Touring bikes have 700c wheels and average width (28 - 38mm) tyres. They are built with stability in mind and are designed to carry lots of gear. They will generally come kitted with mudguards, racks and bottle cages. Steel is the tubing of choice for traditionalists. But the old days of gear shifters on the down tube have long since gone – nowadays gear shifters are built in as part of the brake lever (typically Shimano STI or Campagnolo Ergopower), or located on the bar end. Drop handlebars are still the norm for touring bikes, although a growing number of cyclists opt for straight or raised city style bars. The exhilarating feeling of independence and freedom, when cyclo-touring with all your gear, cannot be overstated !   Click here for a video article on touring bikes

Dawes Sportif range are light touring bikes that are are ideal for "credit card" touring, or endurance road events. Find out about Sportives, Audax and Peak Audax, if you want to test your mettle (and madness?) with others by biking hundreds of miles through the day and night. Also see our range of Touring Tandems