After posting to this list about the Berthoud camping bike on e-bay, I realized my comments could be taken to mean that I think the bike is no good.
That is not true at all. We tested a Berthoud randonneur bike in Bicycle Quarterly, and liked it a lot. Sure, we might have liked a low-trail geometry better, but the Berthoud worked very well indeed, and better than a lot of "randonneur" bikes I have ridden.
The tire issue is similar: For most touring, 32 mm wide tires are sufficient - in fact, that is a lot wider than most touring bikes fit these days. My Singer touring bike has the same limitations - it also was designed for 32 mm tires, which were the only quality 650B tires at the time - and I have taken it off-pavement, with a full load, with no problems.
So, to clarify my opinion, the Berthoud probably is a better touring bike than 98% of the bikes out there. And compared to the price of a new one, it's realistically priced. The Singer that didn't sell was realistically priced, too, but it involved shipping from France.
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com