First of all, I would like to thank you for your active participation, without which this survey would not have turned out so well. 518 people took part, providing some very interesting insights and information.
Thank you also for the many motivating comments! It makes me very happy to provide inspiration and support with my work.
The aim of this survey is to give guidance to all those who want to buy a bike for bikepacking/bike touring and are not yet really familiar with it or are overwhelmed by the variety of offers and options.
They can now draw on the experience and recommendations of real bike travel & bikepacking experts.
Another reason, however, is the inspiration that such surveys trigger, even among old hands, and that they are also very good at tracing developments.
In essence, it’s about the question:
Which bike with which components would you put together today to ride your tours, whether bikepacking or bike touring?
And now you can find the answers here.
Evaluation of the survey part 1
The first part of the evaluation is about the soft facts, which bikepacking/bike touring type you are, where you buy your bike and how much money you spend. On the other hand, we’ll dive into the hard facts and take a look at what you recommend in terms of frame materials, wheels and hubs, as well as tires and brakes.
Have fun!
Bikepacker type
As life is never just black or white, several votes were allowed to be cast. The majority identified themselves as bikepackers, followed by a large group who are somewhere between sporty bikepacking and bike touring. And it is probably often difficult to make an exact classification, as you are either one way or the other.
New purchases and online
New in my survey were the questions about purchasing behavior.
Interestingly, the majority bought their bike new. A third build the bike themselves and another third modify the bike “off the shelf” a little and adapt it to their personal requirements.
I only build my bikes myself and only buy the components I need online. However, I make sure that I only buy them from continental/national online retailers. And fortunately, we have a wide range to choose from.
52% still rely on local dealers when buying bikes and components. That’s very good, of course. 70% do as I do and buy their parts from R2-Bike, Bike Components, Bike24 and the like. 26% buy directly from the manufacturers. 23% find what they need on the second-hand market. I’m doing this more and more, because after the hype of the corona years, many people are putting their almost unused bikes up for sale again, which is why bargains are definitely lurking there. And with the new used bike platforms, there are now also trustworthy providers who make buying used bikes as easy and safe as possible.
Shut up and take my money!
Maybe it’s the time of year or my age, but I’m currently reflecting on this whole consumer craze, which is getting out of hand, especially among us cyclists (keyword N+1).
I asked these questions more than two years ago and most people were prepared to spend between € 2,500 and € 3,500 on a new bike.
This has obviously changed somewhat, as a first majority is prepared to spend up to 3,000 euros. And even more people are prepared to invest up to 5,000 euros. However, we must not forget that prices have also risen, which is why such sums can quickly add up.
And because you can play with numbers so well: 63% of the votes are in the range of €3,500 to > €8,000.
Gravel bike for all occasions
And what do you buy? Mostly a gravel bike, with which you can actually cover a wide range of applications. Either sporty gravel racing or leisurely bikepacking or cycling tours. In my view, the gravel bike segment is becoming increasingly differentiated into performance-oriented bikes and those that are more geared towards bikepacking.
And indeed, many gravel bikes are really well suited to touring. And bikepacking is no longer just for short tours. There are now countless people on round-the-world or trans-continental tours who travel with gravel bikes and bikepacking equipment. A classic touring bike is therefore no longer absolutely necessary. This is still used by 21%, followed by randonneurs, the still very popular original form of touring bike, with 18% of the votes.
My “bike style”, the Drop Bar MTB, comes in third place with 22% of the votes.
Steel is real…
… but not quite as dominant as in the last survey. Back then, 79% of the votes were in favor of the traditional frame material. Today it is still 61%, followed by titanium and aluminum.
Carbon ends up in last place. I find this surprising, as carbon is far ahead in the choice of material in all bikepacking ultra races. But perhaps it just shows how differently this rather smaller group of ultras works compared to the larger group of “normalos”.
I’m a Titan rider, but I also took a look at the new Salsa Cutthroat, which could one day replace the Titan Fargo. The Cutty is only available in carbon.
Bike brands: Salsa in front – close
And that brings us to the topic: when asked about the bike brands, Salsa received the most votes, followed by Canyon, Surly and Bombtrack. In other words, an American-German top group. Although in the top 6, German manufacturers Tout Terrain and Rose increased their dominance.
Compared to the 2022 survey, not much has changed, only Canyon has moved up into the top 3 and was previously not really in the relevant set when it comes to adventure bikes.
However, this is only a representation of majorities – not a recommendation to buy. There are many brands and manufacturers that are simply smaller and more specialized and therefore not necessarily known to a wide audience. I have not been able to show all the votes here, but brands such as Sour, 8bar, BMC, Fern, Cicli Bonano, Orba or Focus (and many more) have also received votes. If you’re particularly interested, I’d be happy to show you all the votes for the brands.
Bike models: Salsa also in front
Salsa is also ahead with the Fargo when it comes to specific model recommendations. I can’t help but be surprised that it’s so popular in this country. I’m also very much looking forward to an update of the Fargo, which will perhaps (hopefully) come in 2025.
Second place goes to the Canyon Grizl. I hadn’t really thought of it as a bikepacking gravel bike, but obviously the Koblenz-based company have done a good job and some of you can recommend it.
The front is rigid
As in 2022, the rigid fork on your bike got the most votes. However, this year there was only 68% compared to the 80% two years ago.
I have to say that I am increasingly a fan of suspension forks on bikes. This has to do with the considerable increase in performance and the reduction in weight. Not to mention the ride comfort, which is fantastic.
In 2022, a meagre 5% of votes were in favor of a suspension fork. This year, 12% already voted in favor.
There was also a change in the material: while steel was still in the lead last time, carbon has now taken first place. I can understand this, because carbon forks are now really good and durable and can also carry weight if necessary.
28“ leads, 29” is coming
Which wheel size should it be? There has been a lot of movement and many changes in recent years. We are currently seeing a decline in demand for 27.5” and the size will probably not remain relevant for much longer.
On the other hand, 29” continues to rise and we are already seeing rims with an inner rim width of 30mm in the gravel sector, which were otherwise more common in the MTB sector. 28“ and 29” are the same size, the only difference is the tire width. 28” is still in the lead, but perhaps this will change with the described trend towards ever wider gravel tires, which are already scratching the MTB sizes of 2.1/2.25 inches.
40-50mm wide tires are still the most popular, followed by 30-40mm, but these have lost five percentage points compared to 2022. On the other hand, the share of 2.2/2.25 inch wide tires will increase from 20% to 24%.
Schwalbe flies in front
Not much has changed in terms of tire brands, with the triumvirate of Schwalbe, Conti and Vittoria leading the way and receiving the most votes. Behind Maxxis – but with fewer votes – come Panaracer, Rene Herse and WTB.
Among the models, the Schwalbe G-One is clearly in the lead, followed by the company’s own Marathon tire. Third place goes to the Italian classic and all-rounder Vittoria Mezcal.
The Pirelli Cinturato, the Vittoria Terreno and the Panaracer Gravel King just missed out on the top 5.
Less inner tube, more milk
Tubes are still preferred in tires, but the proportion continues to fall and the sealing milk is gaining more and more fans. Two years ago, 59% voted for inner tubes and 39% for sealant.
Tubeless has now risen significantly and will probably soon be used by the majority.
Rims: From Switzerland with love
When we talk about rims on bicycles, the majority of us are talking about DT-Swiss. The Swiss were able to increase their share from 56% in 2022 to 60% in 2025. But Mavic also made slight gains.
When it comes to rim material, aluminum still dominates, but carbon continues to catch up here. I would also have expected a higher proportion of carbon here, as the absolute majority of ultra events now only use carbon. In 2022, 79% still voted for aluminum rims and 7% for carbon. Now it’s 12% less for aluminum and 10% more for carbon.
There was no clear picture in the survey data on rim models, which is why I am not listing this here.
Hubs: Hopp Schwiitz!
DT-Swiss dominates here too and I’m also a fan of the hubs and ride the 240s.
Compared to 2022, the Swiss have increased their dominance from 45% to 58%. Behind them, Shimano, Hope and Chris King share the places.
And it should come as no surprise to anyone that the thru-axle has prevailed. It is simply the better system.
Specific hub models were also named, however, and here too DT-Swiss took the top two places with the 350 and the 240. Their share has also increased again compared to 2022 (from 17% to 29% for the 350 and from 13% to 20% for the 240).
Dynamo hub? Yes!
Most people still prefer a hub dynamo on the front wheel. And the advantages are obvious: you have an independent and constant power supply and lighting. However, the proportion of Nady fans has fallen from 64% to 55%.
I prefer the hub dynamo, as it offers the independence I need for my type of travel. But if you are not on the road for so long or need to regulate your power requirements differently, as there are more consumers and almost daily access to power sockets, you naturally rely on batteries and powerbanks. The advantage of light is that it is sometimes brighter and also independent of speed. A clear advantage, especially uphill.
SON is the undisputed leader when it comes to dynamo hubs. They are the ultimate in terms of efficiency, weight and durability.
Brakes are no longer a question
The answer is hydraulic disc brakes. They are the clear favorite on the bike with more than 80% and I can absolutely understand that. Nowadays you hear less and less urban legends talking about cracked cables and things like that. And even I, who came to hydraulic brakes very conservatively via mechanical disc brakes, am absolutely convinced.
19% are still in favor of a mechanical disc brake on the bike. This may well be due to the fact that they are easier to repair on the road. In 2022, 34% still voted for this solution.
In terms of brands, Shimano is still in the lead, building really good brakes. However, I’m sure that SRAM will gain even more share here as soon as the new braking technology from the SRAM RED has found its way into the lower groupsets.
With the Shimano XT, the Japanese also have a reliable and high-performance classic, which will be followed this year by the GRX from their own company. In addition to the good performance, this is also due to the fact that many gravel bikes automatically have the GRX on board.
A brake is often only as good as the disk with which it brakes. And depending on the total weight and requirements, size naturally plays a role here.
I now ride 180 mm disks front and rear. I can brake everything with them and my four-piston brakes have a bit more material to burn up. But the 160 mm discs are also often completely sufficient, even with luggage.
Basically, however, you have to look at what you want to install depending on the application and system weight. For example, classic touring cyclists with their bike trucks are certainly well-advised to fit a larger brake rotor for 150 kg and more – assuming the frame can take it.
So, that was the evaluation part 1.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section.
In the second part, we’ll really get into the details of the gears, drivetrain, transmission and more.
Hallo Martin,
Wie immer total spannend was du hier zusammengeschrieben hast! Danke dafür!
Habe leider nicht verstanden, was in dem Punkt: “Halt die Klappe und nimm mein Geld!” gemeint ist. Was meinst du mit dem Konsumwahn? Bitte um Erklärung:)))
Gruß
Ilja
Das ist ein geflügeltes Wort, welches oft benutzt wird, wenn es darum geht viel Geld für etwas auszugeben, was man ohnehin kauft, aber sich vorher noch ziert.