Originally Posted by
paul2
I tour on a HP Velotechnik Street Machine Gte. It's built for touring, and is great for it. It's very comfortable. I has ubder seat steering, so your arms are relaxed. It takes four panniers: two on the rear, and two under the seat. I've done three tours on it, and highly recommend it.
+1 for the SMGTe, I've ridden mine several thousand commuting & touring km. You sort of float along in an almost regal position. Have ridden is all sorts of road and trail surfaces with great success, have 47 mm Marathon tires on it; however it is not great on icy roads. Suggest disc brakes and the XT MTB gearing combination or Rohloff. Also suggest stiffer springs if you and your load are over 100 kg. Shorter cranks are a good option also. The combination of seat, handelbar and boom adjustment is quite adaptive and flexible; just takes a while to get it just right. I've carried 20-25 kg on the bike with no problems, it
handles and balances with weight well.