I currently have the 161s on my nishiki which I use for light tours so far and some commuting.

The good: The 27 x 1-3/8" ride very skinny, but when inflated at 65psi they are surprisingly smooth even on corners, more so than the ritchey speedmax cross I have on my regular commuter. no flats yet. have had it in 10 miles of 1/2"-1" snow and still liked them. I also take a few short cuts here and there that would not be possible with road tires.

The bad: after 400-500 miles of mostly unloaded riding the back tires have about two thirds of the tread the fronts do. I'm guessing that with a tire rotation the set may go 1,200-1,500 miles.

The not so ugly: at 15 bucks a tire I can live with the wear, but the longest "tour" I have planned for the summer is the 230 mi KATY trail. Most of the time I overnight with a very light (20-30lbs) of gear.

YMMV, I'm a bit heavy at 185lbs, if you are lighter you could get more out of the tire. I see it as a good value tire and easy to find locally in the 27" range, but wouldn't use it for serious touring.