I really wonder why they put a 105 derailleur on the back. You might want to ask in the mechanics forum if it will handle an 11-32 cassette.

Did you ask at REI if they wouldn't give you the new Randonee for the same cost? Or are you assuming? We returned a tent and some shoes that we had bought on sale and got replacements for the same cost even though they were no longer on sale. I think (but am not positive) that REI will replace the item - and if they no longer have the exact item in stock they will replace it with a comparable item. It's worth checking it out.

I suppose I never really asked directly if they would do an exchange. I figured since it was a different model year, different frame size and I bought the original on sale, they wouldn't allow an exchange, especially since they went up in price.

You may be surprised. Ask - it can't hurt!

Thanks for the suggestion. This is the response I got from the Mechanics forum...

"you can get a 29T in there... maybe a 30T if you are lucky. anymore and yes, you'll have to swap it for a mtb derailer."

For fully loaded touring I assume it would be wise to upgrade the cassette/derailleur down the road, if not right away to get better gearing on the low end? Is 11-32 sufficient? I'm sure I've read a few times that you can never have low enough gearing on a touring bike.

If I have one complaint about my Randonee it's that they didn't put low enough gearing on it. I had the gears swapped out for the smallest I could get, but I'm still stuck with that blasted large chain ring in the front that I never, ever use - which means I really only have two chain rings in the front. I could pay a lot of bucks and get the whole thing swapped out, but decided I could live with the two only. I"ve made it 8500 miles so far, so it must not be too bad.

For around $150 you can swap out the crank with an LX or Deore . You will then not need to worry about the chain length or the rear cassette. This would be what I would do if I was riding your bike. 24 small ring with that cassette should get you up any hill you can find.

Good news. REI is going to swap the Deore LX MTB derailleur and 11-32 cassette to the new bike for free. I will probably end up buying an 11-34 cassette to install myself down the road. And if I'm feeling frisky, maybe I'll take the smallest chainring from 26t to 24t.

Nice! Good to hear it all worked out. Never hurts to ask.

The REI near me has great service too. I have an 08 Randonee and love it. You forgot to mention where you were going with those three weeks off. I am a little envious of you, new bike and three weeks to break it in. Wow.

Just a point of info: my wife bought the 09 Randonee, which came with the LX and 11x32. She's had some trouble with slippage on the cassette. When we took it in for the post-sale adjustment, we were told that there has been some trouble with the drivetrain and the STI shifting in the 09's with that setup. The fix has been to switch out to the 105 and 11x28, and newer 09 Randonee's come that way, I think, but as said previously, you then give up some of the range. The bike shop manager/mechanic at REI, who's very well qualified, has tried to adjust things with the existing parts. We'll pick up the bike this weekend and hopefully have a chance to ride and see how things are running.

I made a mistake when I called to verify that they could move the '08 drive train components (which work well) to the '09 bike. I didn't write down which manager I talked to the day before. The manager on duty when I went in wasn't the friendliest. I did my best to explain what I wanted and why, and he said "Sorry. I don't know who you talked to, but you were horribly misled. We can't do that." and walked away. I was really put off with the tone that he used when he said it. Then, to make things better... the bike mechanic got the paperwork out and said "So, you want to take the '09 bike home?" with a smile. No thanks.

They were busy and I might have gotten better service if I had gone in on a different day. Usually REI has excellent customer service, but it was as if they didn't want to put any effort into selling the bike. I'm kicking myself for not writing down who I talked to, since it would have been nice to toss it back at them.

Oh well, I ended up taking both '08 bikes back and will probably invest in a pair of Surly LHTs for next year. I had the opportunity afterward to talk to a local tourer who has been riding for 20+ years. After 3 hours on the phone I had a much better education of what touring means and how to go about it the right way. He recommended looking at the Surly and had quite a few suggestions for components. At first I was considering buying a complete bike, but now I'm leaning toward building one (or two) up from scratch. I know the cost will be higher, but I'll have a much better understanding of how the bike goes together and I know the components will be right. Should keep me busy through winter.

Welcome to the world of custom bike building!

Once you start, you can never go back to buying packaged bicycles.

You pay more, sometimes a lot more, but so what? It's a long term investment, not an airline ticket.

That's the biggest lesson I've learned!

Ah it's for the better anyways. I just complained to REI the other day that they were getting way too big. I order a part from my LBS and the guy can pick it up on his bike along the way. At REI they can't order the part until someone who is authorized to do so does it. And then I have to wait wait wait.