Originally Posted by
Jeraimee
Noted. I'm pretty sure I've ruled out everything but the Sirrus and Sirrus Sport.
I was also reviewing the Allez however the extra savings on the Sirrus and the simple addition of some bar ends seemed to outweigh the benefits of the Allez - esp. when considering the upgrades needed to make it tour-ready.
What should I be looking out for when dealing with/fitting the headset and what's the concern with 32 hole wheels?
That's part of my reasoning. I can spend a little less on the base and a little more on getting it tour-ready and outfitted.
An integrated headset just is. There's not too much you can do to change it. A 32 hole wheel's strength isn't ideal for touring. A 36 hole or more is better. You can use...and abuse... them but if you start to break spokes, look for new wheels with more spokes. I wouldn't replace them right away but just be aware that you might have issues.
You can touring on flat bars and barends but you might be prone to cyclist's palsy with them. A drop bar offer more hand positions but changing to a drop bar would require a number of changes that might not be economical. A
trekking bar could use the existing levers and shifters and offers more hand position choices than a flat bar/barend combination. A
J-bar is another option but those aren't cheap.