I know these threads seems a little cheesy and pointless, but this bike will be a big investment...so... I'm looking for comments from people who have experience with any of these components, and suggestions on the areas that have ? marks. Also, don't be afraid to recommend alternative parts, I haven't bought anything yet. I plan to sell my cf/aluminum road bike and build this one because it will be more suited to my riding preferences.

Frame..........Burley Touring 59cm -Color?
Crank..........Truvativ Roluer triple -Do they still make this, or did the new Elita replace it?
BB...............Truvativ GXP
Shifters........Ultegra STI-What's your best argument for barcons? thumbies? take-offs?
Derailluers.....Ultegra
Rims............DTswiss TK 7.1 or Velocity Dyad - 32 or 36 hole?
Hubs............DT 340 or DT Onyx or Velocity Dyad
F Brake........Paul Neoretro
R Brake........Paul Touring Canti
Headset.......sealed FSA or cane creek
Seat............Brooks B17
Tires? -around 28
Cassette? Chain?
Seatpost? Stem? Handlebars? (definetly drops)
Rack(s)? Panniers? I wont be carrying enormous loads (nothing more than a quality rear rack can handle). Should I still get front and rear racks to distribute the weight more evenly and improve handling?

Tell me if I forgot anything, and pre-thanks.

-Casey

I personally like thumb shifters, but then again that's a personal choice! DT Swiss rims are nice, and I'd go with the 36 hole for better load distribution through the spokes. Think of the wheel as a round suspension bridge, the more support cables, the better the load carrying capacity. Color, up to you! What do you like? My choice would be a powder blue if available! That or a frame so bright it could be seen unilluminated on a foggy dark road at six miles in 1/10 mile visibility! :D

Color, somesort of green for me.
Thumbies here too.
36 spokes.
Tires, biggest Schwalbe Marathons (any type) as possible with fenders.
I do like my older Blackburn lowrider front rack eventhough it's MT most times.

Best argument(s) for barcons: half the cost of STI and bulletproof.
As for the other stuff...
I'm a boutique hub naysayer. Shimano LX or XT are a better value and more than sufficient.
I'd take Shimano cantis over the Pauls as well
If you're planning on doing fully loaded touring, you likely aren't going to want an Ultegra RD.
I like SRAM cassettes and chains.
For bars, Nitto Randonneurs or Ritchey Biomax
Racks: Jannd stuff is pretty cheap and durable.

I can afford whatever I want, but I ride a twenty year old frame with modest modern eight speed parts because it fits, it's reliable, it's capable and if it gets damaged or stolen it's a bad day and not a heartbreak.

Either thumbies or bar-cons for me. If STI's break, it's a big deal to repair or replace - and who knows where you might be when that happens? A determined 3rd grader could figure out how to fix the others. With proper adjustment and a bit of practice, they shift as well as STI too.

Truvativ cranks seem popular on MTBs. Their road cranks don't seem to be targeting the touring market, not one of the rings is useable on the standard touring set-up. They seem to ofer both models, I hope if they come on your touring bike they will have appropriate rings.

You have to consider your all up weight. In general road gear isn't designed for what the average touring guy seems to weigh let alone what he carries. I would look at 36 spoke wheels, and possibly some tandem weight stuff if you are burley. You are spending a lot, so you might as well dial it in.

I have big feet, but never came close to my real retro brakes on my current bike, or had problems with bags. I'd spec neos front and back, with the understanding that you can swap them or they won't mount them if there is an obvious problem. There is some hope that the neos are a superior brake, the Paul touring just hasn't the geometry to stop better than any number of similar brakes in a lower price category.

Are you running 700s or 26"? Worth thinking through carefully based on the kind of touring you do, and where you do it.

28s are too narrow for loaded touring for what I prefer. I run 35s or more. Personal preference. 28s probably sell bikes by making them feel fast, but I think you have a narrow margin with a loaded bike and those tires.

The Burley frame seems designed for folks with short torso/arms, and long legs. I'm not that person, but if you are great.


I have STI bar-ends, right? DO you mean brifters vs barends, or am I mixed up?
Nothing against brifters, though I run barend. Easier to service and get parts for/swap. Main issue is that there are far better things to spend money on than Brifters, like a custom frame, better racks or paniers. If you peel the unecesarry above LX fat out of this list, you might be able to get something really special in the way of a frame. Stay away from stuff primarily designed for racing.

I like STI, but they need spot-on adjustment, which can be quite frequent.

Good work people. I'm starting to lean towards barcons because of the reliability issue, and the front derailluer functions much better with a micro-adjust or friction shifter anyway.

I'm thinkin DT onyx hubs with Velocity Dyad rims, and still the Paul brakes.(See a pattern there?) I'm tired of the same old parts from Taiwan and I'm entitled to a couple splurges on this bike.

When I asked about the colors, I was thinking maybe more people had seen them in person. Here's the choices

Halfspeed, What were you saying about the RD? Were you refering to the chain wrap?
Guess I didn't think that through completely; XT is a more likely choice. I also like what I've seen from Jandd.

This is the crank I am looking at in a 30/39/52. And I'll make sure my FD can go smaller if needed.

I'm pretty slender, but have decided on 36 spoke wheels.

Thanks for the word on the touring cantis. My feet are 10 1/2 (44?), so the Neos should be ok.

I will be running 700c wheels, that is what the frame is made for. I also prefer wider tires, but 28 will be my staring point, I dont plan to load this thing up right after I build it.

I know someone who is an expert at bicycle sizing and is also very familiar with Burley geometry, so I will be sure run it by him. (don't worry, He's not the same person I'm buying it from)

STI=Shimano Total Integration. It includes anything that is a brake and shifter in one unit. Dual control lever is the term for a brake lever that shifts. SIS mean Shimano Index System. Your barends are probly SIS but definetly not STI.

Even more important than chain wrap, an Ultegra RD just won't shift onto the biggest cogs of a MTB cassette. If you're planning on running a 12-27 on the rear or smaller, it'll probably work.

I understand what you're saying about being tired of the Shimano stuff, just be aware that the hubs and brakes are buying far more in bling than performance. (They may, in fact, be perform worse than the Shimano stuff.)

I like the celestial blue, the glacier green and the firebird red. I suspect that what I see on my monitor isn't an exact match of the actual colors though. I wonder why you're asking us about colors though. Wouldn't that be the question to ask of a "significant other"? :D

Have you ridden a B-17 before? They are the greatest thing since sliced bread for a lot of people. Some of us just could not make them work without having a very upright position.

If you are comfortable on something other than a leather saddle you might want to avoid the Brooks. You have to keep the Brooks away from the water or risk damaging it. I know that I am taking aim at a sacred cow, but it's a factor that you will want to consider before taking off on a tour.

No you don't. You just have to cover it with an old grocery bag when you park it outdoors at night. As long as you don't repeatedly let it get soaked, it'll be fine.

People ride them in all conditions with and without any covering.

I really like the illusion paint colors. The emerald is quite nice. It's green, subtle, yet sparkly. If you're splurging on a Hudson, you should get a color that's a little different. Don't just go for the hunter green--you should just buy a Vagabond and save $600.

Also, I'm not sure if it's your style, but the sun gold is amazing! You can see it on a bike on the Burley website--look at the Piratella under the tandem section.

Are you able to buy the Burley just as a frame or are you buying as a complete bike and swapping everything out?

The Hudson and Vagabond frames look identical with only a few upgraded components and a fancy paintjob available on the Hudson.

The Hudson and Vagabond use the same frame and it is also availabe as a frameset. I'm getting the frameset because I can get some really good prices on components and I wont charge myself a cent to build it.

If your friend says you need to work in the opposite direction, basically longer top tube, then you can go for the Surly. In the 58 and 60, they are as long or longer than the number, rather than shorter, plus longer wheel base, longer stays. $350. Also, beware of too much standover height, with gear on the bike it can be quite a lift getting on.

Thanks for the acronym info. Soudns like you are headed in the right direction. You will like the barends, mine are SIS, with friction optional.

"This is the crank I am looking at in a 30/39/52. And I'll make sure my FD can go smaller if needed"

You are probably in need of something in the 24-36-48 range or 24-42-44. You won't use any of those rings. I like a low end myself, I am wadding through Beckmann's stuff right now and he likes 21-24 gears between 30 and 90 inches, so he has some power, yet he isn't going about 90 on the top end. I think the idea is that when you are freighting, you find narrower gears are really important, it isn't the range (range still has to be right for you obviously), it's optimizing the efficiency. You could be 20 inches high with the 52.

"I'm pretty slender, but have decided on 36 spoke wheels."

I didn't break them, you should be fine.

"Thanks for the word on the touring cantis. My feet are 10 1/2 (44?), so the Neos should be ok."

I think so, if they get in the way of racks or bags, it is a problem with those, so don't ditch the brakes, one can run 90 degree cantis with a heavy load of gear. Pauls are great brakes.

"I will be running 700c wheels, that is what the frame is made for. I also prefer wider tires, but 28 will be my staring point, I dont plan to load this thing up right after I build it."

I realize it's 700, which is great, I had toe overlap and difficulty getting parts on the road, so I am moving to 26" on my next bike.