain bike will do everything a gravel bike will do, so the concept is redundant.

[waklerma]

My Gravel Bike has fixed paniers at the back (and fenders/lights/dynamo hub) plus mounting points for a low rider front panier set.