Originally Posted by
ndrose
Completely agree about suspension. My impression is also the same as yours re: fitness bikes, except it seems to me that in making that shift the manufacturers also consciously aimed more at the casual/commuter market, and a lot of the bikes seem a little under built for touring (e.g. light on the spoke count, especially for someone like me who is not so svelte as he once was).
I am passively lusting after a Trek 920 adventure bike, but many online commentators have concerns about the low-spoke-count wheels (28h rear I think). My solution (in my bike-buying dreams) is not to declare the Trek 920 inadequate, but to have a more robust wheel or wheelset built and installed upon purchase. Either take what trade-in value the LBS can give for the stock wheels, or pay retail for the wheel upgrade and sell the stock wheels. Wheels are, in my opinion, a wear item that can be changed whenever for whatever reason the bike's owner wants.