I ended up using my 1993 Bridgestone XO-2 on my long distance rides this year. I'd been using the bike as my crummy weather bike for a while but this was the first time I took it on a few trips to some long distance and/or hilly rides.

The bike rides great. It has road bike geometry built around 26 inch wheels. The bar, stem, and headset are original; I've switched everything else out. I picked up a claris group from a fellow BF member; I'm impressed with the brifters and derailleurs. I'm running a mtb crank (44-32-22) with an 11-28 on the rear which gives me a low of around 20 inches and usable high of 100 inches. I like the combo a lot but it was not something I really planned out; I just used stuff I picked up cheap.

The wheels and tires are what make this bike work well for long distance rides. The mavic xc 717 rims weigh 420 grams; the pasela tg 26 x 1.5 folding tires weigh 400 grams. 820 grams isn't bad for what is basically a really fat road tire mounted on a xc rim. I run them at right around 65 psi.

This bike handles superbly and is really comfy on long distance rides: