Originally Posted by mtclifford

Hi, I was wondering if I could get some advice on what I need to start touring.

Basically here is my situation. I am fairly new to cycling, having been way out of shape for many years, I decided to participate in a triathlon this summer.

I picked up a Trek 7.2 FX and quickly realized that I really needed a road bike for what I wanted to do. I bought a road bike but use my Trek for long distance trail rides and have really fallen in love with the idea of touring. I live in North Central WV and was thinking of touring the Pittsburgh-DC route later in the summer after the triathlon.

Would my trek bike work for this? And exactly at what point, distance wise, would it be effective to buy a tour specific bike over this one? Also to be noted I will be leaving for Africa for 2 years (Peace Corps) in November and really would love to take a bike with me for getting around and possibly longer distance trips after I am finished.

Thanks for any advice.