Talk:Touring bicycle

26" tyre availability
Very nice article, but i think the comment on the availability of 26" tyres is out of date. I think this article could do with expanding, but its difficult on a topic like this to avoid arguments over what constitutes a touring bike!  GyatsoLa 23:21, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

Rolling Resistance and Wheel Size
"Rolling resistance is hotly debated; theoretically a 26" fat tyre (say 38 mm width) has less rolling resistance than a narrow 700c tire (28 mm width being typical for touring) due to lower casing deformation" -62.249.214.190
 * This is not supported by the rolling resistance article and contradicted by the bicycle wheel article. Is there a reference for this claim? -AndrewDressel 13:11, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Merge Expedition touring bikes into this article
Expedition touring bikes is very short (just two paragraphs and no pictures), and Touring bicycle is not very long. Is there any compelling reason that Expedition touring bikes should remain a separate article? In Touring bicycle it could have its own heading just as Road tourers, Recumbent tourers, and Tandem tourers do. -AndrewDressel 19:31, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I'd support a merge.--Keithonearth (talk) 05:40, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

Specifications
Didn't classical touring bikes use racing (drop) handlebars (cmp. e.g. the Dawes Galaxy)? --172.158.38.70 08:33, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Trekking Bikes
The Expedition touring section says "They [Expedition touring bikes] are sometimes referred to as trekking bikes in the Netherlands and Germany". When I was in germany I heard the term "trekking bike" used for what would be called a hybrid in English speaking countries, or rather for bikes similar to what are called hybrids in the UK and Canada. They had 700X32 or 37C (more or less), but knobbier tires, (cyclocross style), low travel front suspension, flat bars (maybe butterfly bars sometimes too). Basically Hybrids intended for light trail use. Perfect for the area of Bavaria we were in, but not at all an expedition tourer as the article states. This is all word of mouth, so I'm not going to change the article, but can someone confirm or deny it's validity?--Keithonearth (talk) 21:20, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Shift Levers
On many touring bikes with drop handlebars, I usually see the gear shifters mounted at the end of the drop handlebars. This is something that appears to be unique to touring bikes. Anyone know why this is? 68.110.238.175 (talk) 02:24, 16 May 2009 (UTC)
 * This type of shift lever is discussed briefly at Shifter (bicycle part). They were popular on touring bikes with drops for a while before Shifter (bicycle part) came along in the early 1990s as unlike traditional down-tube shifters they allow you to change gear while keeping both hands on the handlebars, which is important on a heavily-laden touring bike as you need to change gear more often on hills and the load affects the handling. My impression is that the combined brake/shift levers have replaced bar-end shifter on off-the-peg drop-handlebar tourers, but some tourists still prefer the simplicity of bar-end shifters for the easier maintenance, longer life and lower cost. Qwfp (talk) 10:13, 16 May 2009 (UTC)