I don't have any real experience of riding LWB (Long wheel base) bents such as the RANS Stratus or Easy Racer Tour Easy, apart from a short test ride. The Stratus was very comfortable to ride but I found that the small unloaded front wheel very sketchy of the gravel road I tried it on. If I was going to tour on a LWB I would want one that you can put small front panniers on to weight the front wheel.

I have toured on two different rigid SWB (short wheel base) bents. Both had 20 inch wheels front and rear. One was an Australian bent called a Flying Furniture and the other is a RANS Rocket. I liked the Flying Furniture but sold it due to the design of the seat not agreeing with me - my legs would go numb after about 60km. I did a 900km tour on my Rocket in January this year and really enjoyed it. I am not going to be using the Rocket for touring anymore as I want even more comfort.

I have decided that unsuspended small wheeled bikes are fun for races and events but I want suspension to take the edge off. I have now a locally made home-built fully suspended SWB that is based on a Toxy recumbent which I use for commuting and will use for touring.

I like touring by recumbent because you are sitting looking up at the road and scenery. You will want to try as many different recumbents as possible before you decide which one you want for long touring. I would check out the revues on Bentrider Online to get an idea of what type of bent you would like.

It will take several hundred km to train the different muscles that you use riding a bent to be as strong as on your current bike. One thing to be aware of is that it is very difficult to lift yourself out of the seat of a bent on the move - you have to ride around or through obstacles like potholes and take the bumps.