Touring - Which Tourer?

i have started looking for a reliable ,comfortable (if pos) tourer which will be loaded and covering large distances(hopefully!).will be passing through europe then asia so predominantly tarmac roads however some will be dirt and rough.have looked at the ridgeback panorama and the canondale t800, if you have any info on these or any other bikes (in uk) it would be very much appreciated ,thanks.

Dawes Galaxy is the benchmark for a UK tourer. If another bike costs more, how much better is it?
Thorn make seriously good tourers like the EXP see sjscycles.com. The 26"MTB wheels are better than 700c for replacement tyres and inner tubes in most of the world.
Orbit are good value.
If you have more to spend, then a stock frame from Mercian/Bob Jackson/Roberts etc, built up by a trusted local bike shop is hard to beat.

Al Canondales are tough and reliable, but better for large riders. Steel is still the material of choice for most expedition bikes.

The framebuilders I know don't rate cannondale frames but that may be an artistic or aesthetic objection! Also aluminium will give you a very harsh ride unless you are looking for an XL frame.

See: http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=19269 for an inexpensive steel tourer. It does seem that steel is the way to go so look at either the higher end dawes or revolution. M Steel cycles do a beautifully fillet brazed frame to build up yourself: see http://www.msteelcycles.co.uk/bikes.htm#Touring for more details.

What bike you need depends on what load you intend to carry - have a look at the following sites for clues....

http://www.roundtheworldbybike.com/
http://www.koopmann.lightup.net/crane/

As the latter shows, a racing frame will survive an amazing amount of abuse - just get good wheels and make sure it fits!

Comfort is a very individual thing so it will be worth trying several stem lengths and saddles - some people swear by brooks ( I have a swift ) but they need breaking in before you travel, others prefer gel saddles such as those by terry or specialized but whatever you need a lot of miles first to decide. If you get a compact (sloping top tube) frame then it will fit you given the right stem and saddle placement.... My personal advice would be to avoid flat bars and get either drop or moustache bars to give you more options for hand pacement.

My preference is for 26" wheels so you can go from slicks to ice or sand tyres and everything between. As I'm short there may be other reason for this choice as well. Most 700c fork crown are limited in the width of tyres they take.

Not that I want to start the 26" vs 700c debate here, but unless you're a real expeditionist, the 700c wheels won't be an issue. I can fit 700x38 to my Thorn Club Tour with plenty of clearance. Hybrid tyres (ie Specialized Crossroad) will make taking the bike off road possible. IMO, the only limit is whether the bigger tyres are available or not.

Narrow 26" tires (less than 1.75") are harder to find than 700x32 to 40.

On the other hand, many 700c frames, including quite a few touring frames have a hard time to accept 700x37 tires AND fenders at the same time.