I looked at some other bikes including a Terry and a REI Safari but again settled on a Sirrus. Having made some changes on my bike at delivery I really considered whether it was worth it to pay the difference between the standard Sirrus and the Sirrus Expert. The major differences between the two bikes were that the Expert came with a carbon fork, the 28 spoke radial front wheel, upgraded derailleurs, a 52,42, 30 chainring setup, and 700x26c tires.

In actuality, many of the features of the Expert were less desirable for touring than the components of the standard Sirrus. The standard Sirrus came with a chro-mo front fork with fender and pannier rack braze-ons, a 32 spoke front wheel, derailleurs that I planned to replace anyway, a better touring set of chainrings at 48, 38, 28, and 700x38c tires. In addition, the frame came in pearl white. I ordered the bike in November. Specialized was so overwhelmed with orders that the bike did not get delivered until January. At delivery, I had the rear derailleur changed to a Deore LX and the rear cassette changed to an 11-30. 

As with my own bike, I bought additional accessories from my LBS, Performance and Nashbar including Zefel fenders, a Nashbar wireless computer, a Serfas spring loaded gel saddle, a fork tube extender so Jeanette could sit a little more upright, campus peddles, bar ends, a Blackburn rack and Jandd panniers.

Jeanette had a cooler bag that would make a great handlebar bag if only a method could be found to attach it. We tried snapping some mountaineering clips through the bag's strap holders and then slipping the clips over the MTB brake levers. The plan worked great!

As we tour, we'll post any problems, broken parts and repairs we encounter and the mileage post where each takes place. Hopefully, the list will be short and infrequent.

Repair/Major Maintenance

400 miles - The Nashbar wireless computer quit at the first rain. It was replaced with the Raleigh while in New Romney, England.
500 miles - The rear plastic Zefal fender would not stay aligned and kept rubbing. It was bobbed to a length just beyond the rack and the stays moved while in Arundel, England.
1100 miles - The spring assembly on the Serfas seat was tightened in Colmar, France.