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Also if it were mine I'd use modern brake hoods for comfort and
aesthetics, even if using a quill stem.That's the trouble, that such a lot of the pleasure of riding a bicycle is aesthetic pleasure in the machine itself.
I actually like the look of old-style brake hoods with the cables curving over, and the way a handlebar bag fits inside them. (The tucked-away Campagnolo cables on my Bianchi make for an elegant profile too - but the gear cables that shot out sideways from the Shimano hoods on my stolen Dawes tourer, no, not pleasurable to look at).
You can get trp/tektro and velo orange calipers that will take 28 with guards easily, and work great. For a tourer I'd do that, rathe than limit myself to 25.
Also if it were mine I'd use modern brake hoods for comfort and aesthetics, even if using a quill stem. And I agree about downtube shifters. Of course, it's not my build, so you do you!