Your wife's first tour will be 5 days averaging 130 miles/day? Loaded, right? Thus the LHT.

If she's in terrific biking shape and the route is flat, she might be able to average 15mph (rolling time only) while loaded. I'm talking bike computer calculated average, not the speed you see when you're looking at it. That's almost 9 hours/day in the saddle plus stops for meals or anything else. More power to you. I wouldn't tell anyone else how to tour, but I hope she knows most bike tourists don't try to cover that many miles/day, especially loaded. It would be a shame if she got turned off to the idea of touring based on that trip.

I'm not familiar with the Vassaggo Fisticuffs, so I looked it up.



What is it about that frame you're attracted to? Certainly not the fork, I hope.

It looks more like a 29er MTB than a touring bike. The don't publish much about the geometry, but the 42.5cm chainstays aren't optimal for rear panniers. The text talks about a higher bottom bracket, but they don't give the BB drop specification. Generally, touring frames have a fairly low BB. There isn't much need for pedal clearance to the ground in tight turns with a touring bike.

There are lots of touring-specific frames out there. Some of them have a prettier color of paint, too.