Air travel is a pain and can be a large expense, I agree. I like the idea of a compact package that avoid oversize luggage fees and is a complete, portable solution. But then there's the cost vs. value. A big cost in your plan is in weight: a heavier frame with a heavier storage solution. They may save you some money in airport fees, but will you think it's still a good deal when you have that weight penalty for the rest of your trip? And how will the cost of building this set-up compare to the cost of shipping a full-sized bike?

You dismiss a lot of ideas as "old solutions" when apparently you want something new. I'm all for something new, but it also has to be something better than what exists.

Some solutions I've seen:

Bike Friday does this by making a smaller, folding bike that fits into a standard-sized luggage that doubles as a trailer.

S&S couplers and a soft-sided bag that can be packed and carried or shipped ahead.

A bike that is shipped separately for less than air travel rates in a disposable container.

Use airlines that are bike-friendly.

Take the train.

I'm always interested in other, creative solutions, and I look forward to seeing what you do, but I am in no way convinced it improves upon "old solutions."

I don't know what the pannier problem is. My problem is that I pack too much in them. Two hard cases that hold more than my existing pannier set up would weigh more and encourage me to pack more.

I also don't know that this a problem everyone experiences. I like the long wheelbase of my touring bike. I just don't spend a lot of time wishing it were longer.

I can mount 3 water bottles on my frame. I've seen solutions for adding mounts to the front fork and the handlebars, plus I've carried extra water in my panniers. If you're touring exclusively in barren areas where you won't have access to fresh water, it makes sense to make water carrying a priority, but even then it doesn't make sense to focus on bottle mounts. That's not the most efficient way to carry lots of water.

But the more likely scenario seems to be occasional riding through arid, sparsely populated areas. In that case, a frame designed to carry more water seems like overkill. Better you should have a versatile set up where you can stash extra water temporarily. Not a frame purpose built for those two days you ride through the desert.

Another problem I'm not familiar with. I carry more gear weight up front than behind, and I like it that way. Other people do not, but they also don't have to. Many people can get all their gear on the rear rack.

So I just don't know. A long wheel base bike that carries a lot of weight easily and packs small actually sounds interesting. But this particular solution seems to actually require that you carry more weight to make it work in the form of hard-sided luggage, and all in the name of solving problems I didn't know I had.

I look forward to the final product, but it's hard for me to picture it as something I'd want to try myself.