I’m happy to share that my annual update to the Touring & Bikepacking Bike Buyer’s Guides is now complete. The bikepacking bike guide now includes over 380 bikes, while the touring bike guide features more than 330 models, making it easier than ever to find the best options this year.
Over the past month, I’ve been deep in research – reviewing the latest touring and bikepacking bikes, calculating key measurements, tracking emerging trends, speaking directly with manufacturers, and updating the terminology and general advice throughout the guides.
I’ll be sharing my favourite bikes in the coming months, so stay tuned…
Latest Changes To The Bikepacking Bike Buyer’s Guide
More Bikes!
The gravel and light-touring categories continue to grow. The global gravel bike market was estimated at US $1.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach US $2.4 billion by 2032. Manufacturers are making gravel bikes, and riders are clearly buying them.
Off-road bikes running 2.3 to 2.5″ tyres have also expanded significantly, with gravel bikes pushing further into what were once considered MTB tyre widths.
At the same time, a handful of traditional touring and trekking bikes have disappeared. I suspect that many riders are opting for lighter gravel bikes instead, which often offer similar components and features, but with a more modern appeal.
Drop Bar MTB Are Here
One trend I’ve noticed is manufacturers fitting drop bars to existing mountain bike frames and marketing them as gravel bikes. This shift reflects how the gravel and XC hardtail categories are beginning to converge, particularly around tyre widths and suspension. Many brands simply don’t have a gravel frame in their range that can accommodate very wide tyres, so this has become a convenient workaround.
I’m not entirely convinced this approach is ideal. Mountain bike frames typically have much longer reach than true drop-bar designs – often by 60 mm or more. This significantly increases the distance from saddle to handlebars, and with modern stems already quite short, there’s limited scope to adjust the fit.
That stretched-out geometry can work well for gravel racers, who often prefer a long and low position. It can also suit riders with proportionally longer torsos and arms. For most bikepackers, though, I’d prefer to see purpose-built frames that are shorter in reach and taller in stack, properly designed around drop bars rather than adapted as an afterthought.
Gravel Bikes Are Becoming More Capable
Gravel bikes are evolving with wider tyres, slower steering, and lower climbing gears, making them far more capable than ever before.
This year alone, the average maximum tyre width across more than 200 gravel bikes increased from 46 mm to 50 mm – an 8.5% jump that significantly improves comfort and control on rougher terrain.
Gearing has shifted as well. The average lowest climbing gear has dropped from 25 to 24 gear inches. That might sound minor, but just a few years ago, 27 to 28 gear inches was typical on most gravel bikes (think a 40T chainring paired with a 10-42T cassette). In practical terms, climbing gears are now about 10% lower on average.
What’s more, many gravel bikes now offer a minimum of 21 to 22 gear inches, making it genuinely feasible to carry a moderate load and spin comfortably up steep climbs. That’s a big step forward in terms of bike capability.
As gravel bikes push further off-road, steering geometry is changing too. Average steering speed has slowed by around 4% in just the past year – a positive shift that will improve stability and confidence on rougher surfaces.
Gearbox Bike Categories Continue To Grow
There are now even more gearbox and internal gear hub bikes featured in my buyer’s guides. The Touring Bicycle Buyer’s Guide alone now includes well over 100 of these models.
These systems are far less vulnerable to damage and experience dramatically lower component wear than traditional derailleur drivetrains. They offer a wide gear range, instant shifting, and require no tuning or adjustment. Maintenance is minimal, typically limited to an oil change every 5,000 to 10,000 km.
For riders looking for a truly bombproof drivetrain, they’re about as close to ideal as it gets.
Compare Bike Sizing On Bike Insights
A large proportion of my time has been spent inputting the latest frame geometry numbers of every bike in my books into the website Bike Insights.
If you haven’t seen this nifty web tool before, it allows you to visualise the size differences between any two bikes found in my guides. It is particularly useful when determining the best bike size for you, as manufacturers do not have a standardised way of sizing them.
For example, use this link to see the 63cm Bianchi Impulso gravel bike overlayed on the 56cm Kona Sutra. Given the sizing name, you’d think they’d be 3 to 4 sizes apart, but they measure up almost identically in terms of frame length and handlebar height.
While the sizing discrepancies aren’t always this stark, Bike Insights is a useful way of checking you’re getting the right-sized bike.
Another useful way to use Bike Insights is to borrow, hire, test, or get professionally fitted to a bike that (1) feels good in terms of size, and (2) is listed in the Bike Insights database. You can then use this bike as a size benchmark for comparing any of the bikes in my guides.
Accessing The Update
Those who have already purchased my buyer’s guide(s) will have received an email with the book updates on the 31st of January 2026.
If you have already purchased these guides, you can also search your email system for your original “Gumroad” receipt. That will take you to your portal with the latest book(s), along with the buyer’s guides from previous years.
Failing that, please get in contact with me using a private message on Facebook or Instagram (note: I’m currently cycling through Africa and don’t always have an internet connection).
If you’re a new customer, awesome! My guides will teach you everything about bikepacking or touring bikes, before allowing you to compare over 380 bikes at the back of the books (330 in the touring guide). My guides are updated yearly – for free – so you can always keep on top of the latest bikes and information.
You can get the Bikepacking Bike Buyer’s Guide HERE.
You can get the Touring Bicycle Buyer’s Guide HERE.