Racing Bike (Road Bike)
Racing bikes are lightweight, with narrow, high-pressure tires — typically no more than an inch wide. Everything about them is designed for going fast, on pavement, with no baggage. Racing bikes aren't designed to carry gear and may become unstable when loaded down with panniers (luggage bags for bicycles). But an entry-level racer can be good for light touring
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Sport Bike
Sport bikes look like racing bikes except that the angles of the head tube and fork will be a bit farther from vertical to give a softer (but less efficient) ride. Sport bikes are a little better on gravel than racing bikes, but aren't designed to go off-pavement for extended periods. They don't truly excel at any form of touring — they're slower than racing bikes for light-duty use, and not quite as nicely designed for loaded touring as a dedicated touring bike. But they make an excellent multipurpose compromise.
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Touring Bike
Dedicated touring bikes are the best design for long-haul touring on mostly paved roads. They may even be able to accommodate fairly beefy tires (about halfway between racing tires and mountain bike tires) for extended runs off-pavement. These bikes will do anything sport bikes can do, though not quite as nimbly. On gravel, they'll outperform sport or racing bikes but won't do nearly as well as mountain bikes.
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Mountain Bike
Mountain bikes — by far the most common bicycle sold in the last few years — are at the tough end of the sturdiness spectrum. A mountain bike can be improved for on-pavement touring by substituting lighter wheels and higher-pressure tires, and by changing handlebar style or adding bar extenders. Some newer mountain bikes have frames closer than earlier models to traditional road-bike frames. Mountain bikes are at their best for heavy touring, when you need the strength and stability. They're the only way to go for rough gravel or overnight trail rides.
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Hybrid Bike
Hybrid bicycles mix the comfort, ruggedness, and security of mountain bikes with the quick steering response and reduced rolling resistance of wheels designed for road use. Narrow-tired hybrids work well on day rides, organized tours, and other forms of light touring, although the upright riding position encouraged by the straight handlebars increases wind resistance, slowing you down somewhat. Fatter-tired hybrids can be excellent for loaded touring.
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