Glad you (mostly) had a good time! I rode the Dama, too, when I did my cc trip, but didn't have any shifting problems (I have Campy Centaur and Chorus components on my bike at home so I was used to Campy). I'm really surprised the guides were so inattentive to your bike needs, that's too bad. The guide on my tour spent a lot of time tweaking my bike to get it just right, and thought the head tube extender I brought from home was really cool (because it actually made my bike fit).

Also sort of a bummer that you had such inexperienced folks on your trip. On ours, there were 14 people, 6 rode hybrids, 8 rode road bikes, and all 8 of them were experienced cyclists who brought their own shoes and pedals! Guess it's just the luck of the draw.