It's a mid to high grade intermediate 'road' bike, as I said earlier. A 'touring' bike is simply a super fancy road bike. You could certainly tour on this bike with some up-grades. 10 speed crank set, upgraded to racing hubs, rims and brakes....or look on the site to see the selection of road bikes..... but I already said all that. (and its in Chinese, lol)

Most people bite off more bike than they can chew. It's really more the biker than the bike. Lookout Mountain is 4.3 miles and 1300 ft up in elevation (no flats). It's a good start for a good rider... but if you can't make it the 1st time... don't blame the bike. This bike has no problem in tough situations.