Look for a steel chromoly touring road bike with the 3 chain rings up front. they come in 15 speed , 18 speed , 21 speed. they have the same kind of gearing as mountain bikes , but the speed of a road bike. The lower gears will make hill riding a snap. Try to find a bike that is 25 lbs or lighter, which shouldn't be to hard, since most touring bikes are close to that. Stick with steel because its strongest, and best price to buy. Japanese bikes from the 80's were really good, like Univega, Panasonic,Fuji, ect. Treks were very good as well.