Hello again, everyone! First of all, I want to deeply apologize to everyone for not responding earlier. Since the original post, I've been quite busy with going back and forth cities and helping my family. However, during that time, I read all of your comments and I really appreciate them because all of your advice helped me with thinking process of purchasing a touring bicycle. Recently, I bought a new touring bicycle while keeping in mind of all of your advice. Without further ado, here is my new bicycle:
It is a complete Surly LHT with 26" Continental City Contact tires and MKS pedals. The entire color scheme couldn't be anymore perfect -- black and silver. I've fallen in love with the bike's feel, weight, and styling.
I got this touring bicycle from NYC Velo in New York City. The bike shop was full of genuine folks who are willing to help and they don't pressure you into buying anything. Yes, I went over my budget but that budget was more of a ballpark estimate. I spent about $1,300 for the entire thing including some tubes, repair kits, levers, bottle cages, and other things.
The one downside is that I really wanted Schwalbe tires but they were not willing to swap them out. That's fine -- I'll order them myself. So right now I have to figure out which Schwalbe tires are more appropriate. As one person (Yan) said, there would be some gravel roads. I don't expect the roads to be absolutely perfect all the way so the correct tires would have to be able to handle even some of the roughest terrain.
I have ridden close to 40 miles or 60 kilometers so far and I have to say that my butt is really hurting. I was offered to buy the Brooks B17 at first but I wanted to see if the saddle would feel okay (and I wanted to save as money as I could). But apparently, I'm going to have to buy that Brooks B17 saddle soon. Then again, I also never wore any bike shorts or anything with extra padding. I read that someone literally wore Maxi Pads under their shorts/pants which gave them extra comfort.
About the number of holes (I'm assuming this has to do with the spokes in the tires), I am 180 pounds and hopefully I will be losing weight when I ride more (down to 160-170 pounds). I am not sure if I need any more spokes? When I tour, I aim to keep my entire bike's weight about moderate -- not very bare nor very packed -- since I plan to jump into hostels and/or people's homes for a few nights at a time. I intend to bring a tent with me just in case.
About the fenders and racks -- I'm going to have to call NYC Velo and see their prices for both of them. I believe they were very good and durable racks -- the guy told me that it would be perfect for my long touring expedition. I'll post back here to gather further opinions.
Now I really need panniers and mounts and things like that -- I saw a guy offer some panniers around here but I am really looking for sturdy and waterproof panniers because I'll be going through some frequent wet weather.
Also, I'm trying to decide on what helmet is good. There are some helmets at NYC Velo but the styling (yes, style means a lot to me, haha) didn't impress me nor did the quality despite them being $100 dollars. Can anyone recommend a decent helmet that I can get by that'll do a good job? How do you guys manage wearing a helmet during the rain, by the way?
Have you guys ever used knives as a defense tool? I'm not sure if holding a knife would actually make things worse when it comes to confrontations.
No, Tunisia is not a third world country. However, Tunisian roads are known to be driven by some of the worst/craziest drivers. I'm not sure how I will survive that. How do you manage to deal with the boys throwing rocks? I know some Arabic so I could try talking to the boys and asking why they even throw rocks. I will be CouchSurfing across the country and meeting people everywhere hopefully.
Thanks for the suggestion of going through small towns and villages. The urban cities are what I want to visit for the historical attractions and big things but when I ride my bike across the country, I will make sure I go through the isolated landscapes for fun.
I have two "weekend" tours planned. One will be this:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/570934 and another will be this:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/570939 and these trips will definitely tell me whether something feels right or wrong and will definitely prepare me for the real ride in Spain and North Africa in October. I look forward to it!
Thanks for all the advice, links, and suggestions for what to focus on when it comes to fixing my bike on the roadside!
Cheers.