When I was just beginning to learn frame building the shop's owner had a GF who was also making her own frame (my kind of woman!) for her around the world tour. besides the frame bit I was curious about the rest of her planning (being a sort of tourer myself). She was going to run 26x13/8 (590) wheels and steel cottered cranks. Initially I was surprised at this. Why not the usual 27x11/4 tires and "good" alloy cotterless cranks. She said finding repair parts (this being in 1978) of the grade I had assumed on would be unlikely but any village blacksmith could handle cotters and steel and that 590 tires were vastly more common in the third world.

I was impressed with her planning and willingness to not focus on the bike as being the reason to tour. A real good lesson for me early on. Andy