Lightweight Tourer for a Heavyweight

[Ajay]

I'm currently compiling a very long shortlist for the perfect bike I could use for Audaxing / Light touring ie all day in the saddle at a reasonable pace.
Having trawled through all the blurb from manufacturers of bikes, frames, gruppos, wheels etc I struggle to find any pointers as to which would best suite a heavy rider. My thinking is that most cycling kit is designed for users much lighter than, I'm 6'2" and 105kg (it's not all blubber).
The nub of my question is whether a bike designed for "light" touring would be suitable for me as I'd be putting far more weight on it than a skinny rider with full camping pack! Should I therefore really be looking at a shire horse expedition bike with disc brakes?
Any recommendations on equip more suited to larger/heavier/higher centre of gravity / hi-torque riders appreciated!
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[Soltydog]

I'm a little taller & a little heavier I've never bothered with disc brakes, but have various forms of rim brakes on different bikes & all work fine, so i wouldn't worry about that
I have found that my rims, hubs & bottom brackets seem to wear quicker than the usual, probably due to the extra weight, but other than that any bike should be fine.
I have a spesh allez elite, globe hybrid & have recently accquired a ridgeback panorama & all seem able to cope with the weight. Just try a few out & see whats comfortable if you plan on riding long days

 

[GrumpyGregry]

same height...
a little heavier... ahem...

I have

disk braked ali framed go anywhere inc off road tourer from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op (the current model has a steel frame) called a Revolution Country Explorer

caliper braked ali framed carbon forked light tourer/audax bike built up from a stock frame to spec from Surosa Cycles called a Surosa Audax Toledo S34C

the latter has pretty much displaced the former in my affections but the former can carry more and go places the other can't.

Bikes today are not made of eggshells and glass. A decent tourer will do everything you ask of it, and is capable of a whole lot more than most people realise.

 

[marcw]

I ride a Pompetamine Versa with discs and love them. I do the vast majority of my riding in traffic though so I'm using them a lot and often having to brake very hard. If you are touring I'm not sure stopping distances will be such an issue as you won't be in London rush hour traffic. Discs do stop much better than calipers though. I load up with heavy food shopping and it doesn't seem to make any difference to the braking even in the wet.