Thanks all for those offering constructive feedback. I dig the Extrawheel set up, and the link for thetouringstore. Both very helpfull. As far as the assumption that because I have a nice road bike, I can just go out and drop a couple grand on a new tour bike and setup (before I'm even sure I want to get into serious touring) is very persumptuous. No rich boy here, just getting by on a meager Firefighter salary. I saved and shoped around for the exact comp/road bike I wanted before I bought the Madone. I've been looking around for used Surley Trek and Novara tour bikes, but they seem hard to come by. Probably a testament to their quality and the popularity of tour bikes right now.
QUOTE]Putting inserts and slime tubes into the tires have no bearing on your wheels being able to carry extra weight. Your wheels ability to carry weight is a function of their construction, the tire construction, size and the psi in the tires. Making the tires flat resistant doesn't make the wheels stronger.[/QUOTE]
I appreciate the tutorial. However, I wasn't making any insinuations about carrying weight. Just stating that in upgrading from 700x23 ultralight racing tires to a wider more robust 700x25 with some puncture resistant goodies is probably to my benefit, as per lessening my possibilitys of getting flats while under load on rougher roads.
It'd probably help to know some details on the tour I've been planning. It would be from Tucson AZ to Austin TX, aprox 1000 mi (very flat). I have 2 weeks open to do it. It would be almost entirely camping along the way, only 2 nights lodged preferably. All of my gear is ultralight (from backpacking). I would like to do this as minimal as possible. Keep the feedback coming, good stuff, some things I havn't considered...