THE BIKES. 

Here's the 2003 Randonnee, veteran of the Oregon coast ride 2004 (Big Bike Adventure), the Portland to Yellowstone ride 2006 ( Big Kahuna), and the Seattle to Detroit ride 2009 (King of the Road). I'm taking it to the bike shop tomorrow to get it refurbished.  It doesn't shift through all the gears anymore, the brakes are weak and the back tire is bald. The back tires get bald on a touring bike because most of the weight is on the back. The seat is not one I have ridden much, The Trek has the Brooks saddle and that is the one I would use on any tour.

This is the Trek 7300 below, the Route Verte 1000 mile ride 2010. A great bike but like I said I don't really like the straight handlebars. Your hands are farther apart with these and steering seems to take more effort , or be sloppier. Maybe it is just that there are not as many hand positions. With the drop handlebars you have 3 good positions; the inner grip, grabbing the drops, or grabbing the top of the brake levers. All 3 have your hands closer together than the Trek style and give more control, a small hand movement gives you immediate response. Whereas with the Trek your hands are far apart and any steering movement requires both arms to work together to turn the handlebars. Or, here it is, with the closer together grip, all it takes is a wrist movement to steer, with the farther apart position of the Trek it takes full arm movement. And I'm all about minimum movement.