You can tour on anything, it is all a matter of comfort. I wish I had a surly LHT frame with all my components. I don't, and I'm going to go for a year long trip on this bike. It doesn't matter that much. But I have upgraded nearly everything on my bike. It really depends on what you plan to do. If you are just going around in the states, where you can get whatever you want wherever you are, it is all about comfort. If you going to SE Asia it is important to get the toughest most reliable gear. I would start with a brooks saddle, they conform to you. If you want to do some long isolated trips, and you don't want to worry about maintence, get some phil woods hubs. Get some marathon xr (or plus) tires. Check out Arkle panniers. It all depends on how much you want to spend, and what you plan to do with it.