my touring bike...help!

hey.. im replying to my own post just to say if you have any advice i am not putting in my order for my components today, so its not too late.. please 🙂

catherine

Really, you can't go wrong with anything you listed, although your wallet might not feel so good.....

Pay attention to two things, though:
1) REAR DERAILLEUR: XT short cage
You're going with a low end of 34T, so a short cage might not work. You need a long cage derailleur if you ever (even accidentally) shift into the two biggest gears.
2) Crank FSA Triple (road) 30/42/53T
With a high end of 11T on the back, a 53T large chainwheel should be good for about 78mph 🙂 . No need to go so high. With an 11-34 on the back, you should be comfortable with a 46 in front, maybe 48 if you anticipate hours of tailwind. I'd choose a 53T for a 14x28 cassette.

One of the good things about "mega-range" cassettes is they let you lower the weight of the components. Smaller cogs in back allow smaller cogs in front, ergo saving weight. So take advantage of this, go with smaller chainrings. I don't know about the FSA crank, but with lower gearing a 94 BCD (bolt circle diameter on the crank) is possible, and saves weight over 110 BCD.

You say the cable stop for the front derailleur is on top of the chain stay??? Not sure about that configuration..... the cable is usually routed under the bottom bracket ("bottom pull"😉 or from under the seat tube ("top pull"😉.

Rims, hubs, cables, derailleurs -- all good choices. A Wipperman is a top-notch chain; $45, right? You can do just as good with an SRAM at 1/3 the cost, they shift smoothly and they're easier to take off. The barcons (bar-end shifters) are excellent, the best shifting setup for tourers, in my opinion. Seat post doesn't have to be fancy, sounds like you're going for shock-absorbing..... I can't argue with that but I'm happy with a generic non-shock seatpost (and a gel saddle).

Don't know specifics about the other components, but you've made good choices all around.

-- Mark