Gear Upgrade - Biking in Tibet?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by dfperrault
I am thinking about going on a solo bike tour of Tibet and N. India for about six months. I plan to use front and back Ortleib panniers loaded with gear about 35lbs rear/20lbs front. I weigh 175lbs.
I have a stock Trek 6500 mtn bike. In addition, a good set of Schwalbe tires,

3. I was also thinking about upgrading my wheel set, I currenty have a Bontrager Corvair with a Shimano C 201 hubs. Should I spend the extra money and get the Dave's Speed Dream wheel set for about $450/pair or could I get away with something cheaper. Any other suggestions would be helpful.

Basic recommendations for long-distance rides in rough conditions are:
keep it simple, keep it rugged, keep it locally repairable.
Six months on countryside roads with a heavy load can break a lot of stuff regardless of what you're starting out with. I'd actually rather suggest "downgrades" than upgrades. Steel racks (and even frames) are preferrable over alloy ones, because they can usually be patched up in the local smithy if need be. (as opposed to alloy ones...) Stay away from fancy wheels unless you're prepared to ditch them when spares aren't available or to wait ages for your parts. 36 spokes is a far better bet than anything else when it comes to maintaining compatibility with locally available spares.
Shimano might not be best by design, but compatible spares are usually available even in remote areas, particularly if you stick with a 5-7 sprocket rear. It might actually be a good idea to use non-indexing shifters (if you can find them) to maintain maximum compatibility with whatever it is that you'll need to replace. It's not that important what tyres you start on, because you'll probably need new ones a couple of times during your trip anyway. Make sure you carry a spare though. Believe it or not, there are limits to the healing powers of duct tape...
Depending on how far away from civilization you're heading a spare rim might also come in handy.

You will be just fine with your stock 6500.
Estonian guys went to Tibet and Himalaja with cheap noname bikes. I bet you havent heard of them. They were Altus-Acera equipped bikes with 26x1.95 slick tires.

Classic