Let's start with what the bike isn't...which applies to all mountain bikes. The bike isn't a good bike for someone who is 5' tall. Mountain bikes are sized so that the frame is 2" to 3" shorter than what you would ride as a road frame. If you ride a 49cm road bike and are around 5'4" tall, this would be an okay bike for you as a mountain bike. If you are 5' tall, the bike wouldn't be the proper mountain bike nor would it be the proper "road" bike. The top tube is proportioned for someone who has a reach of a 5'4" person. You might be able to straddle the bike...although the bottom bracket is taller on a mountain bike as well...but the handlebars are going to feel like they are about a mile away. It might even be worse since mountain bikes tend to have longer top tubes than many road bikes. This is due to the need to center the rider differently over the bike for optimal off-road performance.

A modern mountain bike isn't a great platform for making a touring bike, either. Early (mid to late 1980s) mountain bikes were very long with very slack angles which made them okay for touring as long as the bike was properly sized. But around 1990, the mountain bike started to undergo a necessary evolution so that they would perform better off-road. The slack angles worked very well for stability while going downhill but the bikes experienced horrible wheel flop during climbs. It required a lot of skill to climb anything steep at a slow speed on a early mountain bike as the bike tended to wander a lot on climbs. Around 1990, the manufacturers steepened the head angle significantly which resulted in less wheel flop...and almost too much responsiveness on downhills. They also shortened the chainstays so that the wheel was further up under the rider to give them more traction on climbs and a more centered rider position. But while short chainstays are great for off-road performance, they made the rear of the bike less pannier friendly.

As a mountain bike, this bike would be on the low end of a "good" modern mountain bike. It's a better mountain bike then anything I owned in the 1980's...and for which I paid a premium. If it were the right size, it might even be a good mountain bike for off-road touring...with some changes like replacing the lousy pogo stick fork a better air/oil shock. But if you are looking for a bike to covert to road touring, keep looking. There are much better bikes out there.