specialized tricross sport triple for touring?

[NadiaMac]

I'm not familiar with the Masi, but I am a little surprised that a touring bike has a double chain ring, as usually dedicated touring bikes are geared more like a mountain bike-- triple up front and very large cogs (well over 30 teeth) in the rear. I echo the comment of the earlier poster in saying that those gear ratios are very welcome when you are climbing with a load. Note that by "touring" bike, I mean a bike where you plan to carry a load.

That said, I did a loaded tour (~50 pounds of load, kind of overpacked) in the canadian rockies on a standard triple geared bike and it was fine. I was a bit overgeared on the climbs (which went up to 15%) and very envious of my riding friends who had touring bikes are were spinning up the hills. I saw others touring on the tricross, which is a well regarded bike and a popular choice as a commuter bike as well.

One thing to consider is how extensively you plan to tour and whether you think you will be in fairly remote areas or not. If you will be in remote areas, the bar end shifters are easier to maintain and fix yourself, which is why they are popular on hardcore touring bikes. If you will mostly be in hitchhiking range of a bike shop, the tricross should be fine.