It might be that someday I'll see my way clear to agreeing with those who say a suspension upgrade is worth the money. Maybe. But it's worth noting that I have in no way done anything like "paring the gear down....). I've got well over a hundred pounds of gear, parts, tools and other stuff--probably 60 kilos, maybe more. I'm not an offroading fool, but I'm not being very nice to my bike, either.

Lots of people say you need an aftermarket seat. Others hold out for rear shocks, or emulators up front, or this or that or whatnot and you-name-it. The fact is, I'm not ready to drop US$ 500 on a new shock unless I really have to, and I'm not dead yet--or even severely bruised. I've got a stock seat, too, at 70k miles (call that 115k km). I put progressive springs up front, but not until 50k miles just 6 months ago. All this stuff is nice, no doubt, but riding off into the sunset without it is really not the end of the world....and it won't make an impossible trip possible. You've still got to ride your ride.

Plus I'll repeat that when I hear someone say what a glorious thing his $500 shock is, but in the next breath say it's almost due for a rebuild after a mere 20k miles (that's four or five months of riding--enough to take you far from home but hardly enough to bring you back again), I'm not tempted to take the plunge.

Consider it a different perspective. If my spring breaks or seals fail tomorrow, I'll eat crow right here in public. Won't be the first time.

Mark

(Feeling eager to get out of Buenos Aires, where it's now raining like crazy, providing a zillion breeding ponds for what is already a very robust population of mosquitoes)