IPassGas

Thanks for this, interesting read. I've done a lot of brazing....I can haul an oxy-acetylene tank cart on tour loaded with gear, perhaps they come in carbon (just joking).

Regarding a cheap touring bike....Nooooo. I am always trying to get to the middle of nowhere on tour, and the middle of nowhere is precisely where something will break (see Murphy). A cheap bike simply increases the odds.