Many are looking for a bike that can do it all: as a commuter bike, training bike, winter bike, or for bike touring. We believe that is impossible, at least if cycling is to be enjoyable.

If you want to ride fast and far, a classic road bike is optimal; it is optimized for high speeds, has a low weight for acceleration, and the geometry is designed to minimize air resistance and maximize power transfer. Pure training and racing bikes are not always the best commuter bikes since they rarely can be equipped with fenders and come with narrow tires at very high pressure. However, if you want to do a training session to and from work, they work perfectly well.

If you want a fast commuter bike, a Gravel bike or Adventure bike can be a good middle ground. These have wider tires for a more comfortable ride, can fit winter tires, and can usually be equipped with both fenders and/or racks. Gravel and Adventure bikes are also always built to be extremely durable.

When it comes to pure bike touring, where you want to attach panniers to racks and carry a lot of luggage, we would say a dedicated touring bike is preferable. A touring bike usually has a longer wheelbase because you want the panniers as close to the center of the bottom bracket as possible to get a balanced bike. If the wheel spacing is too tight, you risk hitting your heels on the rear panniers while riding. The frame is often reinforced and has many mounting points for racks and other accessories you want to attach to the bike. A touring bike is optimized for heavy packing and is perceived as relatively dull, slow, and a bit too heavy to provide cycling joy as a regular unpacked bike. As always, it is important to consider how and where you want to ride to make the right decision and find the purpose-built bike, something we are happy to help you with!