Hi Norcalhiker,

Disks are great - the BB7s were absolutely brilliant, downhill, fully laden, they inspired complete confidence and, a year later, I'm still using the same set of pads I started the tour with! And spares pads are also tiny compared to V-brake blocks. The *only* thing I'd say against them is that, because they're mechanical (essential!), you might need to do some fiddling to allow the movement they require inside the legs of the rear rack you like to use. If you know what I mean.

Magura Odur are good forks too - I think they're the default spec on Thorn bikes where people tick the box for suspension to be included, at least they were when I was building my own bike. BUT... Fox forks were available as a more expensive option, and I was able to get a really good deal on the Vanillas from another online retailer. As long as you get well-reviewed, coil-sprung jobs with lockout, you'll be fine.

Here are a couple of photos of the Tubus Swing plate at the crown of the fork. All I had to do was introduce a few little washers on either side of the plate, and bend the legs of the Swing out to accommodate them. Easy! I think I didn't even have to use longer bolts - the original bolts were plenty long enough.