Touring - Advice on light touring bike & panniers

I am new to road biking, currently I am riding a mountain and I am looking for some advise.

I’m planning on doing some light touring with my family next spring, hotel to hotel, with max 25lbs of weight. If I could by two bikes I would definitely get a touring bike, but unfortunately the budget will only allow for one so I am looking for a road bike that is suitable for some light touring.

I am considering the Cannondale Synapse Sport 5 or the Specialized Sequoia Elite; both have rear rack mounting points.

Will I run into a problem with my feet hitting the pannier bags on a traditional road bike vs. a touring bike? If this is a problem, has anybody used the Nashbar Euro Compact Pannier that is contoured to allow for more foot room? Any advice you can lend is appreciated.

If you plan to spend the bulk of your time road cycling rather than touring, consider getting a unabashed road bike with a triple and a trailer - a BOB Yak or an Extrawheel. If you plan to tour off-road or on gravel roads, then you can use your trailer with your mountain bike. You'll have plenty of capacity with the trailer, but you don't have to use it.

I am new to road biking, currently I am riding a mountain and I am looking for some advise.

I’m planning on doing some light touring with my family next spring, hotel to hotel, with max 25lbs of weight. If I could by two bikes I would definitely get a touring bike, but unfortunately the budget will only allow for one so I am looking for a road bike that is suitable for some light touring.

I am considering the Cannondale Synapse Sport 5 or the Specialized Sequoia Elite; both have rear rack mounting points.

Will I run into a problem with my feet hitting the pannier bags on a traditional road bike vs. a touring bike? If this is a problem, has anybody used the Nashbar Euro Compact Pannier that is contoured to allow for more foot room? Any advice you can lend is appreciated.

Get a longer rack, like a Jandd Expedition, and then just mount the panniers more towards the rear of the rack. With the weight you're planning on carrying, that should work out fine.

First the bike. Either one you mention will work, but I don't think they are optimal because of the tyre size limitations and stock gearing. What you're really looking for is a sport tourer so if you are prepared to pay a bit more and like the retro style something like the Rivendell Rambouillet would be just right. Something a bit more economical would be a Bianchi Volpe.

I think the Nashbar panniers you mention are a bit big for your purposes and a trailer is even more over kill. Go with some small front panniers like the Carradice Super C or Ortlieb and mount them on a rear rack. The small size of these will give you lots of heal clearance, but more than enough room to pack for light touring. I'd definitely recommend you get a handlebar bag too for important items that you can take with you whenever you leave the bike.

An alternative approach to this sort of light touring is to use a saddlebag which is that way I do it.

Check out the Salsa Casseroll.
http://www.salsacycles.com/casseroll08.html