jargo432, When it came time to build my first touring bike I browsed this forum and picked out those bits and pieces of info that applied to what I had in mind. Actually I started a little before I had anything to start with. The result was a near perfect build using a few parts from the bike itself, parts from my parts bin and some new items.

The two main isms are fit and gearing. Fit has to be comfortable mile upon mile, day after day. Roughly a 20-100 gear inch range, even if some gears are seldom used, still seems sound advice for fully loaded touring.

Have fun.

Brad