I find this whole light weight setup thing to be very interesting and worth my time to study. It seems as though I must learn the hard way even though what everyone says makes perfect sense. I want it all and it seems as though I must be beaten into submission with compromises in order to find my fit in this touring world. It's quite apparent to me that I must develop the attitudes that go hand in hand with what tickles my fancy for touring. I love off grid dirt touring on gravel and sandy two track roads. I don't mind a rough trail. I don't like to be uncomfortable. Next summer I am planning on doing a combination of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Western Wildlands Route. Right now, there are things in my current setup that are absolute energy budget busters.
I am torn and driven at the same time. I think bicycles are positively awful contraptions to travel any distance on They are flimsy, dangerous contraptions that subject the rider to untold evil natural elements and second-class road status that is rough to endure. Read any long-distance journal and it's full of hardships and worry. I have not read a journal yet that wasn't full of *****ing and sending stuff back home. So why would a well to do, comfortable old man decide to challenge the remote elements on a bicycle knowing full well the hardships that await? Because the human mind is never healthy with status quo and comfort. Adventure and excitement are highly stimulating and ultimately rewarding. I am a master innovator and problem solver and I have come across nothing in my lifetime that ticks all the compromise and problem boxes quite like bicycle remote dirt touring verses the comfort quotient. It's highly stimulating and exciting to realize that "it's a GD bicycle in a harsh environment with a kick ass feedback loop. The challenge of course is doing it while enjoying the best comforts of life that is possible under the circumstances. Flimsy ass dangerous bicycles introduce uncomfortable mandatory compromises. it is forcing me to redefine what comfort really means and that is exactly what is being discussed in this thread. Going lighter means a much more responsive great feeling bike but compromises what most people believe comfort really is. I am personally struggling with what comfort really means. I am reluctant to spend money before I sort that out. The clock is ticking down to next summer.
I have gone heavy and don't like the way the bike feels and handles. I find it acceptable at about half the weight I have been carrying and that is still above what most of you all are striving for. It's quite stimulating to try to sort it all out. That is much of the fun. What to leave out, what to buy and what to change is all spinning in my head. I am no longer of the belief that I can just throw money at the bike and solve the problems. I have what I believed is the perfect new bike for a DIY build price of about $12,000 but I now question that belief. For $2,000 I can make a decent bike out of what I have.
Another elephant in the room is the fact that I could stand to lose 30 lbs. That alone would solve a lot of issues. Of course, easier said than done, especially at 67 yo. Lighter is definitely going to be a part of going forward right now in my thinking. I am dumb on gear and clothing and that can probably make a large difference. Spend after educating myself seems better than going through multiple purchases trying to get the right thing.
Anyway, enough rambling for now. Assumptions and definition differences always make for a colorful discussion, and I am liking this one so far.