Help Me Choose An "All Rounder"

I don't know about the Wolverine, sorry. But the only thing that comes to mind to watch out for is wheels. The most common problem people seem to encounter is broken spokes. So you should at the very least try to get whatever wheels you have stress released by a competent wheelbuilder. Most off-the-shelf wheels will be machine built, and this can result in some spokes being higher tension than others, which can result in premature breakage (especially under touring load). So what the wheelbuilder will do is to loosen off all the spoke nipples, and then go around the wheel, iteratively trueing and also making sure the spokes are all evenly tensioned. Once this has been done, the wheel shouldn't give you any problems, at least not for a good long while.

Another thing you don't mention is how much you'll be carrying. Obviously the more gear you take, the stronger the bike has to be to deal with it all. Many people are going toward an ultralight setup, sometimes eschewing even panniers in favor of frame and seat bags. Obviously how heavy YOU are will also figure into it - for example a 160 lb rider with a 40 lb touring load would weigh less than a 210 lb rider. A lot of people focus on their gear weight, but forget about their own body weight. If you're light, then you can get away with a lot more in terms of gear. But if you're heavy, then you need a stronger bike (and wheels - probably at least 36 spoke).

Another thing that might be worth thinking about is a trailer. A BOB takes all the gear load and can attach to any bike. So you could in theory have a bit more leeway in terms of what bike you take, if you want something that wouldn't be able to handle racks and panniers well.

/r/bicycletouring Thread