I am not sure if my Roberts Roughstuff is classed as vintage as it is 2008 but is a model made since the late 1980s or early 90s, I was after an all round expedition bike that would do anything and go anywhere, at the time I had a BMW GS motorcycle and wanted the bicycle equivalent and after looking at other options went with a full bespoke build from Roberts. After meeting some overland cyclists in Africa knew I wanted a Rohloff hub and off road touring experience told me I wanted front suspension which raised eyebrows in Croydon but the customer is always right, it has proved a good decision and is possibly the only Roughstuff they made with them fitted.
Disc brakes to prevent rim wear in the dirt and lots of high quality UK made components from Hope, USE, Middleburn and Brooks have proved durable over the 10,000 or so miles it has done so far a lot of that off road. The riding position is for comfort on a long day with a good view of the countryside which is far more important to me than going fast, although I have still done 100 miles in a day on it on gravel, at the time I had never heard of Geoff Apps and his Cleland Range Rider which is possibly the world's first bike built specifically for off road touring but it has a very similar riding position.
I could of had a Thorn Sterling which is very similar and as an off the peg cheaper but am glad I paid the extra for exactly what I wanted, I did pick up a Sterling frameset a couple of years ago and it has a couple of irritating things I do not like about it.
