Mountain bikes with rigid forks make great tourers.
Almost every mid-to-high end CrMo steel mountain bike made between 1983 and 1989 will, even in fifty years, continue being a mountain bike or a city bike, or a tourer or commuter or a magnificent grocery hauler, or whatever else you want to convert it to. Did you get rid of yours? Too bad, shouldʼve kept it, because they truly donʼt make bikes like those anymore.