Several years ago I decided to get a mountain bike really made for unsupported off-road touring (think Great Divide Mountain Bike Route or the Colorado Trail). Hartail, 26: wheels, somewhat old-skool relaxed geometry, S&S coupled, fittings for racks and panniers and a Rohloff hub. Disk brakes, capable of running racks and fenders at the same time. There are a few good options for this now like the Surly Troll, but at the time such a bike didn't exist, so I went custom. I went with Seven, and ended up with a wonderful bike, although the process ended up being more complicated than anybody expected. I would definitely recommend Seven as a custom builder.
Last edited by corvuscorvax; 11-17-12 at 12:13 PM.