Mixed terrain cycle touring

Mixed terrain cycle touring, nicknamed "rough riding" in North America and "rough stuff" in Europe, involves cycling over a variety of surfaces and topography on a single route, with a single bicycle. The recent popularity of mixed terrain touring is in part a reaction against the increasing specialization of the bike industry. Focusing on freedom of travel and efficiency over varied surfaces, mixed terrain bicycle travel has a storied past, one closely linked with warfare. By comparison, today’s mixed terrain riders are generally adventure oriented, although many police departments rely on the bicycle’s versatility. In many remote (and not so remote) parts of the world with unreliable pavement, the utility bicycle has become a dominant form of mixed terrain transportation. A new style of travel called adventure cycle-touring or expedition touring involves exploring these remote regions of the world on sturdy bicycles designed for the purpose. Off-road adventure cycling with lightweight gear is often referred to as "bikepacking".

Mountain biking has become increasingly more specialized for travel over technical dirt (hiking width) trails called single track, while road cycling focuses increasingly on maximizing travel over pavement. Traditional bicycle touring is typically considered road biking with travel primarily on paved roads, often carrying heavy loads of camping gear. Rough riding, in contrast, incorporates travel on both dirt and pavement; it stresses efficient travel on any surface or topography, a greater freedom of travel, and self-reliance.

Adventure cycle touring or expedition touring involves bicyclists attempting extended travel in remote regions of the world. Some "use bikes to go even further off the beaten track: they want to go where buses don’t go at all and perhaps where other vehicles cannot get to either." Adventure tourists expect poor road conditions, unpaved roads and other mixed terrain.

Alpine cycle touring is rough riding in the mountains. Different than pure mountain biking, in alpine touring paved mountain roads are combined with dirt roads and single track for an efficient route through tough mountain terrain. Mountain features are not always avoided and are sometimes incorporated into the route, which may require alternative bicycle hauling techniques. This type of bicycle travel has a mountaineering flair, but it is generally done as adventure cycle-touring in developed countries where services are more prevalent and bike technology is slightly different allowing for more efficiency and speedier travel.

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Wikipedia