Originally Posted by
noglider
I don't think touring bikes were ever the top of any line, but I agree with the rest of what you said. It was a fad that had some merit. But for a while, lots of people who wanted to spend on themselves and get what they perceived to be the best decided that a touring bike was ideal, even if they weren't going to trek with bags on their bikes. And you could do worse, even if you were just going for Sunday rides.
I'm not so dismissive of touring bike buyers during this "echo" of the bike boom. People were buying bikes in '73 for lifestyle and health reasons, and I think those reasons carried through into the '80s.
Buyers looked at touring bikes (and marketed them) as more Cadillac or Land Rover top-of-the-line than Corvette top-of-the-line. The 'Vette had the engineering (well, kind of) and the Caddy had the build quality (well, sort of) and the features.
I think that touring market in the mid-80's contained plenty of people who were legitimately serious about long-distance self-supported riding. I started riding in the late '80s, and I was on bike boom era italian gaspipe with 70/70 geometry doing MS 150's. I knew no different-- that was, and still is, riding to me.
Which is more top of the line, the '84 Trek 170 or the 720? 170 would win the debate, probably even the 760 and 770, but you could still argue in favor of the 720...
And what about custom bikes of the day? I read a fair bit about people who special order touring bikes these days. Wasn't it the same in the '80s?
Anyway, I'd quibble with "fad" and "conspicuous consumption." A lot of touring dreams and plans fall through sure enough, but I'd say that there are far more racing hopes dashed! Or dropped, as the case may be!
