Originally Posted by
Spld cyclist
It'll be hard to stay under $1,000 if you're building up a frame. How about a nice C&V mountain bike to tour on? Look around, find a good example, make sure anything gets fixed as needed. I'm thinking this would be a third of your budget, or less.
By the way, the Miyata is a nice bike, and everyone needs more than one bike, so I think everything is good here....
I second this, if you're looking for a cheap way to tour.
Use an old mountain bike frame.
The mid-late 90s mountain bikes have touring geometry and all the eyelets and braze-ons you could want.