I bought the less beefy Nor’Wester, rather than the Americano. I think if you want a touring bike and a road bike, then you should get the Americano. But if your goal is to have one bike that can play both roles, get the Nor’Wester.

Here’s my facing up to reality—I don’t even like car camping any more, and the likelihood I’d be doing fully-loaded touring was close to nil. But doing supported or credit card touring, sure. And doing long rides like STP and RSVP, of course. So I was looking for a butter-like road feel, and all day comfort. I did not need the extra weight and sturdiness of the Americano. YMMV.

The folks at TiCycles are very nice, and I like Brian a lot, who sold me the Nor’Wester. But it’s simply not in a convenient location for those of us on the Eastside. I continue to spread my business between REI and Sammamish Valley Cycle in Redmond for the most part, and only stop in to TiCycles when I’m in the neighborhood.