Ladies touring bikes?

[SantaHul]

Anybody got any ideas one proper touring bikes in women's sizes? My girlfriend has decided he wants a touring bike, something vintage. I thought it would be easy, just grab her an old Dawes Galaxy or something in the correct size frame - 19.5"/50cm.

Turns out most touring bikes only seem to go down to about 52cm which is too big for her. The other problem is so many people don't list the frame size and it would take forever to go message everybody asking them.

Can anybody suggest models I could be looking for? I tried the Claud Butler Majestique but she doesn't like the colour Any other suggestions of popular models? Looking to spend around £250 max.

 

[nstarmore]

Slightly over budget but close enough to the right size:

48cm Dawes Galaxy

They also did a sloping top tube version as well that come up every now and then so they are out there.

 

[hamster]

There are a fair few older clubman's frames around with mudguard / rack eyes. The question is how heavily laden you plan to ride - they are fine with a light load but would probably be unpleasant with camping kit. Also, modern bikepacking luggage allows you to get away with a lot more in terms of frames (for example ones with no rack mounts) than before.

Another alternative is an early 90s MTB - old Marins or Dawes are a great choice and they accept drop bars OK. Lower-end models are better as they have a shorter top tube and the heavier tubing is a positive advantage when loading them up.