How to choose your trekking bike
The trekking bike, to escape routine
The trekking bike is a bike designed to make longer or shorter trips, and is a currently very trendy phenomenon: it allows to leave alone or accompanied for a one-day bike ride, a weekend or several months on various grounds.
The desire to escape: all that remains is to ride your trekking bike and get back on the road, but for this you must first acquire your trekking bike.
These trekking bikes, intended for hiking on more-or-less good-coated, or even singles, must be strong and able to withstand, in addition to the weight of the cyclist, the weight of the equipment.
Characteristics of the trekking bike
These bicycles will generally be equipped with luggage racks, saddle bags, lighting... There are several trekking bike models for each of these characteristics, but they all have in common:
- A robust frame (most often steel or aluminum) that will absorb the imperfections of the road and bear the weight of accessories,
- Wide and cushioned tires for better grip and safety,
- A comfortable saddle on which the hiker spends long hours on,
- A luggage rack at the rear, or even a second at the front,
- Good lighting,
- Solid wheels with 32 to 40 spokes,
Important: A triple tray and a 9 to 10 speed cogset will be selected depending on the type of profiles you want to browse. Riding a pass with an equipped bike weighing more than twenty kilos with luggage doesn't present the same difficulty as climbing it with a road bike weighing ten kilos!
Different categories of trekking bikes
The brands generally offer three categories of trekking bikes (prices vary according to the chosen category):
- Basic models of fifteen kilos for trekking and city use only,
- Lighter models of less than 13 kilos,
- More successful models with solid, powerful, lightweight qualities and all the hiking equipment.
Electrical assistance equip more and more road and mountain bikes. Trekking is no exception and it's now possible to buy good electrically assisted trekking bikes.
Our last tip for trekking, especially for long trips: don't forget to bring a complete toolkit to carry out all the minor repairs needed during the trip and a good first aid kit to overcome the small physical problems inherent to this type of hike.
