There are enough people in some of the cycling segments like road biking or time trial/triathalon biking or the major mountain biking segments, or now the new thing is gravel biking, that manufacturers put together a complete group of components that are designed to work really well with each other. Touring is not a large enough group that manufacturers specifically put together a package of parts for it.
Thus, the history of bike touring for the past few decades is mixing and matching road and mountain bike parts so that you can get the lower gearing you want and better braking you need on a touring bike that rides and handles like a road bike (although heavier and slower) with drop bars.
That worked great. Until it didn't work so well when mountain and road cable pull per shift were not compatible any more. And mountain brakes had a different cable pull than road brakes.
And globally, drop bars are favored in USA, but often flat bars are favored in continental Europe, so you can find that even a preferred touring package might have regional characteristics. So even if manufacturers made the perfect touring setup, it would not sell well around the globe.
Originally Posted by
Chrisp72
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... I had some comments on another post, not in this group, of someone wanting to get the new Shimano 12 speed 1x drivetrain for bike packing. I like components that are proven for their intended purpose but I don't buy into the latest and greatest until it trickles down from the top tier groups. Am I a retro grouch now?
There are advantages and disadvantages to both 1X systems and multi-chainring systems. In general, a 1X is limited in total range from lowest to highest gear, that range simply is how much bigger the biggest sprocket is compared to the smallest. But the 2X or 3X systems offered a wider range, but are a bit heavier, cost more, take more time to setup well and maintain, etc.
And, there is an advantage to having a sequential single shifter like on a 1X system that goes from your lowest gear to your highest gear. You really do not have to think about which shifter to shift when you want to change gears, thus some people will prefer a 1X system for that reason too.
There was a long thread a few months ago on 1X systems vs systems that have a double or triple crank. It covers the topic of 1X and double/triple crank options really well. Check it out.
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...ring-bike.html