I can totally identify with this thread. Over the winter, I decided to rebuild my Bob Jackson touring frame for loaded touring. I had previously used it for commuting until I picked up a nicer Waterford sport touring frame last summer. Since I already had the frame, some touring wheels, saddle, seatpost and bunch of other parts, I figured it would be a relatively inexpensive project. Wrong!

The build itself cost about $600 because I had to buy some new parts -- rear derailleur, cassette, head set, bar-end shifters, canti brakes. Add to that some used parts I picked up for good prices, but still cost money -- namely Sugino triple crankset and bottom bracket. I thought I was just about done because I already had a Tubus Cargo rear rack and Nitto mini front rack, but I still had to buy some rear panniers (Ortlieb Classic Rollers). When I got to loading up the touring bike, I quickly realized that I had too much weight in the rear using my old camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, ground pad). So I then had to turn around and spend $200 on a lighter tent (REI Quarter Dome), $100 on a Tubus Tara front rack, $100 on Ortlieb front panniers, and $75 on a Thermarest Neo ground pad.

Hopefully I am finally ready to actually tour on the bike, and I'm planning a mini-tour this weekend to state park on a lake about 50 miles from home. I hope that I like it because I've had to spend an awful lot of money just to get started.