sms wrote:

Perhaps this was approached from the wrong
angle, if one desires wide tires, perhaps
one should get a 28" MTB steel frame and
only have the gear loaded the same way?

I've certainly seen a lot of people touring
on a hardtail mountain bike, using narrower
tires than the bike came with. But good luck
finding a steel mountain bike these days.
They exist, but they are expensive.

I think I can muster 900-1100 USD so is that
the aluminium price range?

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