That's a fair point in the linked post.

Yeah, i'm fine staying somewhere to wait for parts if I buckle a rim, or whatever. This will probably involve a crash, so I imagine that i'd be more than fine with a bit off time off the bike.

I spoke to the (very good) travel insurer that I use today and explained the bike riding/broken parts thing.

All parts, including shipping, that have to be replaced, and accomodation while awaiting repairs are covered under their policy. This excludes wear and tear. This is covered under the 'damaged/stolen luggage clause.

So yeah, reasons to buy a poor handling (but perhaps stronger) bike are seeming less and less.

FWIW, i've ridden 700c bikes in China, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia. Sure, S.A. could be different, but I think "most of the world" is probably a bit of an exaggeration, and as I have said, my total weight including gear will be less than a lot of those in the 'old men in lycra on carbon tubbies' crowd. so it isn't like a wheel from a third world bike couldn't be spaced and re-axled to fit a 135mm rear end and keep me going.

On that note. Thanks again to everyone for their advice and opinions. I've had my questions answered and made my mind up. Unless anyone has any profound insight to add, I think we can leave this thread to be.


Cheers.