Originally Posted by Dewbert
I'm torn between trying to rig up my Giant OCR2 road bike for touring, or whether to save up and buy a true touring rig. My 2005 OCR2 has a carbon fork and low spoke count wheels, which probably don't lend themselves to touring. It is, however, a triple and it's paid for and I really only use it for a foul weather/backup road bike....
I think this depends entirely on how much you plan to tour.
If you plan to do some short tours (e.g. 1 week at a time max), I think it'd be fine. I'd swap out the wheels for something with a normal spoke count and use as wide of tires as you can put on the bike. You can leave the carbon fork on as long as you do not use a front rack.
If you plan to do a serious tour (e.g. 1 month or more per tour), I'd get an actual touring bike. Preferably something with a relaxed geometry, wide tires, fenders, bar-end shifters, strong wheels etc.
A trailer will work on any bike, although I wouldn't recommend it if the bike has carbon seatstays.