If anybody reading this has been to bike shops in Latin America, Africa, Asia, please share your experiences regarding the availability of 29" tubes, tires, rims, spokes, etc. in these countries.

I've read accounts of folks stepping into bike shops in Costa Rica, South Africa, Bolivia or Colombia I believe, and finding 29 rubber or wheels. But this may be rumor created in the wishful part of my mind.

PS this situation presented itself in a companions group for an Americas tour next summer.
Somebody argued that '29 brake parts' were not to be found in developing countries. Are there ANY brakes that are wheel size specific?

I'd first like to make the disclaimer that I know the question of wheel size has been beaten to death too many times.
Also, I want this to be clear that whoever reads this should ride whatever bike is the most fun to them.

My question is not "what wheel size is better for touring internationally", but rather, "should I be as paranoid as it seems everybody wants me to be about riding a 29er in a developing country?"

I bought Jesse's offer, but feel free to use this thread to hook urbanescapee up with some nice thumb shifters.

I sent you a personal message

I'm looking for some used (cheap) thumb shifters for a 9-speed drivetrain to go on mountain bars.
Probably something like the Microshift SL-T09's that are stock on some of surly's fat/29+ bikes.

I haven't tried this personally but I can share my attempt at an answer.
Nick of gypsy by trade runs a "Fox Talas 32 factory fork (120mm-90mm adjustable travel)" and claims "The fork technically clears a 29×3.0″ Knard, barely." 
https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/tag/surly-krampus/
The barely part means he's probably not considering mud clearance FWIW.

I am mostly curious  about this topic for fun and almost considering making my own full triangle framebag in the coming months.

I have seen some really creative designs  on here for framebags, seatbags, and even harnesses that use reclaimed materials.
For example, a harness made from the backing of a suitcase, seatbag made from choroplast political signs, etc.
If you've done something that fits in this category, post it here!
I'm wondering if I can make a full triangle framebag out of some old backpacks and duffel bags lying around my house.
Also, has anybody reused things like zippers or must those frequently be purchased new?
curious about making a zipless framebag (using only Velcro and clips) anyway, but I just wanted to start a discussion about repurposing stuff.
Maybe that's already somewhere on here.

Andrew

I mentioned in the previous post that I live in Texas, but I am willing to move just about anywhere.
Maybe my post was too long or not clearly written, but I meant for it to match the nature of the original poster.
By that I mean I'm trying to continue a very general brainstorming session rather than get specific recommendations for my area.

As to your second question, I don't understand.

Any ideas on parts of the country with both a significant amount of dirt road / single-track possibilities and tolerable weather towards the end of the year? As a Texan, I whine a lot more about cold than most. But I am free in late November, and need to stretch my legs.
I'm partial to southeast Utah and arizona, and the thought of doing some kind of kokopelli - Lockhart basin - (assorted dirt roads ) - azt ride has crossed my mind.

Any other suggestions or warnings against my only idea?

Sorry to derail the whole conversation away from breakins and personal information on the internet,
but I'm really interested in finding a really well-paying, stable-ish seasonal job.
What I mean is I'd like to work a job for half of the year, pinny-pinching for six months and then spending the other half of the year traveling, touring, and with my family.
Only recently have I begun to try to calculate what a life like this would cost.
Many of you probably know about Nicholas Carman, who writes Gypsy by Trade.
Maybe there are some details left out, but in this interview (http://www.thebicyclestory.com/2014/05/nicholas-carman/#more-824)
he suggests that he manages a similar lifestyle on less than 15k a year.
His system may not work for me. I'm assuming you could live much more comfortably on more money and even scrape by with a bit less.

The question is:
Rather than settling down for six months and applying for jobs waiting tables, driving pedicabs, etc.
What are some well-paying positions that you could rely on to be there for you six months out of the year?

Nursing has recently popped into my head (travel nursing, for example).
Teaching has a summer built in, and it is a career I'm personally interested in. However, I know that teachers rarely REALLY have the whole summer off and I'd like more than 3 months.
Park/Forest Service is another option. I have a background in interpretation and outdoor/environmental ed. I was a contract volunteer for the park service last year, and discovered that many of the rangers/park guides/maintenance are seasonal and are frequently furloughed for several months out of the year. This kind of fits the bill, but is unreliable as I could be working in many different and remote locations and could not expect a family to follow me around for this kind of seasonal work.

What else is out there that would allow you to only work six months out of every year (with confidence you'd be able to find work again the next year) and still make +$15-20k a year?

This is a question which I have googled and talked about in person, but the advice I've asked for and lurked from this forum has always been more helpful than most forums and even bike shops in my area.

I am looking for some kind of advice on bike fit, modifications if necessary, and frame choice.
I'm currently in possession of one bikepackable bike: a 22" Surly Troll.
I have also recently been aboard an 18" On One Inbred 29er and a 58 cm road bike.
Almost all of these have given me some degree of back pain after only 10 miles or so.

This is a problem when I have the dream of crossing continents in the saddle.
For your information, I am 6'2-3" (not sure of my cycling inseam. Will edit once home). I am also decently fit. I currently build and maintain trails for a living and spend most of my offtime riding, hiking, swimming, or in the gym. I have a pretty frequent regimen that focuses on core strength because I know that can help deal with back pain in a lot of situations.


I love my Surly Troll as a bike, but it gives me both back pain, and some nerve-y wrist twinges.
The Troll seems to actually be closer to what a guy my size should be riding, but it feels less comfortable than other bikes I've ridden.
I tend to like the feel of smaller frames. The excessive standover height protects my junk, makes it easier to throw my leg over during hikeabike, seem to be stiffer under load, and are easier to muscle around over rocks and roots. I loved my Inbred, but it still gave me slight pain. My first guess at a solution would be what seems obvious...move to a 20 inch frame. But I'm sick of buying bikes on a student/Americorps budget and figuring out they don't fit. There are no demos to my knowledge in my area that would let me keep the bike for a S24O or multi-day trip.


Getting to the point, my question is:
What can I do?

Are "professional" fits worth money?

I would much rather have a bike that fits on its own rather than bandaided with bar and stem changes, but if possible, please recommend some changes. The saddle is all the way forward, the stem is 90 degrees, and I have some no rise, 6 degree sweep Bontrager bars. The forks are barely cut. Suspension vs. rigid forks have made no recognizable difference. I would much rather avoid suspension in the first place as I want this bike to be field and/or small town serviceable.
 
Do I just need to ride more and get in  better 'touring' shape? (this goes against my intuition, because firstly, I'm somewhat fit and it's also not muscle soreness like from lifting weights, but recognizable pain).

I would happily buy a new frame if it meant that I knew the bike was a perfect fit.

Should I move back towards 29?

Any advice is appreciated.
Andrew

Smo, you just blew my mind.
That's my unhelpful two cents.

What is that hanging from your dry bag?

Any idea of the claimed capacity?

what capacity of drybag do you use sean?

THenne, tell me about that waterbottle on the top tube (how it works/is it just ziptied?). PLease?

For me the Fargo, in ti of course .

I have done something a little different though, I've slammed the bike with a custom ti fork and 17 degree stem, so it is no longer 'suspension corrected', geo is now closer to my road bikes for ultra-distance, plus the BB is a bit lower too for handling. Don't notice any negative effects with chainring clearance (39T) but of course pedals are a touch closer to trail obstacles, but your skills negate this anyway. I really didn't like the height of the original fork, felt goofy and too high.

Climbs like a mountain goat with the dumped position. Running 46cm chippers. Comfort wise with chippers versus flatbars, I love the chippers, so many hand positions, no hand soreness. I've spent many, many multiday trips on this machine in this configuration, over a lot of washboard gravel roads, it's just beautiful to ride.

The geos of the el mar and the fargo are designed to work with their respective bars - el mar with flat/riser, fargo with drop. You'll be in experiment land if you wanted to run flat with fargo or drop with el mar. Not saying it won't work, but the fargo is more of a road bike (if that makes sense) than the el mar, as it has a shorter top tube to deal with the added reach of drop bar. El mar is longer TT like regular mtb, for just stem and flat/riser bar with setback.

I second that question...

Sherpa, thanks! I will call them tomorrow but based on the website it seems like they really only have ogres and fargos.

I want to do some dirt touring in the next few years and would like to do it on a Troll/Ogre or similar ride suited for bikepacking. I still have an internal debate over the 29 (i'm a tall guy, ~6'3") vs. 26 (spares available outside of America, 2.7 inch ! tire clearance) issue, but I should probably stop reading message boards and just ride more.

Anybody out there know of a bike shop that demos Trolls, Ogres, Fargos, or fatbikes?
Or is there anybody out there who'd let me try theirs out for a few days? No funny business.
I've ridden an Ogre on the streets around Austin's REI, but that just doesn't give me a true taste of how much one of these bikes and I will get along on trails and dirt roads.

FWIW I live in Texas, but would love a reason to travel outside of the state.
Let me know if anybody has some advice or would be willing to help me out.

Can anybody let me know what the LOVT is?