Kona Sutra vs Marin Toscana vs ?

hobo, nice one, that's a good deal. i was helping a mate put together a touring bike and he decided against the lht based on the 26" wheels on the 54cm, it's only 700c on the 56cm+. my friend got a dawes gallaxy frame set which he's pretty happy with.

there are quite a few options for off the peg audax/touring bikes. that thorn is a really nice bike but the wheel set is not really up to touring, the spoke count is too low and it has caliper brakes which wont provide enough stopping power on a loaded touring bike. this is often the case with audax bikes great light tourers but not really up to trekking. two different bikes really.

if your not in any rush you can easily build a classy touring bike for way less than £1000. second hand touring frames frequently come up on ebay for great prices and they have usually only had one careful owner. the frame should ideally be steel, have braze-ons for front and rear racks, cantilever brakes, and a long chainstay. or as someone says up there, the bob jackson off the peg is not a bad price at £399.

off the peg tourers tend to be slightly overpriced and under specced, you are better off putting something together yourself. if you want a cheap bike to tour for a couple of summers or something consider a hybrid like a trek fx, they cost about £300-400 and have braze ons for front and rear racks long wheelbase etc. definitely not a bike you will love and cherish but if you aren't fussy [snobby] then they are a pretty good option in that category.

i have suggested this bike on another thread and i think its the best value off the peg audax, not at all classy though and its an aluminium frame, the ridgeback horizon...

http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/products.php?plid=m18b0s163p2328

pretty good for a light tourer commuter though.