I was about to buy some Schwalbe Marathon Extreme 26 x 2.0" as well as they sound like the ultimate touring tire now and can combine faster bitumen + excellent sand/gravel terrain both reasonably well (ie compared to the XRs which are being phased out now I hear and sound a bit sluggish and not as aggresive tread as these). I am heading to New Zealand in March 2010 for mixed terrain tour and also plan to tour Australia Alpine areas and think these would be spot on. It would be great to hear your views on them.
I tried some 50mm Extremes on my Nomad. They worked well. Too much tire I think for paved roads. Would be better for a dirt road tour. I really like the XRs and didn't find the Extremes particularly faster on paved roads than XRs, but I didn't run any scientific experiments either.
If I was staying mostly on pavement I think I'd use some Marathon Supremes, but as more dirt/gravel found its way into the mix I'd switch to some Extremes.
I really had no complaints with the XRs and I'm sad to see them go. Happily I've still got a few spares so I can keep rolling on them for a while longer.
I was also going to get the Old Man Mountain front rack but your set up looks tricky and doesn't seem to use any of the amazing array of braze on mounting point options that Thorn bikes have. I gather you think these are still the best option.
I mounted my OMM Cold Springs Front rack via the front QR and the mid-fork rack mounts - takes seconds to install - nothing tricky about it. I've used this same rack on several bikes on demanding tours with total satisfaction. In particular I really like having a front rack platform to strap stuff to and have never noticed any issues with having my front panniers up higher than a low rider rack. I do have a Surly Nice rack I could have used, but it's heavy and poorly designed IMO. I think OMM has hit the ball out of the park with their racks so that's what I use on the front.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=omm&w=9932605%40N08And finally was wondering what Ortlib model rear and front pannier you were using (ie in Canada trip), which do you recommend?
I've got got 4 pairs of Ortliebs - awesome bike bags! I prefer the version with the lids vs. the roll top bags, but really that's just personal preference - they both work fine. I also prefer the "classic" fabric to the "plus", but again just a preference - no real fault with either.
safe riding,
Vik
www.thelazyrando.com