nice mods! i was thinking of upgrading my tires too.. deciding between the marathon plus vs big apple.. but that will be a bit away. but i got a question about your rack. i see that it is rated at 25lb carrying capacity. would you feel safe putting anything close to that amount on it? i'm kinda weary on having a cantilevered post supporting things like my laptop, etc. (using it for my everyday commute). and do you think the panniers will be a problem hitting your tires etc? or do you have a pannier rack to go with it?

oh yeah.. has anybody found a good solution for a kickstand?!?!

anyways, good work!