Originally Posted by
Takara
It's OK to quest after the perfect, spare-no-expense touring bike, but not if failing to obtain it keeps you from touring. There are a lot more important variables in a successful tour than how many spokes your rear wheel has or whether you've got the perfect shifters . . . or whether the bicycle industry has chosen to market your bike as appropriate for touring. The most important variable is comfort: Can you sit on your bike all day and have a good time? Then it's a touring bike.
I like the way you think.
Regarding the 7-speed - that's all I've ever toured on. Works for me. I'm more concerned with how low is low gear for touring. That Revel 2 has a 34T low gear on the cassette, which I would think would be fine coupled with the 28T chainring.