I am a test riding fool!

Today I went and rode 2 of the steel bikes I really liked the look and sound of: the Trek 520 and the Bianchi Volpe. Both are "touring" or less aggressive road bikes.

Let me just talk a little about it....and I would love your experienced responses....I wish I could talk a bunch of you with me on these rides!!!

The Trek is shiny and black + , has brakes that are easy to operate from the hoods, has bar end shifters and comes from a store i like and want to buy a bike from... and is made mostly in the US.
The reach was a little long. 54cm. I'd say I wanted it about 1-2" closer. But my guy told me they could put a different stem on, get it a little higher and closer. Therefore helping me sit a bit more upright and making the reach viable. He wants me to have a fitting so they could get all that stuff exactly right. Seat tube was 43.1. Standover is a sweet 27.4. Size 17".

The Volpe. size 44. Made in Taiwan. The reach was too close. It was 48.6. I felt OK with it, but I also felt like I was over the front wheel. Again, a longer stem would help rectify that. Seat tube was 44, SO was 28. The next size up had ZERO standover clearance. I didn't like the brakes, which were integrated with the shifters. They were soft and hard to use from a natural hand position. They are center pull. Also, it seems that locating an 07 in the nice "gang green" may be difficult..the 08 is an overdone metallic gold with way too many decals. I think it's ugy. The 07 is nice.

I did ride the Volpe over more varied terrain and for a little longer..I shot up a hill on it. It was fun.

SO...basically. If I were to pick one over the other, both would need stem tweaking...one is too long, the other too short. Both shops said it wouldn't be hard to get it right. Which tweak would you rather make?