As with almost anyone frequenting C&V or BF in general, I always want to know more about my bike. I read about Grant Peterson till I was blue in the face, the history of Bridgestone bicycles and all the models offered over the years, and what bikes came with which components and the good and bad of it all...

One thing I can't figure out is in my "research" is what style of bike the Bridgestone 400 is. I have come across countless threads, BF and otherwise, as well as blogs talking about their trusty 400's as touring bikes.

Is this a matter of semantics or is there something I am missing here? My bike has no braze-ones even for a rear rack. The brakes are side pulls and not cantilevers. I am a little mystified as to why the term "touring" and the 400 keep coming up together.

Think of "Touring" not in the long distance traveling type of touring but more in the Tour de France type of Grand Touring.

In other words, it is more of a sporty bike. A bit less sporting than a full on race bike but more racing than a recreational bike.

I would classify it as a "Sport Tourer". I got mine (1986 "Space Violet" color) a couple of months ago and like it very much.

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I have one that a friend rescued from the dump a few years ago. Although it doesn't have all the braze ons of many "touring" bikes, it is adaptable for touring with the addition of racks, clamps, and maybe an inner chain ring. Mine came with a double SR crank that was drilled for a granny, and I added one. In the seventies there were very few dedicated touring bikes with triple chainrings and braze ons for cantilevers and racks, so we had to adapt to what was available. I think too many people on this forum worry over whether there bicycle is a touring bike or a sport touring bike. Just ride .

Definitely "sport touring." Check out this site for tons of info on that designation:

https://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/dirt...kes/bikes.html

Neal

I have a 300 which is very similar, and it does not have lazy geometry at all. "Sport touring" is just the right designation. I think it is in the line of an old Brit "club racer".

By the way, these are pre-Grant bikes, but the frame build is high quality.