To be honest, I think you need to settle down.
1. I don't think ignoring the bungee advice was really a big deal. So I spent $10 to try bungee so it would be more useful and could carry more gear. Now that I realize I dont need to carry all the gear on top it's not as useful. So I picked up some $5 straps at my hardware store, big woop.
2. I eventually followed everyones advice and got the larger frame. Ignoring the advice for a larger frame didn't mean I wasted $200. I tried it out for free, saw that the advice was correct and took your suggestions. Can you really blame me for trying out an option for free before putting down cash?
Do I think I spent $500 on the bike? NO! Have I spent $500 or more already? Yes. The difference is that to get to just the point of having a bike I spent less than $500. Getting the stuff I would need such as panniers, camping gear, clothing, supplies, spares, tools, and other supplies put me over $500. On the bike though I didn't spend much. $40 for a frame, $40 on a new front deraillieur, $40 on a new fork, $13 for handlebars, and $80-100 for the LBS to build the bike and some other small parts like cables and brake pads. So that is only $226 for a bike that is essentially new. I think I did pretty well. The major components are tested as I have been riding them for years, and I have no lack of trust in the new deraillieur. What would $226 bucks get me used? It would probably get me an older bike that would still need some new parts and plenty of servicing.
I'm sorry if I'm not in the position to throw money away and buy something because someone on a forum told me so. Yes, I do pick and choose what advice I listen to. That's why it's advice and not an order. Do I plan on doing a shake down tour? No. I am riding up until I leave and I am noticing problems and adjustments that need to be corrected. I have no doubt that when I leave I will have solved the majority of the issues that need to be addressed. The rest will just be road experiences that a shake down tour wouldn't have found since it'll be random. Will my chain break in the first 100 miles, 1000 miles, or never? When will I break a spoke? I am going through the motions of packing gear, setting up camp, etc..
3. I never said I was ignoring jamawani. In fact I think I acknowledged that I am taking his advice. Here are two responses that are in this thread I posted to jamawani. "I'll definently take a closer look and probably follow your suggestions." "... I wouldn't mind detouring. You say that it does. I will certainly give it a more thorough look tonight."
4. I still don't see the need to use the Adventure cycling routes. As I see on the link the other poster provided all the routes are faily perpendicular to one another. To take those routes would be adding hundreds of miles on to my trip that are unnecessary. Just calculate pythagorean triples and it's easy to see how much distance is added when compared to a diagonal route. There are certainly trouble spots on the RAAM route, which is why this thread was started. So far I've gotten some great advice on how to head into Laguna from Palm Springs. I will certainly follow that route since it is not adding much distance, if any, and he says he rides there often and knows that to be a better route. I will ignore the advice of others telling me to circumnavigate whole states however.
Originally Posted by Shemp
That's about 5,000 feet of climbing in 22 miles. The first 4,000' over 14 miles. Impossible? No. Fun for someone who's never toured when the average May temperature is in the 90's and the bike and gear weigh 60-70lbs? We'll see.
You never want to take any advice you solicit. You still haven't done a shakedown tour despite the suggestion from at least 5 others in your other thread, and from what I can tell, don't intend to. You wanted to ignore all the advice to get a new bike or new frame, you didn't want to spend $500 for a good, built used tourer, but cobbled together an untested bike which probably got close to $500 by time you added in accessories and bike mechanic services. You ignored the bungee advice only to find later it wasn't as perfect as hoped. There are other examples in the other thread as well. Now you want to ignore jamawani's advice, and he has more touring miles traveled domestically than probably 95% of riders on this forum. I bet dollars to donuts people have not bothered to post some advice because they assumed you'd probably ignore it or refute it anyway.
I suggest using the Adv Cycling routes as much as you can, and where they don't meet your needs, most state department of transportation web sites have road traffic counts and/or bicycling maps that you can either download or view online or order. Kind of like this guy suggested to you back in January: