The bikes are pretty much 1980's-technology. There is nothing wrong with the old tech stuff, it's tried and true. They are fairly heavy. As a comparison, my rando bike weights 12.2kg fully loaded. A seven kilo difference (assuming we're carrying the same stuff) isn't going to make a huge difference in the short haul but over 1200k it's going to require more effort to go the same speed on the heavier bike. The difference in weight between the models you are talking about is pretty minimal and probably won't be too big of a deal on a long brevet. They are sporting a mixture of Sora/105 level components. That will probably work fine, if I were buying it, I'd prefer ultegra. I'd also stear clear of their dynamo/light options and get a Schmidt or Shimano dyno hub with a modern light if you want to go that way. Modern lights are so superior to those old lights that it isn't even funny. If I had to choose, I'd go for the newer model and throw a Schmidt hub and Edelux light on there. One thing to remember when picking a randoneuring bike is that the more space you have to carry "stuff", the more "stuff" you will carry and the heavier your bike will be! That's a physical constant!
