Inspired by the Glasgow to Italy thread, I’m in day dreaming / pre-planning mode for a similar month long plus trip.
I’d need something with a decent carrying capacity, discs and not too low at the front.

Thorn maybe? – but I’m not that old yet.

Where would you start?

Sonder Santiago? Or Camino Ti

Id probably go flat bars with bar ends, a brooks saddle, balloon type tyres, like Schwalbe big apples.
I’d consider tri extensions too, more hand positions the better.

I would start by identifying what type of bike I like to ride on the surface I would like to tour on.

I personally like old school style MTB for this job. As in the geo etc. so would go for a surly troll or ecr.

Tout Terrain Tanami or Silk Road Explore.

Ti Fargo for me

Rigid 29er rocking some supple slicks of bigger width, flat bar and bar ends, 2x, 27.2 seatpost, racks and anything cages with bar roll/rack.

I have used a Kona rove and a Kona Jake for this .

I wouldn’t be without drop bars

I wouldn’t buy another thorn (owned a raven enduro and thought it was just shit )

Surly Disc Trucker.

Tried, tested, works, nice to ride, wheel size options etc….

Done a few biggish rides. Steel mtb and 1.5 inch schwalbe tyres if you plan any off-road at all carrying heavy kit. If all on road the planet x london road did me proud for 900 miles in 11 days, bar bag and 1 pannier lightly loaded.

Jones bars well worth considering if you’re going for a flat bar/mtb type build.

Rigid 29er rocking some supple slicks of bigger width, flat bar and bar ends, 2x, 27.2 seatpost, racks and anything cages with bar roll/rack.

3x

There will come a time when you want a teeny-tiny-twiddly gear.

On the old school MTB front, funnily enough I bought this https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/marin-pine-mountain-27-5-hardtail-bike-2019/rp-prod186798 on Friday. Nicely cheap

Load of fixing points, decent steel frame, nothing to go wrong.

Depends if mostly surfaced or not

Mostly roads?

1980s British Eagle Touristique 22″ (531ST)
(Most comfortable touring bike I ever owned/rode)
– Tyres? 30c-35c depending on guards clearance
– Luggage? front panniers and rear panniers, saddlebag.
– Saddle? Well-worn Brooks leather, possibly B17 or Champion
– Charger? Nah. Old Nokia + Anker power-pack.

Mostly backroads, offroad and trails?

Genesis Longitude (Large, ie a size up for me):
– Bars? Some kind of loop bar
– Tyres? Something fast, tough and fat
– Charger? Son hub generator
– Luggage? Custom bikepacking bags etc
– Saddle? Good question
– Gears? Deore/XT 2×10

Surly Disc Trucker.

One of the chaps that does FnRttC has one of these. It looks bombproof.

On the old school MTB front, funnily enough I bought this https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/marin-pine-mountain-27-5-hardtail-bike-2019/rp-prod186798 on Friday. Nicely cheap

Does that still have the weird boost/not boost hub spacing? However, at that price I might be persuaded to overlook that…

Disc Trucker is ace for mainly road and Longitude is ace for mainly off-road. But I’ve got both of those so it’s not much of a fantasy 🙂

If I had to pick one tool for everything, an Ogre.

weird hub spacing

It’s not a usual standard…

I have a surly karate monkey, with Schwalbe big apples, i go camping on it with a mate, he uses a genesis day one 853 alfine.
I don’t struggle to keep up with him, we are pretty evenly matched.
I’ve used a cx/tourer in the past, we were pretty evenly matched then too
Big tyres aren’t really much slower, and they make a longer day more comfy.
Or a succession of longer days.