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Charlotte Kuhn

Composition 1

Professor McGriff

February 25, 2020

Road Bike vs. Touring Bike

Would a road bike or touring bike be best for riding "Rails-to-Trails"? After completing

research online about "Rails-to-Trails," I noticed that the majority of trails that bicycles ride on

are paved, but some have loose gravel or dirt paths. Also, I learned the options for trail lengths

are endless. Some trails are six miles long, another might be fifty miles, and the longest trail is

240 miles long. Lastly, I learned that some trails might not have water stations, bicycle repair

facilities, or a place to stay overnight, which means you might need to carry more cycling and

camping gear on some of the longer trails and less cycling gear on the shorter trails. That leads

me to the last bit of information I need to collect. I will need to find out what bicycle will be best

for cycling all the "Rails-to-Trails." To figure this dilemma out, I will compare the similarities

and differences of what surfaces can a road and touring bicycle ride on, what saddle will be best,

and what kind of cycling gear can each bicycle hold.

First, what riding surfaces are best for a road bicycle? A road bike can ride only on

smooth paved surfaces. I found out that this is because the road bike tires are typically narrow

(700x23mm). Also, the surface of the tire has a minimal tread. The slim tire size and lack of

tread make for less rolling resistance, making it easier to pedal faster with less effort on paved

surfaces. However, if you tried to ride a road bike on loose gravel or dirt path with narrow tires,

you would immediately take a tumble off your bike. If the bike had the space for wider tires, it

would be able to ride over loose gravel and dirt paths, but because of the slim width of the front
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fork and rear wheel mounts, the road bike is unable to accommodate wider tires that have tread

patterns that would ride over multiple surface types.

Next, what is the best saddle for a road bike? The road bike has a narrow seat. The seats

for road bikes are tiny in width; it is only 130mm across. The reason for smaller width saddles

for road bikes is because of the compact frame geometry, which accommodates your sitting

bones when you are in the best riding position at a 45-degree angle above the top tube, making

you aerodynamic. This sitting position is a distinctive edge for riding in a headwind, sprinting to

catch the person in front of you, but not for taking in the scenery.

Lastly, how much cycling gear can a road bicycle hold? A road bike can only hold bare

essential cycling gear. The reason it can only hold bare essential cycling gear is because of the

carbon frame and thin-walled twenty-four spoked aluminum wheels. If too much weight is on the

frame and wheels, it can cause stress factors to the structure, causing the bicycle to tear apart or

cause spokes to start breaking. The road bike can only hold the rider, a couple of water bottles,

and a small saddlebag with extra tubes in case you get a flat tire, Co2 cartridge for airing up the

tire tube, tire levers for removing the tire from the wheel, and a snack bar for when you get

hungry. The purpose of a road bike is to go from point (A) to point (B) as fast as possible, not to

carry a ton of cycling gear. The road bike is great for riding a bunch of paved trails in a little

amount of time.

Now, I want to see what riding surfaces are best for a touring bicycle? The touring bike is

similar to the road bike when it comes to riding on smooth paved surfaces. However, the touring

bicycle can ride on more than asphalt or concrete; it can also ride on loose gravel and dirt paths.

The reason this is possible is that the frame design of the touring bike front fork and rear-wheel

mounts have more room. Unlike the road bike frame, that is narrow. The touring bike
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accommodates a more robust tire size of (700x38-700x45mm), whereas the road bike tire is only

(700x23mm). The touring bike tires also have a deeper grooved tread pattern, opposite to the

road bike that has no tread pattern. Because the touring bicycle can hold a much larger tire width

and has grooved tread patterns, this makes it easier to can grab into loose gravel and dirt

surfaces, allowing you to ride on any trail with ease.

Next, what is the best saddle for a touring bike? The road and touring bicycles both have

saddles for sitting on, but they have one big difference, and that is its width. A touring bike has a

broader seat that measures 150mm, whereas the road bike seat is narrow. The reason for a full

saddle on touring bikes is because of the frame geometry, which accommodates your sitting

bones when you are in the best riding position at a 60-90 degree angle, putting you in an upright

position that's different to the bent over riding angle of a road bike. The upright riding position

might not make you faster than the road bike, but it allows you to take in more of the beautiful

scenery around you on the trails.

Lastly, how much cycling gear can a touring bicycle hold? The touring bike is similar to

the road bike with the ability to hold small amounts of equipment like flat tire repair items and

snacks. However, the difference is that the touring bicycle can hold between 50-75lbs more

cycling gear than the road bike. The reason the touring bike can carry more cycling gear is

because of the beefier steel bike frame and wheels that have 36-42 spokes making them stronger

and more durable when transporting an abundance of weight. The touring bike also comes with

metal racks that mount onto the front and rear of the bike frame (pannier racks); they are for

holding multiple size waterproof bags that can carry clothing, camping gear, food, and bicycle

repair items perfect for the longer rides. The touring bicycle frame and wheels will not break if

you are riding with all the extra weight, unlike the road bike that would crack and breakdown in
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the first mile or less of your ride. The touring bike design is to transport you, and all your cycling

gear needs safely to the end of your destination.

After writing this essay and comparing the similarities and differences between the road

and touring bike, I would say a touring bike would be the best for riding multiple "Rails-to-

Trails." It meets all the cycling needs for riding on various surface types. It has a full saddle that

places you in an upright riding position that is great for taking in all the beautiful scenery around

the trail. Also, it can hold all the necessary cycling gear for each path. The road bike might be

fancy and faster, but the touring bicycle will be able to go on trails that the road bike can't

handle. No matter what bike you choose to ride or where ever you choose to ride, remember

Scott Stroll said it best, "a bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke."