Wow - so much good stuff!

I really like the dog trailer idea, although we would have to think about the heat, comfort, etc. She'd rather run than anything, so we'd have to have routes where we could find dirt roads with no traffic once in a while, so she could run a little - maybe we could get her used to running on the leash, alongside, for short, safe stretches - she just wants to bolt full speed for a while, though - no fun on a leash for at least a mile or two. I freak whenever we're close to a road with her, so DH is dubious about my ability to let go. He's right, of course. Another strike against the whole touring idea, in his mind (and I am a mind reader, after all).

I did look at the Rivendell site, and while they sound just wonderful, they all seem pretty far out of my $$$ target range. It/they would spend most of their lives in the garage, which seems unfair for something so nice. Good thing I've never seen one in person!

I looked at the Kona online, and was pretty interested, but read some reviews that concerned me. Mainly, a couple of people said that the front wheel would hit their foot when they turned. Not sure what model year - maybe that isn't an issue anymore. I do have huge clown feet for my height (well, maybe not that bad).

I had read the reviews here about the Surly - sounds too perfect! Never had seen a price, and assumed it would be too much, and assumed I'd have to drive 500 miles to find one. I had no idea my Trek dealer could get one! And it looks like the price is right. Thanks for the info, Knot! I do wish I could see/ride one.

Most of the reviews I've seen so far were for the Trek 520 (and I had the price confused with the Kona - MSRP is $1240, not $1500), and it seems to be very popular. As with anything, there are a few people who had a problem and flamed it (much like the Kona).

Just too many choices, and none of them available to ride! I suppose at this point the two front-runners would be the Surly and the Trek, with the Kona in there close behind (interesting about the issues with disc brakes - I thought they'd be a must for rainy conditions, mountains, etc.). How about the Jamis Aurora? Seems like a popular one - is it sturdy enough/good enough components?

By the way, when I said seven bikes, I did mean that if we both bought a touring bike, we'd have seven. I just have two, myself. Hardly seems like enough, after reading some of your posts! Neither of us has one suitable for loading/touring for practice. We each have a 5200 (road/racing), a mountain bike (mine is fully suspended and his is a soft-tail, so not quite the ticket for heavy loads), and he has a TT bike (no way! ). Anyhoo, we both love biking, hiking, nature, camping.... While I've never bike toured, we did do a 7-day backpacking trip in Alaska (and how is that pertinent, you may ask? I dunno.). I'm pretty confident that I'd like it (although car camping is not my favorite, and I figure we wouldn't be able to get too far off the beaten path, like if we were hiking).

And, finally, DH just isn't sounding interested. Not to the point of refusing, but I think he's getting sick of me harping about it. I said maybe just I could get a bike and try it, and my friend could probably be persuaded to go with me, occasionally. However, honestly, I can't see myself going touring and camping alone, so I reeeaallly want him to jump on board. I'm alternating between being excited and feeling all dejected. I'm all about instant gratification, too, so I want to find a bike, order it, and start riding it. Then, after a week or so, it would probably be hanging in the garage, pushed aside for all the other, easier to utilize toys.

Thanks, guys! Next issue: sizing! I'm totally lost.