Hi,
This summer I am considering doing a tour from Barcelona to Venice via the South coast of France with two friends. We intend to put aside around 3 weeks for the trip, including travel to and from the route by train. Does this sound like enough time for the trip? Also do people have any experience of a similar route? What would the cycling be like along the south coast of France as we preferibly intend to avoid traffic where possible.
I also need advice on what bike to purchase. We will be camping along the way so will probably be carrying lots of gear, does this mean I will definitely need a touring bike? I am a student and so do not have a huge budget to spend, especially as I will need to buy panniers etc. as well. Do people have any recommendations for cheap bikes that would do the job? I would definitely consider second hand bikes but not really sure what to look for.
A friend pointed out to me these cheap road bikes but I'm not sure they would be suitable?

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType...&pt=14&pg=7034
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwP...c003155c018341
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Apologies for the long post, as you can probably tell I'm a complete beginner! Any kind of help or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.