Originally Posted by
wrk101
How about a totally, completely different direction? Many of the things you like about touring bikes you will find on early to mid 1980s rigid frame MTBs. Comfortable, handle almost any tire choice, good brakes, still affordable.
They are just starting to get harder to find. They have a rich history, lots of things to like about them. The Japanese ones have the typical great workmanship too.
Early Trek MTBs from 1983 and 1984 would be a nice addition to your Trek bikes. Back then, every model was special.
I find some of the early MTBs to be flashy in their own unique ways. Some chrome models out there, chrome bull moose bars, etc.
Schwinn Cimarron. OP needs to get one. Mellow, comfortable geometry, high-rise handlebars, excellent tubing, and wedded to classic groupsets like "Deer head" Deore XT, not to mention how customizable they are. Those bikes have aged better than whiskey.
There's an
entire Schwinn Cimarron thread because of how useful those bikes were. You can *still* get them for a few hundred bucks, if you look carefully!