Originally Posted by mrleft2000

I guess I also forgot that the pedals had started making a grinding sound around 800~1000 miles. I repacked them since it didn't require any special tools. I also just got a parktool tension meter today; turns out the spokes are way off of each other in terms of tension. So if you get someone to true your wheels, make sure they also re-tension them.

Contrary to what the website says, the Tourist actually has an altus drivetrain with 8 gears in the back.

When you stand back to really look at the Tourist, it really is close to a flat bar touring bike. Seems to have at least a 1:1 gear ratio, fender & rear rack eyelets, 700c solid fork with brake bosses, 32 oddly patterned spokes per wheel, relatively relaxed geometry and not horrible chainstay length. If you look at it from that angle, you could make the argument that it is a really good buy for entry level touring.