Kona Sutra vs Marin Toscana vs ?

a detective? more like inspector clouseau than columbo.

fred, if you read what i wrote, i was suggesting audax bikes and touring bikes are different bikes not touring and trekking bicycles, an audax bike is unlikely to have the long chainstays, canti brake bosses, front carrier eyelets, relaxed geometry and long wheelbase desired for long haul touring. i was speaking of trekking as an activity, something you do on a bike, not as a distinct category of bicycle.

i don't recommend aluminium touring bikes, i never did, i recommended an aluminium audax/road bike and said it would be good for light touring and commuting, i didn't claim that the aluminium frame was an advantage for touring, i implied the opposite.

i have plenty of touring experience, and my familiarity of the kona is from working in a bike shop that sold the bike as as well as many other touring bikes, which i have ridden.

of course there is a difference between bikes that are used for crossing africa and riding around norfolk for the weekend but it's largely down to the set up of the bike. as glowbike says the term 'touring bicycle' could cover a whole range of activities from audax to expedition, including the kona sutra. the kona sutra is a touring bike in spite of your slightly pretentious claim that is has it's own distinct category, yes it's built to be versatile but there are compromises as a result.

i don't really understand why you jumped down my throat when i was just offering advice and if you are going to pick through my words to try to make me look an idiot, i'd rather you read and understood them properly first. presumably your 'substantiated' experience of claiming that the kona sutra is "utterly bomb-proof" is from actually having ridden over a bomb whilst riding it, please do it again.