You are welcome-- This is one thread where I feel comfortable giving my opinion and sharing my experience, because we are discussing a bike and gear that are almost exactly like mine. I have ridden the Volpe pretty much like you see it on a 3650 mile ride across the U.S. and on two other multi-week tours in Canada and the Pacific Coast. The point is that it is well tested and I have definately formed some opinions.

Front rack is a Delta. http://www.rei.com/product/671312It is not an expensive rack, but it has worked well. There are a couple of issues with fron racks and the Volpe: lack of "braze-on's" on the fork blades, and having to remove the quick release skewer when taking the front wheel off the bike. Neither is a major problem. The Delta rack comes with mounting hardware that works. A better solution is to get some mounting hardware from Wayne that is a lot easier to deal with and looks a lot better. See pictures below.

The fenders are SKS, and have held up well. I have since added some Planet Bike "mud flaps" because we were expecting our tour this summer to be really wet (it was).

Tires choice is personal preference, and depends on the types of roads you will be riding on and cost. We have used 28 mm Continental Ultra Gatorskins exclusively. They are great tires, but 95% of our riding is on relatively good paved roads. I would like to try 32mm's, but may have to go to a Shwalbe tire to get them. There is a lot of discussion in this form about tires. In the picture the tire is an Continental Ultra 3000. It was just being used for training prior to putting on a new set of Gatorskins prior to leaving on this summer's trip.

Good luck in your venture, and keep us posted on your progress.