Touring - durable components?

while evolving from buying from LBS to building my own touring bike, tons of questions emerge from nowhere. and here´s the list of the major components that i´m going to put on my new bike, since the focus is on the long term durability, the weight is not a major considration. any suggestions on better(more durable) components are appreciated.

dynamo front hub(SON)
phil wood 36 hole rear hub
LHT frame and fork 54cm
mustache/drop bar
ultegra front derailleur(triple crank)
LX or XT rear derailleur
avid digit 7
dia-compe 287v brake lever
straight bar brake lever ----- whatever
rims ----- don´t know yet
down tube shifter ----- whatever
headset ----- whatever
cranks(crank arm, chainring) ----- whatever
BB ----- whatever

Your list... my responses (for whatever they're worth)...


dynamo front hub(SON) Nothing better made on the planet... outstanding choice.

phil wood 36 hole rear hub The best hub made... bulletproof, bombproof and the company stands 100% behind their products- i.e. send it back to them in 10 years time and they will do an overhaul on it for 20 bucks.

LHT frame and fork 54cm Good, well-made, great company support... cro-mo, most of the bells & whistles. Like a Volvo, you should be riding it until you're just plain tired of it not because of any problems with it.

mustache/drop bar Assuming it's a Nitto... beautiful construction, eye candy to look at, wonderful satin finish-says to the world, "I do things differently". Just hopefully not, "Also uncomfortably". i.e. Lots of folks find them uncomfortable... however, that's avoidable most of the time if you commit to trying different stem extensions, etc.

ultegra front derailleur(triple crank) Fine, or XT too.

LX or XT rear derailleur Both good, both cheap... perhaps take the plunge and just go the XT route and sleep a wee bit better at night.

avid digit 7 Don't know 'em. Hopefully they aren't the ones I hear so many others talk about that squeal like Ned Beatty in Deliverance. Personally my thoughts go toward- Long Lasting & Not Too Hard on your Wallet: Shimano; Really Easy on your Wallet but maybe Not So Long Lasting: Tektro; or "Honey, you're going to be really pi$$ed off at me but... ": Paul's Neo Retro and Touring canti's.

dia-compe 287v brake lever Been around, solid... it allows you to pull cable which is a good thing as that allows your cycle to stop... this aids in a long, happy life.

straight bar brake lever ----- whatever You need 'em if you're going to go straight... good ones can be had by Shimano and NOS Dia Compe.

rims ----- don´t know yet Get 'em beefy and your days will be more fun than not. I would think Sun, Velocity and Mavic and specifically Rhyno Light, CR-18, Deep-V or A719 (as they correspond to their manufacturers).

down tube shifter ----- whatever Many do the job... most well. Shimano Dura-Ace aren't very expensive and look/shift nicely.

headset ----- whatever LHT is threaded or threadless... don't recall? Guessing it's threadless... lots of folks swear by Cank Creek and FSA.

cranks(crank arm, chainring) ----- whatever Deore crank in 22/32/44? Better still, the Sugino XD600... if you can handle 24 or 26 teeth for your granny and still want a crank that says, "I'm pretty".

BB ----- whatever Phil will do you good but so will Shimano for much less.

Sorry, I don't get the Phil Wood thing. At the price those things go, you can buy a lifetime supply of LX hubs and have some cash left over.

Avid shorty brakes work fine as long as they are adjusted correctly. Squeal should not be a problem if they are set up correctly. I don't know anything about the "digit" brakes.

Sun CR-18s cost half as much as A719s. Deep Vs are a pain in cross winds and don't have eyelets so spokes can bind in the holes. This is a definite place where KISS (Keep It SImple Stupid) applies.

My current fave headset is the threaded Stronglight A-9. It's only $50 from Harris cyclery and it has completely replacable bearings and races. Get spares and you will never have to worry about headset problems or using special tools to fix them.

BB: Tange makes some nice cheap ones. Really, how fancy does this need to be?

Shifters: I have some Sachs/Huret DTs I'll let go cheap. I think Shimano barcons are the real deal, though.

If you're doing touring in the third world for months on end, maybe some of the pricey stuff makes sense, otherwise cheap replacable stuff rules. At least for me.

Pity the A9 is a 1" threaded headset. The Avid's SD 7 have a good reputation for being powerful and simple.But experience tells me that V's are not a good choice for touring. They need to be ran closer to the rim than canti's and if by any reason the wheel goes out of true....
On the other hand, canti's are not so straightforward to set up, but they are not really that difficult. And when properly done they can be as powerful as V's, plus have loads of adjustability.

yes, it´s a nitto, but it´s quite difficult to find around here so guess i´ll use drop bar for the time being. i´m thinking about adding another set of brake levers to the bar because drop bar levers don´t seem to be a safe position while going around in the city with all the crazy traffic.

the Sun Rhyno Light and CR-18 seem to be pretty good. and the LHT is threadless.

what´s the difference between canti and v brakes anyway?

Some of the Shimano mid-range chainrings are a bit soft for extended touring use. They are "pre-worn" to make shifting sweeter. French company Specialities-TA make some of the hardest wearing rings and are used by tourists and pro racing teams.

Hi,
1) When I'm touring, I have breakfast. Then I ride for a few hours and have lunch. The I ride for a few hours,settle in, clean up, and have dinner. I quickly discovered I hated being on unfamiliar roads in the dark. When I was putting together my bike, I also considered a dynamo hub. Someday I would like to get one. But
I don't need one.
2) IMHO, take the money you saved on the lighting, and buy a better frame. You can save a little weight, and you will likely reduce flexing around the bottom bracket. There aren't many moderately priced touring frames that I know of. I have been wondering if the Burley Vagabond was available as just a frame; and how much it would be. Mercian's King of Mercia with their hightest rated steel might be worth a look.
3) A better frame will cost a lot more, you can find the extra by skipping the Phil Wood hubs. It's great stuff, but it's like blowing
$3K on Alu wheels for a Chevy Cavalier. The frame makes a big difference, the hubs don't. As good as Wood hubs are, when you are riding you can't tell. Swap out the frame and you'll notice instantly. You can always build up a set of fancy wheels later.
4) Which brings me to my big point. I'd call Sheldon at Harris Cyclery. He knows more about this stuff than most of us put together. He has some nice touring wheels that are very reasonably priced; and will tell you if you need beefier wheels.
5) Get some new or used Shimano cantis. I am using some old ones I had lying around.
6) I didn't care for moustache bars.. at all. I love my $60 Ritchey Biomax bar. It let me set up a basically flat bar all the way to the hoods. I'd add Specialized's Bar Phat, and Grip Shapes to provide a more natural resting place for the hands. http://www.offthefront.com/sports.htm#Cycling%20Products
7) Bar end shifters are very popular for touring bikes. I have them on my commutter. I like STI better. I think bar end, or down tube, shifters will be more reliable. But once I tried STI, there was no going back. This is pure personal preference, IMO. I am willing to sacrifice a little reliability for the sexy shifting.
8) Tektro and Specialized make good cheap cyclocross brake levers for
a second set of brake levers. I have Paul's Love Levers on my good bike, and Tektros on my commuter. The biggest difference was the extra $50 I gave to Paul.

I dont plan on riding at night either, but do find myself riding in fog or taking a trip into town at night, so use a bottle dynamo with a braze-on frame tab. Its not so efficient but that hardly matters; it is always there. The SON is a good high performance unit for Audax (endurance) riders and for commuters.

i think halfspeed and late are right, maybe i don´t need phil and SON afterall, partly because they´re not of such importance like, say, the frame and partly because i can always get them later on if i want.

i also considered a bottle dynamo before, but it seems to(i presume) interfere with front panniers.

king of mercia looks very good, but topped with the shipping would exceed my budget, and besides, it´s too fancy! i would be carrying 10 chain locks and still can´t rest with an easy mind!

Bar end shifters are very popular for touring bikes. I have them on my commutter. I like STI better. I think bar end, or down tube, shifters will be more reliable. But once I tried STI, there was no going back. This is pure personal preference, IMO. I am willing to sacrifice a little reliability for the sexy shifting.



STI shifters are about increasing control and safety. Both of your hands remain on the hoods (which increases your stablility -- no need to ride with one hand for even a fraction of a second); close to the brake levers (which decreases the likelihood of not being able to stop in an emergency); and able to switch gears quickly (so you won't be caught in the wrong gear). They may be less reliable, but you are better integrated with the machine.

Elegant engineering aside, it is SO annoying that STI shifters are not serviceable!

Some people prefer the Campy Ergo shifters -- which are serviceable. In my opinion, the Ergos are less "ergonomic" than the STIs. If you check this thread, you will see that several people find it awkward or hard to stay on the hoods while activating the Campy thumb trigger:

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-56400

My thumbs do not easily reach the Campy thumb trigger, so I bought STI. I sacrificed some reliability, but gained overall usability.

Alan

My bottle dynamo lives on the front edge of the RHS seatstay and does not interfere with panniers or feet.
Why not get a Taiwanese made frame. Many of the higher quality stock US frames (such as Soma) are made there.

I like STI better. I think bar end, or down tube, shifters will be more reliable. But once I tried STI, there was no going back. This is pure personal preference, IMO. I am willing to sacrifice a little reliability for the sexy shifting.

Included in your spare parts kit you can carry with you a set of downtube shifters which weigh almost next to nothing in the event your STI fails in the middle of nowhere. That's an option considering your touring frame comes with downtube shifter bosses which most do anyway.

the soma double cross seems to be pretty good for touring, and it´s not too expensive than the LHT. but what´s the big difference between the 2 frames? higher quality means more durable or better performance or something else?

and any other names of frames which are made in taiwan are greatly appreciated.

"Durable" components break and/or wear out, too. Remember, expensive means rare in the remote areas of the world.

anyone ever tried dia-compe 204QR levers?