You might as well get to know your bicyce since you will be touring with it. No sense in prolonging it. You WILL have to make at least minor adjustments while on the road. Best learn how to do it now.
So go buy yourself a long cage (I like rapid rise) derailleur, a nice new cable, a chain, a new cassette, a multitool with a chain tool, a quicklink (or whatever those things are called) a chain tool, some blue loctite, and change that thing yourself!
Read the instructions on that quicklink package and make sure you remove the correct pin on the chain.
In fact, since we're here, I've been thinking of swapping my LHT RD for a rapid rise RD.
Last edited by kuan; 04-07-10 at 06:23 AM.