OG touring: Gravel bike or “touring” touring?

I’m kind of a failed retrogrouch.

I’m 52, and I love the LOOK of the bikes of my youth (lugs, quill stems, etc.) but I admit that I’ve been seduced by many modern conveniences–chief among them hydraulic disc brakes and as a result, thru-axles.

One of the things I HAVE held onto is the idea of lightly-loaded touring. I like rear racks with panniers, long chainstays so I have room for rear panniers, and a long wheelbase and long front-center so I can descend like I’m on a wheeled couch.

I have a road bike that is as perky as I’m going to need (Lynskey Sportive Disc–their old endurance geo), a full-rigid mountain bike (Lynskey Pro 29) that’s as offroady as I’ll need, and a track bike for the trainer–and in case I ever make it to the velodrome an hour away.

I’m probably getting rid of an old ’77 Schwinn Super LeTour (it’s chrome, so it’s pretty, but it just isn’t enjoyable for me to ride), so I need to swap in a bike before my wife gets used to N-1. What I DON’T have is a tourer to meet those needs above.

There are a couple of thru-axle traditional touring bikes available (the DT stands out among them, but there are others in that CroMo class), and then there are gravel bikes. Any thoughts on using something like the [GR300](https://lynskeyperformance.com/2024-gravel-sram-axs-special/) for loaded touring? Not really its intended purpose, but the chainstays are pretty long, and with the right front fork (maybe a Bearclaw ti) it seems like it might be pretty bulletproof.

Or am I better just getting a steel-framed bike designed for the task at hand?

Wildcard–the [Breezer Doppler Cafe+](https://www.breezerbikes.com/products/doppler-cafe-21) has front and rear thru-axles and axctually kind of a touring geometry. It almost seems like a stealth flat-bar touring rig in the making, with some upgrades.

by thegrumpyorc