Originally Posted by
ulstoft
Dear Touring Community,
I am investing in an expedition quality touring bike. Initially, I will use the bike on a UK tour, roads and canals plus some light off-road, mostly in remote areas of Scotland. But I would like something that I could eventually use to do long distance touring in remote places...
I have found a gentleman that builds custom expedition touring bikes. He has proposed the specification below. I do not really know mountain bike parts too well...
dear new tourist,
you are NOT purchasing a custom bike. "custom" means designed for the customer, according to the customer's needs and desires. you are getting some other dude's idea of a touring bike. you'll be paying triple to ride a bike some other dude likes.
i would suggest you buy one of the three popular all-around touring bikes (fuji, dawes, and some other i forgot but someone will be along to mention) that will be well-suited to any riding you are planning in the foreseeable future. of course your current bike - mtb or gravel or whatever - might be just as suitable for your short tours with a few minor tweeks.
get some touring experience, find out what works for you, and then you yourself can design your very own custom bike with your own needs in mind. there's no reason to let some other dude pick your components for you, or bolt them onto a frame.
**you mentioned a 'gentleman.' does he build frames himself to your measurements, or does he order a frame to assemble with selected components???