Touring bike for pleasure trips: Three models in the test

Slim giant wheel - The Giant Fasttour SLR

From the Taiwanese market giant Giant comes a light kilometre eater for rather flat terrain. It is the cheapest test bike.

Basically, the model name says it all: "Fasttour SLR" promises a fast touring bike for touring, and "SL" usually stands for the lightweight version of a bike. In the case of trekking bikes, it is usually the one without a suspension fork, which saves a kilo over the thumb. A good 13 kilos for a fully equipped touring bike is a respectable figure - especially in this price range. The fact that Giant has opted for a rigid fork with carbon sheaths may save a few more grams. An outlier in this test field is definitely the groupset. The "Tiagra" from Shimano is a road bike ensemble with only two chainrings at the front. With 50 and 34 teeth, their gradation follows the conventions of so-called compact cranks, which provide comparatively light mountain gears. The ten-speed sprocket set on the rear wheel ranges from eleven to 34 teeth, which limits the lightest mountain gear to a 1:1 ratio, unless you request a larger sprocket at the time of purchase.

Sporty uphill

On the first test ride without luggage, the lightweight touring bike makes lively progress. The slightly more sporty riding position, the narrow handlebars of just 62 centimetres and the bar ends help to keep you small in the wind, while the almost road bike-like close-ratio gears encourage a fast ride. A rigid fork like this feels much more direct than a suspension fork, even when pedalling uphill - unloaded, it almost feels like a racing bike.

Loading our heavy rear panniers changes the picture abruptly. 24kg of sandbags are certainly not a typical load for this type of bike, but they are permissible. The first disillusionment comes when we try to position the bag clamps on the long luggage rail so that they don't slip. They don't sit perfectly due to a lack of stops, but this can be improvised. The high payload also has an adverse effect on handling - and not just on the climbs, which quickly force you into first gear. The small brake discs with a diameter of 160 millimetres suddenly seem just as dainty as the slim frame, which flexes a little more under hectic steering than on a "thoroughbred" touring bike. With the payload halved, which is more than enough for hotel trips, the bike once again feels like a confident ride.

Taiwanese special routes - the Giant Fasttour

Giant is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality bikes. The number of units allows the company to go its own way with the add-on parts. The seat post, for example, does not have a round profile but a flattened one at the rear. This can have a noticeable spring effect on carbon seat posts with a long extension, but the aluminium seat post on the test bike at least did its job inconspicuously. The company's own pannier rack is an attractive detail, and it looks solid, but due to its special attachment, you don't want to need a replacement part when travelling without a Giant dealer around the corner - an issue that also affects other manufacturers.

Details of the Giant

• Price: 1549 Euro >> available here
• Frame sizes: M, L, XL
• Test bike weight: 13.2 kg
• Permissible total weight: 161 kg
• Frame: Aluminium, welded
• Fork: Carbon, aluminium shaft
• Drive unit: Shimano Tiagra 2x10
• Translation: 50/34, 11-34 teeth, 455 %
• Brakes/ø: Shimano Tiagra, 160 mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Racer, 38-622
• Lighting system: Shimano hub dynamo, Busch + Müller Lumotec Eyc headlight, 50 lux

Advantages and disadvantages

• Plus: Visually elegant and technically coherent; low overall weight
• Minus: No real mountain gears as standard; suboptimal pannier rack

Conclusion on the touring bike

The name "Fasttour" aptly describes the touring bike: ideally, we see it on the long stages of asphalted river cycle paths and with light hotel luggage. Its true strengths lie in speedy commuter use and on weekend trips. For heavy luggage and steep hills, it should have more powerful brakes.

Stylish endurance runner - The Rose Multisport 3

The "Multisport" model from mail order and retailer Rose is already a few years old. But it's still impressive.

Because almost all the major brands are channelling their development power in the touring sector almost entirely into the electric department, the segment of high-quality, classic trekking bikes is somewhat stagnant. Even in the "XT class", named after the highest quality 30-speed gearbox from market leader Shimano, there is not much left - especially as even the low-cost representatives such as this touring bike are almost in the price range of acceptable e-all-rounders at 2000 euros. In this respect, the frame of the "Multisport" is an old acquaintance, which is not the worst thing.

Rose has managed to design a (according to the manufacturer) 1.6-kilo frame that is both striking and convincingly stiff. The only unmistakable indication of the model's longer service life are the dropouts on the fork and frame: Current bikes with disc brakes are almost always equipped with thru-axles, which precisely align the wheel and add a touch of extra stiffness to the system. The "Multisport" still comes with the quick-release levers that have been tried and tested for decades. This has no real noticeable disadvantages in terms of control, lateral stiffness and maintenance on this bike. Removal and installation is even a little quicker. However, if you were to buy new, high-quality wheels, you would already realise how thin the range is for this type of axle.

Airy at the front

The Rose is the only bike in our cycle touring test group to have a suspension fork, and it's really good because it's variable: because it works by means of an air chamber and not a steel spring, riders of all weight classes can fill it with as much or as little pressure as they like so that the 65 millimetres of suspension travel can actually be used. A front pannier rack does not easily fit on it, but the very large luggage load is not waiting in the "Multisport" area anyway - also because the relatively narrow tyres would be squashed enormously at every pavement edge with a high load, which would endanger the inner tubes.

Integration and payload

Like many modern bikes, this one shamefully hides the front rack stays under the mudguard. A strong profile connects the frame and the carrier in a fashionably invisible way. The really generous test panniers (24 kilos) hardly put the bike off track even when turning quickly, although the riding position is rather rear-heavy and only puts a little reassuring weight on the front wheel. The relatively smooth ride is probably also due to the high suspension fork. It flattens the steering angle and thus takes the nervousness out of the geometry.

Details of the Rose

• Price: 1999 Euro >> available here
• Frame sizes: 19, 21, 23, 25"
• Test bike weight: 14.6 kg (incl. lock)
• Permissible total weight: 130 kg
• Frame: Aluminium, welded and ground
• Fork: Rockshox Paragon Air suspension fork, 65 mm
• Drive unit: Shimano Deore XT Trekking
• Translation: 3x10, 48/ 36/ 24 teeth, sprocket 11-34 teeth, 574 %
• Brakes/ø: Shimano Deore XT, 180/ 160 mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Racer Perf, 38-622
• Lighting system: Shimano hub dynamo, Busch + Müller IQ XS headlight, 70 lux

Advantages and disadvantages

• Plus: Impressive suspension fork; high-quality equipment; stiff frame
• Minus: Tyres too narrow for high payload; classic quick release

Conclusion on the touring bike

The tried and tested "Multisport" can do a lot of things really well. With the complete XT drivetrain, it is basically suitable for travelling. But its real strength is its versatility, which also includes everyday use and long excursions.

Straightforwardly fast - The Stevens 8X Lite Tour

Stevens is asking 2,200 euros for the "8X Lite". At first glance, the Hanseatic plane looks rather plain. Is it worth the price?

For over 30 years, the Hamburg brand has had a good reputation among trekking cyclists. Well-engineered products with no frills at a fair price have reliably placed the bikes from the specialised trade at the top of the MYBIKE readers' polls. The "8X Lite", which is constantly adapted to technical developments, has been part of the programme for many years. Stevens itself categorises it in the "City Cross" category as a carefree bike for commuters, with a little touring potential on top. We focussed on this supposed extra - and found a fast tourer for sporty riders.

Racing across the country

The fact that the wonderfully light "8X" is a bike with its own character is already apparent from its geometry: its wheelbase is a few centimetres shorter than that of the equally sporty Giant, its steering angle a little steeper, making the steering behaviour comparatively agile. This geometry is softened by a ten-centimetre-long stem. The result is a position that is not extremely bent, but is decidedly sporty in this test field. The first test ride without luggage was a lot of fun for the author with an affinity for road bikes: with enough weight on the front wheel, the "8X" can take fast bends with ease. The trendy gravel bike tyres from Schwalbe are profiled in such a way that their mini studs inspire confidence on asphalt even when leaning - this is sometimes not the case with more robustly profiled tyres.

Second round, this time with a test load of 24 kilos in the form of sandbags in the panniers. Transporting such heavy luggage only at the rear is not really clever when travelling, but the combination of frame stiffness, solid luggage rack and sufficient load on the front wheel proves its worth: the supposed "city crosser" can also travel, and even more so with the typically lighter luggage that would be on board on cycle path tours with an overnight stay in a hotel. Just how reliable and finely controllable the mountain bike-compatible XT disc brakes are was demonstrated in this overloaded state for test purposes.

Greetings from the north

Is it the brand's proximity to cycling, its home in the flat north of Germany or our misunderstanding of the area of use? In any case, we have found a sticking point that restricts a standard "8X" when travelling: The 3x10 groupset in the Stevens version has a very narrow gear range. The smallest gear with 28 teeth at the front and only 32 teeth on the rear wheel requires a lot of leg power and stamina when carrying a load uphill. However, with such a high-quality bike, the dealer is unlikely to refuse to fit a more mountain-orientated XT sprocket with up to 36 teeth.

Details of the Stevens

• Price: 2199 Euro
• Frame sizes: 48/ 52/ 55/ 58/ 61/ 64 cm; 46/ 50/ 54 cm (trapeze)
• Test bike weight: 13.2 kg
• Permissible total weight: 130 kg
• Frame: Aluminium, welded
• Fork: Aluminium
• Drive unit: Shimano Deore XT Trekking
• Translation: 48/ 38/ 28 teeth; 11-32 teeth, circumference 498 %
• Brakes/ø: Shimano Deore XT, 180/ 160 mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Allruond Perf. 40-622
• Lighting system: Shimano hub dynamo, Busch + Müller IQ-X 100 Lux headlight

Advantages and disadvantages

• Plus: Light, stiff, fast; high-quality, homogeneous equipment
• Minus: Gear ratio not very suitable for uphill riding; moderate comfort Fork/seatpost

Conclusion on the touring bike

A fast, but only moderately comfort-orientated bike for tours with light luggage or longer commuter routes. A recommendation for experienced cycle travellers with Forward momentum.