Touring on a carbon mountain bike
 

Hi guys and gals. I have a 2012 Trek superfly elite and I want to ride around Australia. Is this feasible or do I need a tourer? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

It's a mountain bike. It has a strong frame and wheels. It will be fine.

if racks dont fit, tow a trailer..

Lots of folks tour on mountain bikes. The bikepacking bags are well suited to this kind of touring... with wide road tires you'll be fine.

What the others have said. It should be OK.

Possible drawbacks:
* comfort - can you ride it for hours and hours? do you have multiple grip positions? how comfy is the saddle?
* carrying stuff - I don't think your Superfly has rear rack mounts. So, you can carry stuff with bikepacking bags that strap to the frame, seat, or handlebars. Or, you can tow a trailer. Another option would be to replace the shock fork with a rigid fork with rack mounts, so you could carry panniers on the front.

Have fun.

Thanks Tim.
I was thinking I might try something like the origin8 drop ends to increase the grip positions. I don't really want to have to buy a whole new bar and then probably gear and brake levers.
The saddle is comfy enough for the couple of hours I spend on it two or three times a week. That sort of stuff I can play with over the trip.

I'm more concerned about carry and reliability. I have seen a couple of racks that are built for 29ers with disk brakes. Something like this
Topeak® Cycling Accessories ? Products - Explorer 29er Tubular Rack w/disc mounts
I think you can get kits that secure them to the seat post through a clamp too. A trailer would be a last resort.

Thanks everyone.