Reasonable second hand tourer needed

Hi, there are too may options, it's a minefield. I need a reasonable second hand tourer, not too old.
The purpose of this bike would be to comortably complete around 100Km rides on a combination of flat up to 1:8 hills, so not fixed.

So far the only thing I have found is a Trek1200 9 speed with a triple.

Oh, I dont want to spend more than £500, Thanks.

Uh, I think I could stretch to £700 now, Ignore the word 'tourer', go with road bike capable of long distances without killing me. I'm still not 100% on what I should get though, I wonder If i would be better getting something new, which will be pov spec and no doubt come with Sora, possibly Tiagra at a push. Or go with a second hand offerning from higher up the range, I have seen a Giant Trinity Alliance with Ultegra/105 mix, a Look 227 with Ultegra/105/Tiagra mix and a Specialized Allez and a Trek1200 all for under £500. I know I could probably get an Allez for under £500 new though.

Where as new I have been looking at:

Bianchi Nirone 7
Scott Speedster S60
Giant Defy 3
Felt F95
Specialazied Dolce/Allez

check ribble's winter bikes. they're only 520 (I think) plus about another 10 for sora triple instead of double, or plus as much more as you want for a better groupset.

Try the bay

Galaxys, Dalesman's, Raleighs etc all turn up there and you can get an older one for £200 ish

Claud Butler is less fashionable than Dawes , but usually as good

Also try and see if you can get a British Eagle Touristique from the 90s. Great bikes from an unfashionable make

Oh, and try 08 or 09 models. They seem to sit around and can be bargains compared with 2010 price for a similar model.

Gonna bump for my own ends: Looking for a tourer or just a touring frame, 21'' ideally, made from decent tubing. Doesn't have to be in perfect condition gonna strip it down anyway.

Was about to buy a Scott speedster today but had to stop and think more. It's hard to decide at this price range as everything seems very similar, out of the bikes I listed earlier and a few more:

Trek1.2
Bianchi Nirone 7
Scott Speedster S60
Giant Defy 3
Felt F95
Specialazied Dolce/Allez***
***Orbea aqua TSR
LaPierre R lite 200

Reviews don't really single one out as being way better than the rest, I checked the bay, but I think I should buy new, get a warranty and that.

for £500 you can build a steel framed bike with good spec, better than a new shop bike.

frame for this 531 babe ( ranonndeur ) was just over £100...... kit was a bit more.....................

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^ I really like that. So the frame and forks cost £100? How much for the bits?
Cheers.

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRPXK/planet-x-kaffenback-frame

I have a kaffenback frame & forks in medium (see above for sizes). £60 posted.

It's blue.

stop looking at all the big names like trek, you will get shit spec for the money. get a ribble, or a planet-x, or a kenisis...

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRPXK/planet-x-kaffenback-frame

I have a kaffenback frame & forks in medium (see above for sizes). £60 posted.

It's blue.

Dammit I'm 6'1", seems like a good deal. I will investigate Planet-X further. Cheers.

Hmmm, OK this is the right size for me, but the seller has said you can't fit mudguards/rack to it, which isn't the end of the world, but the clearance doesn't look that bad, if I swapped the calipers. Still, I would buy this for £500.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/290450947561/

There is also this Randonneur currently for £123, looks pretty:

Let me take you to Ripley, Herne Hill or Navestock

Provided you don't mind a friction set up you can assemble some thing from parts found at the above places or even find a bike for about £250 ish ..

I don't mind frictions shifters, TBH I like building bikes, but the prospect of building something more epxensive and more complicated makes me feel like buying a complete bike. I probably wouldn't buy the right combintion of parts or be able to set up gears correctly, and I want to do big mileages on a reliable bike.
The randonneur is surely a nice reliable tourer, it probably wont be too much money either. The only reason I was looking at newer bikes was for reliability and comfort (pussy, I know), the Kinesis is not too far away from me, ultegra groupset, farting above my arsehole? I dunno.

That £123 Randonneur looks good, but I'm a bit stuck in the past. The price of really nice fully built up second hand bikes always surprises me, you can get so much for £500-£700 compared to something new which will normally be a platic groupset, ugly welded aluminium and a low end carbon fork. Unless you are competing, or looking to cover distance with minimum exertion, rather than being able to set the distance for however comfortable you want to be, I'd definitely go second hand. But then I'm tight and like lugs, fillets and shiny things. 20 years ago many cyclists were enjoying 100k rides, many of their bikes are still in fine condition. Every year the bike companies bring out new stuff, not because it is especially needed by the cyclists, but because the companies need to sell stuff.

I don't mind frictions shifters, TBH I like building bikes, but the prospect of building something more epxensive and more complicated makes me feel like buying a complete bike. I probably wouldn't buy the right combintion of parts or be able to set up gears correctly, and I want to do big mileages on a reliable bike.
The randonneur is surely a nice reliable tourer, it probably wont be too much money either. The only reason I was looking at newer bikes was for reliability and comfort (pussy, I know), the Kinesis is not too far away from me, ultegra groupset, farting above my arsehole? I dunno.

Youre talking madness. You want to ride a ton of miles in comfort but every single bike you mentioned you might get is Aluminium!?!
A nice classic tourer with 531st frame is going to be a thousand times more comfortable and reliable.
Also if you like building up bikes then surely you wouldnt by incompatible components.

Oooops.

Didnt see the ignore tourer part. Sorry highboy ignore what I just said.

I never said I knew what I was talking about!
It is true that I probably wouldn't buy incompatible parts, but there is more chance of fucking it up than on a fixed though, and £700 isn't an inconsiderable amount of money (for me) to throw at a bike, so I want to get something decent and worth the money.
I am ignorant, so getting peoples opinions is important, looks like I gravitate towards a classic steel tourer, that randonneur is looking more attractive.

You shoulda bought the King of Mercia before I did, now thats a lovely bit of kit.
If you are looking for a nice frame I can drop you a pm with someone you could ask.

There is a king of Mercia available, but it has Mirage groupset, which seems odd. Lovely frame though.

Wheres that one? Not on here is it?

Nah it's on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/170507279714/

You shoulda bought the King of Mercia before I did, now thats a lovely bit of kit.

lovely, agreed, glad you got it, even though the process was perhaps a little painful

..and nothing wrong with mirage