diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index fbefad0b..4a4288fd 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ before_install:
     - sh -e /etc/init.d/xvfb start
     - sudo apt-get update
 
-    - sh tools/travis_setup.sh
+    - travis_retry sh tools/travis_setup.sh
 
 install:
     - tools/header.py "Dependency versions"
@@ -31,7 +31,28 @@ install:
     - python setup.py build_ext --inplace
 
 script:
-    - sh tools/travis_build.sh
+    - tools/header.py "Run all tests with minimum dependencies"
+    - nosetests --exe -v skimage
+
+    - tools/header.py "Pep8 and Flake tests"
+    - flake8 --exit-zero --exclude=test_*,six.py skimage doc/examples viewer_examples
+
+    - travis_retry sh tools/travis_get_optional.sh
+
+    - tools/header.py "Run doc examples"
+    - export PYTHONPATH=$(pwd):$PYTHONPATH
+    - for f in doc/examples/*.py; do python "$f"; if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then exit 1; fi done
+    - for f in doc/examples/applications/*.py; do python "$f"; if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then exit 1; fi done
+
+    - tools/header.py "Run tests with all dependencies"
+    # run tests again with optional dependencies to get more coverage
+    # measure coverage on py3.3
+    -   if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 3.3 ]]; then
+            nosetests --exe -v --with-doctest --with-cov --cover-package skimage;
+        else
+            nosetests --exe -v --with-doctest skimage;
+        fi
+
 
 after_success:
     - coveralls
diff --git a/tools/travis_build.sh b/tools/travis_build.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 7ed37c56..00000000
--- a/tools/travis_build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/sh
-./header.py "Run all tests with minimum dependencies"
-nosetests --exe -v skimage
-
-./header.py "Pep8 and Flake tests"
-flake8 --exit-zero --exclude=test_*,six.py skimage doc/examples viewer_examples
-
-./header.py "Install optional dependencies"
-
-# Install Qt and then update the Matplotlib settings
-if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 2.7* ]]; then
-    sudo apt-get install -q python-qt4
-    SCI_QT_API=PyQt4
-
-else
-    sudo apt-get install -q libqt4-dev
-     travis_retry pip install PySide $WHEELHOUSE
-     python ~/virtualenv/python${TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION}/bin/pyside_postinstall.py -install
-     SCI_QT_API=PySide
-fi
-
-# Matplotlib settings - must be after we install Pyside
-MPL_DIR=$HOME/.config/matplotlib
-mkdir -p $MPL_DIR
-touch $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
-echo 'backend : Agg' > $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
-echo 'backend.qt4 : '$SCI_QT_API >> $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
-
-# imread does NOT support py3.2
-if [[  $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION != 3.2 ]]; then
-    sudo apt-get install -q libtiff4-dev libwebp-dev libpng12-dev xcftools
-    travis_retry pip install imread
-fi
-
-# TODO: update when SimpleITK become available on py34 or hopefully pip
-if [[  $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION != 3.4 ]]; then
-    travis_retry easy_install SimpleITK
-fi
-
-travis_retry sudo apt-get install libfreeimage3
-travis_retry pip install astropy
-
-if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 2.* ]]; then
-    travis_retry pip install pyamg
-fi
-
-./header.py "Run doc examples"
-PYTHONPATH=$(pwd):$PYTHONPATH
-for f in doc/examples/*.py; do python "$f"; if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then exit 1; fi done
-for f in doc/examples/applications/*.py; do python "$f"; if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then exit 1; fi done
-
-./header.py "Run tests with all dependencies"
-# run tests again with optional dependencies to get more coverage
-# measure coverage on py3.3
-if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 3.3 ]]; then
-    nosetests --exe -v --with-doctest --with-cov --cover-package skimage
-else
-    nosetests --exe -v --with-doctest skimage
-fi
-
diff --git a/tools/travis_get_optional.sh b/tools/travis_get_optional.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b43a44dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/travis_get_optional.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/usr/bin/sh
+./header.py "Install optional dependencies"
+
+# Install Qt and then update the Matplotlib settings
+if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 2.7* ]]; then
+    sudo apt-get install -q python-qt4
+    SCI_QT_API=PyQt4
+
+else
+    sudo apt-get install -q libqt4-dev
+    pip install PySide $WHEELHOUSE
+    python ~/virtualenv/python${TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION}/bin/pyside_postinstall.py -install
+    SCI_QT_API=PySide
+fi
+
+# Matplotlib settings - must be after we install Pyside
+MPL_DIR=$HOME/.config/matplotlib
+mkdir -p $MPL_DIR
+touch $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
+echo 'backend : Agg' > $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
+echo 'backend.qt4 : '$SCI_QT_API >> $MPL_DIR/matplotlibrc
+
+# imread does NOT support py3.2
+if [[  $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION != 3.2 ]]; then
+    sudo apt-get install -q libtiff4-dev libwebp-dev libpng12-dev xcftools
+    pip install imread
+fi
+
+# TODO: update when SimpleITK become available on py34 or hopefully pip
+if [[  $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION != 3.4 ]]; then
+    easy_install SimpleITK
+fi
+
+sudo apt-get install libfreeimage3
+pip install astropy
+
+if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 2.* ]]; then
+    pip install pyamg
+fi
diff --git a/tools/travis_setup.sh b/tools/travis_setup.sh
index ad740a69..af14be4d 100644
--- a/tools/travis_setup.sh
+++ b/tools/travis_setup.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #!/usr/bin/sh
-travis_retry pip install wheel flake8 coveralls nose
+pip install wheel flake8 coveralls nose
 
 # on Python 2.7, use the system versions of numpy, scipy, and matplotlib
 # and the minimum version of cython and networkx
 if [[  $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == 2.7* ]]; then
-    travis_retry sudo apt-get install python-scipy python-matplotlib
+    sudo apt-get install python-scipy python-matplotlib
     pip install https://github.com/cython/cython/archive/0.19.2.tar.gz
     pip install https://github.com/networkx/networkx/archive/networkx-1.8.tar.gz
 fi
 
-travis_retry pip install  -r requirements.txt $WHEELHOUSE
+pip install  -r requirements.txt $WHEELHOUSE
 python check_bento_build.py