I love touring bikes.

Whatever a "touring bike" is is often up to interpretation. People have their own ideas, and some people don't really care- any bike is a touring bike.

IMO- for a classic tourer, you want cantilever brakes and 44+ cm chainstays.

Again, IMO- 1984-87 is the prime touring bike time- the specific touring design- with long chainstays, 2 or 3 bottle braze ons, front and rear rack braze ons, laid back geometry, cantilever brakes, the best in purpose driven tubing, the best in ATB/MTB/Touring components. It seems the bottom dropped out of the touring market in 1985. In 1985, the big makers made some of the most advanced and highest specced bikes across the board. The Schwinn Voyageur and Voyageur SP, the Trek 620 and 720, the Miyata 610 and 1000 as well as the Fuji Touring III, IV and V and other bikes were all great frames, made from great tubing featuring top of the line components. After 1985 Schwinn combined their Voyageur and Voyageur SP programs into the Voyageur- a really nice bike- but not as nice as the Voyageur SP. Trek dropped touring bikes all together for 1986. Miyata still made the Miyata 1000 as a kickass touring bike specced with top of the line Deore XT components.

I would seriously do a bunch of reading. Look what is important to you. Figure out what sizes fit you. Do not just go "MIYATA!! AWESOME!!!" Look at what you're looking at... stem shifters, center pulls, hi-ten fork... You're going to make mistakes; you're going to have to learn from those mistakes... Hell, I just figured out that I've been buying stems with the wrong length... I also just figured out that I don't like 175mm cranks. I shouldn't admit that, especially considering the amount of money I've thrown at stuff.

If you don't want to make the expensive mistakes- do *MORE* time reading.

My Trek 620 spoiled me. 47mm chainstays- effing nutz. But it set the standard. Over the past 5-6 years or whatever it's been, I've played with different stems, bars, derailleurs, shifters, wheels, tires... Right now, it's set up for 6 speed Suntour Accushift. It's a gloriously badass bike, and it rides like a dream.






My 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP was the flagship model tourer for Schwinn- it was Schwinn's most expensive bike, with the finest Columbus tubing and the finest of components available at the time. It was made by Panasonic and it's sweet bike. 45mm chainstays, I've changed all kinds of things on this bike- right now it's in a rebuilding phase- but this was it a few years ago:



Right now it's sporting a Stronglight 99 BIS crankset as well as the stock LeTech rear derailleur... I'm working out the shifting yet- right now it's sporting Suntour Barcons... Still with a 5 speed rear end though...

The most recent addition- the 1990 Miyata 1000. By 1990, the 1000 had Miyata's own splined, triple butted tubing, and it was specced with Shimano's 2nd from the top of the line ATB/MTB group- Deore DX. I've had this in riding shape for a few weeks- but I've upgraded a bunch of parts so it's sporting a bunch of XTR and XT parts in addition to some modern stuff, as well as some really old shifters.






And The Big Guy- the 1985 Trek 720. This bike rides so nice. Everything about it is so much what "bike" is to me. I've played around with so many different components and setups with this bike... and as much as I've dicked with it- it's still not *quite* there. I'm figuring I like the height of the stem- I don't like the length- I'd like my hands to fall on the hoods- and be able to rest back on the corners. Right now, my hands fall on the ramps. I'll figure it out someday... after another few hundred dollars... ****. This bike is set up with my idea of what the cat's pajamas of touring stuff is... XC Pro, Phil, Dura Ace, VX, king ****. I love this bike.