I met a guy who rode 9+ months with his wife thru China, he had a trek 520 and she a mountain bike. He said he visited over 200 bike shops searching for a replacement 700c tire while she could get a 26"er anywhere.
I ride a Thorn Nomad which is a 26" tourer as mentioned above. It was a bit more than the Bruce Gordon BLT, but the geometry fit me better so that's what i went with.