Originally Posted by
neilfein
I rode with chefisaac the other day, and I can assure you he's no wannabe-tourer who will purchase gear and let it gather dust in the garage.
Would you be grumbling like this if he had ordered a wal-mart special rather than a multi-thousand dollar steed? (Yeah, BTO Bike Friday owner here...) I was a bit surprised by the numbers as well, but he's not just throwing money at the problem. chefisaac has put a lot of effort into deciding what gear to order, and he's excited that he's finally done it. That's certainly a small landmark of some sort, I'd say. Until that day when his bike is ready, let's help him enjoy this moment.
I'm not grumbling, because I have no investment one way or another if he tours or not. However, I defer to your firsthand knowledge from having ridden with the Iron Chef and discussed the subject with him. If you say its so, its so.
If anyone here were to buy bikes and gear at Walmart, announce it was "pulling the trigger on touring", and not have a clue where or when he would tour, I'd likely make the same post. If you remember, Neil, we both purchased tents AFTER we had planned for the GAP/C & O tour in 2008. I suspect most bike tourists either use what they already own or purchase with a specific tour in front of them.