Originally Posted by davidmcowan
It is true that this is primarily a point of transportation for me, BUT I have high aspirations of getting out there in the next few years and doing some touring of Canada, Central America, and Maybe Europa. I guess that is why I'm looking for a bike that can do both things because although I will mostly ride it around town, I'd like something with versatility. And seeing how I'm not going to have money for awhile (I start grad school in the fall) I thought I would get what I'd like now, while the money is still flowing.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the bikes being discussed. I can tell you that I was in a similar situation a few months ago -- I wanted a bike primarily for commuting year-round and on occasion as a tourer. I rode an LHT, Volpe and Cross Check and pulled the trigger on the Cross Check and haven't looked back. I preferred the bar end shifters to the Volpe brifters and felt the LHT lacked the zip of the Cross Check. Since I'm using the bike 90% of the time commuting and 10% on longer-distance recreational riding/touring, it made sense to go with the bike that was suited for the best purpose for what I would be using it most (hence the tire size versatility of the Cross Check). If you were going to spend the majority of your time touring, then maybe a true touring bike might be your ticket. However, the Cross Check or Volpe are plenty capable as touring bikes as well. Good luck in your search -- like I said, you really can't go wrong with any of those bikes.