I have a friend that has three old Cannondales and is considering buying a fourth, but his are all older from 7 speed days. Owning three and looking for a fourth is a pretty good endorsement.

I have another friend that owns a Cannondale but he bought a Trek 520 a few years ago because he specifically wanted a steel frame to absorb the road vibration better. His Cannondale is now in storage. I asked why he bought the 520 when he does not tour and does not even have a rack on the bike, he said it was the only steel frame bike sold by Trek, he lives in a small town where the only bike shop is a Trek shop. He is a high mileage rider and has over 20,000 miles on his Trek. I think about 5,000 of those miles are this year.

If you follow through with your plan to go to northern Canada, schedule will be critical.