Once again, cheers for the replies

As far as fitting a rear-rack to the skewers, maybe that was one of my less inspired ideas (my drop-outs are ritchey socket ones so thier not even open from the angle that i would require, However, theoretically, the skewer is thin enough to pass through the rack eyelet and as my axle finishes flush with the frame the skewer would end up bearing the weight of my rear load. How much weaker can this be than the similarly sized bolt that supports the rear rack on a conventional touring frame.

All that said, Ive just seen a 26" wheeled tourer for sale, 631 frame, bar end shifters etc etc, I dont want to sell my current bike and im a little phobic against having two bikes, but the world suddenly looks easier.

il be looking for experiences with this type of bike/ frame

Ooh, 631 ? is that like the same as 853 minus the heat treatment?


Cheers