Very cool! I'm always amazed how many people are out on a bike tour without even the most rudimentary repair skills. Bike repair is not that hard to learn, assuming you put some time into it. Being able to at least adjust gears and brakes, do emergency repairs, etc., is really important.

Weird about the rusting at the couplers, though. Did Bilenky do the couplers? If so, did you ask them what might have happened? I've never seen that problem, and Bilenky is usually top-notch (their shop isn't too far from where I live). It's not uncommon for bikes to get rust from sweat dripping on the tubes, especially bikes that are used on stationary trainers. But I assume that's not the case here.