Originally Posted by
BengeBoy
You can get a used steel 80's mountain bike for under $200 (even less) if you're patient. Even if you end up replacing half the parts it's a pretty inexpensive way to build a tourer.
I'm shooting for having one (and only one) bike. More than that is a nightmare for storage.
Also, I've learned something: Old used equipment will usually fail, and do so at the least convenient time.
The Nashbar frame is particularly convenient as I'm still waffling over whether to go for an IGH (135mm or bust) or derailleur system. The derailleur system has a wider gear range, smaller spacing between the gears, supports a wide range of convenient shifters, and is far more efficient than an IGH....but the latter is cheaper, is almost completely immune to rain and salt, and is far cheaper and simpler to maintain.