My road bike is a Cannondale Sport Tour circa 1988. I bought it to impress this chick I was seeing... I think its working.
Its an early oversized aluminum frame with Sun Tour components from before Shimano ruled the world. Its a real sturdy bike since it was made for touring but its still pretty light. Road bikes should last a good long time even with the occasional loaded tour. Mountain bikes are more likely to get damaged especially if you like your single track riding (like me) or have a tendency to ride off jumps into lakes. I've destroyed two sets of wheels on my mtn bike and am still on my first road rims. My mtn bike is a Jamis Diablo from like 1993-4, full Shimano LX , although I've replaced a lot of parts, with no suspension. Its getting a little creaky though so I may be shopping for a quality x-country bike with front suspension in the near future. Hows the Fischer?