I'm much more comfortable on it now. If I was starting over I would get an expedition/ touring bike and (perhaps not a mountain bike) plus a 'round town bike, but i would still have a utility bike. The Loring is comfortable to ride and sturdy. I've had about 15kg on the back and it reared up on its stand as it needed some weight on the rack. You wouldn't want it as a touring bike, unless you took the rack off and put low riders on, but as a shopper it's great.