rjar, I sure hope you don't take the posts the wrong way. I know when I first came here I felt a bit insulted that my 80s state of the art custom tandem was not as good as todays $2k stock tandem but........I took what they said, did my research, and I will be darned if they were not right. So the 80s tandem is getting fixed to be local knockabout but not going to be a money pit...but I must admit it was a bit painful to here those things.

Maybe you have already done the research and local touring and this is exactly what you want to take. I will say that breakdowns can be a part of touring no matter how you cut it, and the Rohloff hub may fail you in the middle of nowhere and not be able to be cobbled together as might a bike with a lesser system.

Recumbant design may be another option for you - but that is not speaking from experience - to me the main thing that has changed that I would do if I started loaded touring again would be to get a bike with disk brakes and fatter tires a shorter top tube (I am a woman) and hehehe a TRIPLE crank (not too many people had those back then) as well as rack braze ons. {I had/have an old Paramount)

I am a bit curious about the night touring. Other than seeing lots of eyes shining back at you and staying cooler, what is the attraction? To me the best part of touring was being immersed in the environment and surrounded by it on all sides. IF all you see is the road ahead it seems it could get real boring. I was not an agressive touring person even when younger. 40-60 miles all done before lunch (and the heat of the day) with the rest of the day to explore at my destination was "all good".

Something I do want to do again when I retire.......well below is another "option" that is more upright. The thought of sitting in an upright position on a standard seat for hours on end sounds very painful to me. With flags and lighting you could be visible.

http://www.ransbikes.com/Bikegallery.htm#