OK so the story behind the bike is not so special.... essentially I was looking for a future proof do it all bike. I have a Ti racing bike which I use for general road riding, triathlons, sportives etc (8 years old now) and I have a very nice ultra-light carbon mountain bike (6 years old) that is great for x country rides. I have been using either of these for commuting to work - 20 mile each way, which is ok but not particularly satisfactory. The MTB wont take any attachments and the road bike I cannot take on my preferred route which is a disused railway track. I hate carrying stuff on my back, but I hate the road commute even more, so the nomad will be my commute bike now. At the same time I have a plan to do some touring holidays starting small this year and working up to longer and longer. Persuading my other half has been a struggle - we have done a number of backpacking holidays in the past so its not an aversion to camping that's the problem, more the idea of sitting on a saddle for extended periods that's putting her off..... so I said that I would carry all the gear as an incentive to get her into it - I guess I am fairly confident that her bottom will get used to her saddle in time. The S&S couplings and all the other bling were just a case of making it future proof. I came in for a nice bonus from work this year and this seemed the best way to spend it.
