Originally Posted by
drlogik
On the road side I'm leaning toward a Fairlight.
On the adventure side I'm leaning toward a Surly, Kona or Salsa, with Surly leading the pack.
I'm a big rider, 6' 1" and 220. I'm 64 and ride every day and backpack and hike all the time too. I used to work in bike shops for years when I was a young man so I know my way around bikes but have never "toured".
Money is not a concern. I want a bike that is rugged and can take the punishment at the sacrifice of some added weight. Steel is almost a must, aluminum maybe but carbon is out.
For those that tour on roads, what do you ride and for those that adventure bike, what do you ride. I'm talking long tours here, 800+ miles.
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A Surly, Kona, or Salsa will all be fine. They are well established bikes. Geometry on them is all slightly different so no idea if one fits you.
As for Fairlight, I am biased since I have a Secan frame for my gravel bike- I would absolutely use a Secan or Faran frame. The Secan has a carbon fork with moints and higher level of tubing, but the Faran's tubing is actually the same butting profile and has a steel fork with mounts. Either could be excellent and it just depends on how you want to pack the bike.
The Secan's carbon fork can mount 2 anything bag mounts. If that is all you want to load on the front, it's a great choice.
The Faran's fork can handle a full pannier rack or a porteur style rack plus a lot more weight up front.
Both the Faran and Secan are incredibly well designed. Dom, one of the owners, killed it when spec'ing the frames with features as well as geometry. The geometry can handle a front load fine(in my view based in geometry numbers, the rack and fender mounts are well placed, the dynamo wiring option is really well done, and the paint is longnlasting(not something to overlook for a work bike).
With the R And T frame options in each size, there is geometry to fit pretty much everyone.
They are quite capable on gravel and the reason why I bought a Secan frame is because the geometry is very much 'endurance road' vs 'adventure mtb'. I wanted something that fits like a drop bar road bike, only with wider tires.
I am 6'5 220#. The Secan frame doesn't flex in a negative way for me and the chainstays are long enough for me to have a rear rack with panniers on, but not hit the bags with my heels(14 shoes). I do mount the bags to the back of my rack, to be clear.
If you haven't gone page by page thru the Fairlight design notes and look book, I encourage you to. It's rare for a bike company to share so much background info and reasoning for why they do what they do.
Look thru the Faran and Secan notes and look book. Heck, take a look at their Strael too, just to then see what they changed between a road and gravel/adventure design. You can email them any questions too as Dom is very responsive and will nerd out very quickly.
My old gravel frame turned into my current commure/touring frame. It's a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross rim brake frame. I mention this because it's worth looking at Black Mountain's upcoming ModZero frame. It's flat mount disc, steel fork, rack and gear mounts front and rear, and designed by an absolutely awesome guy. A little lighter and more unique that a Surly. Plus the geometry doesn't result in a goofy 80mm of spacers like what's on so many Surly bikes.
https://blackmtncycles.com/mod-zero-2/
A Sutra will take you around the world. Many bikes are equally capable. To me, what's most important is finding one with the style of geometry you like(chainstay length, trail number, mounts, etc) and makes you want to jump on and ride when you look at it. Something a bit more unique and no so overbuilt that is also well thought out is what appeals to me.