Road Bike Routes

Road bikes are designed for speed and maximum power transfer from pedal to road.

Touring bikes, although with their own quirks, are probably also best included in this category for the purpose of finding suitable routes.

Sporting drop handlebars, which allow you to lower your body position for better aerodynamics, they are also usually the lightest weight type of bicycle available — especially the now commonplace carbon models — and come with tyres down to a pencil-thin 23mm.

If you’re confident cycling on roads, want to feel like a pro and absolutely don’t want to ever diverge off onto bumpier paths, a road bike could be the obvious choice, but otherwise think carefully: the narrow tyres transfer vibration and bumps, the handlebar position can give the feeling of less control and they aren’t always well designed for everyday utility functions.

An excellent compromise if you need to use some bumpier off-road paths to link your favourite road routes is a Gravel bike (also known as ‘Adventure Road’, or Cyclocross).