I thought I was down to two choices...the seemingly king of touring bikes, the Surly Disc Trucker and the much cheaper REI special Safari. So I went out and rode both bikes. The safari felt good but I was really turned off by the fact that the lines to the rear brakes and shifter ran down the top of the center bar and visions of jumping off and getting pinched in the wrong placed danced through my head. I asked the REI rep if there was some kind of protector for that and he didn't know of any solutions. So off to another bike shop and I took the 52cm LHT for a spin. The stand over height was good but it felt like I was really reaching out to the handlebars. NOt sure I would like that on a really long ride. I ride a felt V85 in 54 and it fits fine but it is definitely not a touring bike. So I am off looking for good alternatives. I do want disc brakes and my budget is ~$1,500.00. I liked the Trek 920, it was built like a tank but was out of my budget range. Any other suggestions?