Great tips and discussion
What do the touring guys use those racks for anyways? I guess I travel everywhere with a backpack and maybe people would put stuff on it instead? It doesn't seem like much could possibly be secured to them, unless I am horribly mistake. And fenders are just more money to keep me a bit cleaner/dryer...
I guess I should consider a touring bike as well. I looked in my local store and didn't see a single one so that derailed me from searching them out further. Do I lose a lot of potential speed/distance for comfort?