I may be interested in that rack, we'll have to see how this bike checks out on friday. What differentiates a rack from another rack? I have a cheapish one that I used to use commuting but I've been using a messenger bag for awhile now, so my rack knowledge is slim. I was thinking I could get a decent rack and then ask for some ortliebs from my wife on my upcoming bday. How does that sound?

I have a trailer that I built. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=285912) but I think part of what I like about the idea of touring is being one unit, not several parts. Not to mention the wag factor. Man, I wish I had known more then, but when I was living in Central America these two boulder guys came through on their bikes and stayed a couple days. They were doing San Diego to the bottom of South America. One guy had a bike that had been welded like the Surly Big Dummy (an xtracycle permanently added to the bike) and was having a rocking good time coming down through nicargua. I really admired these guys, but didn't know enough about bikes at the time to recognize the beautiful bike this guy was riding.

Cyccommute, I need to do a little more research on racks but I may be interested in that rack, would you PM me what you think a reasonable price is?