Quote Originally Posted by annie
... If I am ever going to do a long, self-supported tour, I want the gearing that will allow me to survive mountain passes with a loaded bike. Most stock touring bikes don't seem to come with sensible, low gears.
Annie -
Like you and Emily, I guess I just like bikes! I am the lucky owner of not one, but two, custom-built touring bikes - my Bike Friday, plus a diamond-frame bike made by Peter Mooney. While I love my custom bikes and would have a very hard time buying a stock bike, don't forget that you can usually swap parts on stock bikes at your LBS. So if a stock bike fits you but you don't like the gearing, you may be able to have the gearing changed when you buy the bike.

That said, I'd still encourage you to explore custom bikes when you're ready for a touring bike...

--- Denise