SpecK

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I'm hoping to get some help in deciding on keeping my old bike, or start looking for a new one.

This spring I got an itch to get back into biking and I pulled my trusted old (1993 I think) Gary Fisher Tassajara out from the back of the garage. This bike was a craigslist find a few years back and prior to this summer I had just been using it very sporadically on fairly short rides. As I started riding earlier this summer I also got an itch to look for a new bike, but I quite frankly got confused by all the options, so I decided to keep riding the Gary Fisher to gain more experience and hopefully figure out what kind of bike I need.

So I have spent a lot of time riding rail trails and towpaths and as I am now starting to get comfortable with going longer distances I am really leaning towards starting to do more bike touring and I want to at least do a multi day trip by next season. This would probably be fairly light touring as I'm looking at trails that have accommodations along the way.

I am no longer sure if I want to get a new bike as I really don't know if a different bike would make a huge difference, although the Tassajara has a few shortcomings.

So that's the backstory, now to the bike!

So the good things about riding the Tassajara:
- My seat height is good (I think) as I do not feel any fatigue or pain in my legs.
- Gearing feels adequate for the most part. I sometimes miss a higher gear on shorter rides when I try to go faster, but after I started going longer distances it doesn't bother me as much as I'm not pushing for speed.
- It's old and simple with what I think is mid range parts. The only parts I've replaced are shifters and brake levers and tires.

The bad things about the Tassajara:
- My bar feels too low. I am maxed out and the bar sits just below the seat. The position is not too uncomfortable and I have no back pain. However, my neck is getting a bit sore which sometimes limits me from looking up and around as much as I would like. I would like to try a slightly more upright position by bringing the bar up and slightly closer but I can't with the current setup.
- The seat is probably not my size. I am really starting to feel it after 20 miles or so.
- It has a flat bar with bar ends. I like switching my hand positions but the bar ends are too small for me as they bend in and my hand doesn't really fit comfortably on the straight parts. My hands do go numb after a while
- The chain stay is 16,5" which from what I gather is not ideal for touring. I also have large feet, so I could see fitting panniers being an issue.
- There are probably better tires than the walmart tires I put on it years ago.

So at a minimum I would be looking at replacing my stem, getting new handlebars or bar ends, getting a new seat and new tires. In addition there is the issue of chain stay length, but I think I could find a way around that by alternative packing if necessary.

So, is it worth trying to turn this old Gary Fisher into a light touring bike, or am I better off buying a new bike?

I realize you guys are probably getting these kinds of newbie questions all the time, but I would really appreciate any input!