Sad, sad day. I've decided that at some point in the near-ish future, I am going to sell my Volpe. It is just too small, and while I have gotten around that for the past year with modifications, I think I have been riding it enough to warrant a bit of an upgrade. I will be looking for a used touring bike (the Volpe is just so darn versatile, I hate to think about selling it), as I think I want to give touring a try anyway. My commute is 11 miles each way. I thought about N+1, but selling my Volpe will at least get my wife behind this move, both to clear out garage space (or really make sure I keep a limit on the space I use) and to use that money to go towards the next bike.
I'm sticking with used, as I am on a budget and new touring bikes cost some serious $$$. Sticking to steel, and don't mind if the wheels are 26 or 700
Anyone have any suggestions about models to look for, or a good lead? I'm not in a huge rush, but the hunt is indeed on!

steel, and wheel choice isnt an issue? Well, I love my Surly Long Haul Trucker for commuting, and they are a dime a dozen used.

I would love a LHT, but those are out of my price range for now. Not much on the 'bay, and no one around here has one they want to sell. But if I happen to see one at the right price....heck ya!

Surley

Now that's a bike!

Buying used, you are at the mercy of what's for sale, unless you can afford to wait. Search for the usual suspects on your local CL. Your market seems pretty small (just looking at the bikes section, Columbia has 236 ads and Sacramento has 2016). Maybe you could look at the CL for Charlotte or Atlanta. On top of that, touring bikes are pretty rare compared to the mountain, racing, and cheapie road bikes you'll find dominating any local used market. They're not made in so many flavors and I think people tend to hang onto them.

Hey, here's a cool bike. Not steel though
https://columbia.craigslist.org/bik/4917363028.html

Don't forget you could just buy a larger frame, too.

Oh, I have seen that one, and it's pretty sweet. I do believe that is above the threshold I am going to be allowed to spend, though. I am probably looking more around the late 80s-mid 90s. A fixer upper isn't a deal breaker...between my friend and myself we have the knowledge and he has just about every tool out there for bikes.

I mentioned above I am in no big rush - my Bianchi works just fine, but I have decided keeping it vs looking for something more my size is settling. What it comes down to is I want to be able to ride a bike with drop bars vs being forced to use flat bars, and wanting something suitable to actually do a tour on.

That's also occurred to me, and I am open to it if I find the right frame.

I wouldn't look at it as a sad day. You're riding a lot, and you're going to get a bike that fits you, instead of riding one that doesn't. That's a good thing.

FWIW, Surly has a $150 "Superfan" instant discount coupon running through April 1. Any complete Surly (complete Cross Checks for example, $1250 full price, $1100 with the coupon), whether in stock at an LBS or special ordered through an LBS as long as the bike's in stock at QBP.

It's Craiglist! Offer him something. He doesn't have to take it... unless his wife is also on his case.

How many of your Volpe's parts would fit on a LHT? You could just buy a frame and swap the parts over.

Some,but not as many as I would like - if I go for something like a LHT, I know I will want to upgrade my drive train to a 3x10....and it looks like people still want around 400 just for a frame and fork. By the time I get it up and running, even with using my current drivetrain, I can find something from the 80s that is pretty darn good. The grail would b a Miyata 1000....but we'll see if that will ever come to fruition (there's one now with 0 bids about to end but it is a bit overpriced and looks too small). I almost pulled the trigger on a Trek 520 with a low buy it now price, until I did my due diligence and saw that it came with a maillard heliocromatic hub. No thanks, not if I am compromising for a sport touring model.

I'm being picky, and waiting for the right one to come along. Maybe I will get lucky and someone will end up posting a larger Volpe frame.

Other than Surly and above mentioned bikes, anyone have a recommendation of ones to look out for?

In that case, I'd suggest you state your range. No point in wasting everyone's time who might be trying to help.

It's easy to forget the Volpe model line is pretty long-running. I just noticed yours is about 20 years old. That's not the bike I was thinking of; it won't have 3x10 Tiagra or a threadless headset. That does make it more difficult and less attractive to swap the parts.

I was trying to keep it under 400...but just now a good friend informed me his dad would sell me his Peugeot Normandie touring bike for way less than I was intending to spend. It already has nice fenders and racks on it. So, so much for the hunt, but this bike is pretty exciting.
[MENTION=326413]darth[/MENTION]Lefty - yeah, the Volpes have been around for quite awhile. I really do hate to see mine go. It's been such a great bike to me.