I just parted with an early 80's lugged chrome moly Schwinn Le Tour 12.2(Panasonic/Matsushita built). It was a 25" c-t frame large for my 6 foot frame but it had all the qualities for a great touring bike. Nice rigid frame(I suspect it was pretty strong also), stable handling, substantial and cushy wheels and tires but not too heavy. Great derailleurs, plenty of clearances. The large frame gave the handlebars the proper position for a touring. The bike was not light but I think 3-5 lbs is unimportant for most riders and I loved this bike when I road it. It actually looked decent on the macro scale but it was a mass produced non artist finished machine. I bet it rides at well as any bike for that use. I suspect it would challenge a Singer or Herse for touring capability. I am sincere in this praise, I will miss it but I was squeezed for space so maybe next year I will reacquire another Le Tour 12.2, this time I will get a 24". Brian
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