Wow, I just love reading the stories of where the hard core amongst us have been. Inspirational, to say
the least! Being on an extremely limited budget, I especially enjoy reading the forums and finding out what
people devise to "make do" or "get by". As stated earlier, when all is said and done I think the main thing is
to simply get out there and do it any way you can. Jump in and swim, before the lake runs dry.
I am really hoping to do some touring before one foot goes in the grave, and towards that end I finally received a special order "make do"
freewheel from
Loose Screws which will be a bit more touring friendly. Got a great price on a 14 x 34 six cog for my old Bridgestone RB3.
Haven't put it on yet, but most likely an alternate derailleur will also be in order to make the stretch to that bail-out gear.
Sure, I wish I had a dedicated touring bike with a triple crank and kinder geometry.
Yes, I'd love a new set of Tubus racks and Ortleib bags.
But I'm not going to worry about that. I think I'll just ride instead.