veganbikes, I don't think that there can be an ultimate group for the touring riders. I believe that because unlike other cycling niches, it's common among touring riders' equipment to have three styles of handlebars, practices ranging from ultra light to fully loaded and so on.

In general I don't think that upper tier equipment is needed, at least in the way a roadie or a mountain biker (both apply to me) sees it. I built my touring bike on a budget in case I didn't care about touring as much as I thought. Over the last three years I've put many miles on it, but I have no real desire to "upgrade" anything and I like to use upper tier bits. I can stand to improve my panniers, however.

This year I picked up a second touring bike for a beater/loaner. It is a high mileage bike that had dubious care and maintenance. It's mid level equipment was in good condition only requiring cleaning and lubrication.

I do have a preference for Sugino crank sets.

Brad