'TCR' are important initials in bike evolution.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/icons-of-cycling-giant-tcr-206346That's the kind of bike that most ride now. It generated the emphasis of stiffness and 'response' that tests talk about. LEL actually demands the opposite; elasticity. Adventure bikes are designed to put big tyres into contact with the road, often with deep section rims. Randonneur bikes have the big tyres with the spindly steel tubes that held sway before the TCR.
PBP bikes of the 1960s had the spindly frame tubes, tubular tyres, shallow sprint rims and 32 or 28 spokes front. 36 or 40 rear.
It is possible to tick all the right boxes by putting 700c wheels in a 1980s frame built for 27 inch wheels, and putting big tyres on. That approach sells little other than a specific type of Tektro long reach twin pivot caliper, and Vittoria Voyager Ultras, so you'll not see that advocated in any commercial magazines. I was taken by Peter Simon's Raleigh Record Ace on the Mille Pennines. Seen here from 40 seconds to 1.40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBIU38fbiyAHe was first back on that ride by a long margin. He did that by simply not stopping much, so there's no magic in the bike. But it was reliable and comfortable. The factor that's often neglected is how vibration gets to the soles of your feet. You're always going to have to exert pressure to move forwards, whatever the design. The faster you go, the higher that pressure.
Hard tyres, deep rims and stiff frames transmit road vibration. You can cushion the hands, and the saddle, but not the pedals. A strategy where you go slower, and rest less, puts less pressure on the feet. The challenge is then to make the rest of the bike comfortable. The aim is a Tortoise/Hare hybrid. You can throw quite a lot of money at that problem, but the Tortoise/Hare might equally be skulking in a shed near you.
