Patch29

Thank you. I can sleep well tonight.


Here is an updated photo of my LHT, besided installing the racks, fenders, lights and bottle cages I have not really changed anything. The saddle height seems good now and I am leaving the stem as it is, but have swapped the spacers out for black, which I think helps a lot. Time to ride, ride, ride.

Patch29

I also took a few night photos to show what reflects. The pedals have reflectors, I just forgot to turn them.

schooltheworld

well, i know that this is off the topic and that i'm not really part of this thread anymore (even though i started it), but i wanted to finally drop you guys a quick note on the bike i finally chose.
after M U C H research, to the point of almost hating the word touring itself, i chose a simple 2002 trek 520. the reasons: simple as well: this is 'my first touring bike, it cost $750!!!!!; the guy i bought it from made the changes i wanted (new stem, 48-36-26 crankset, and rear rack) for free. after all that time researching i realized it would be a wise decision to start from the ground up (especially after finding this price tag). that's it. i love the bike. 'bought it two days ago and tomorrow i leave for my first trip with my wife (can anybody recommend a good woman's touring bike?...here we go again). i haven't purchased panniers yet but have a trunk bag on my rear rack and a bunch of bungees .
at the moment, i am looking for the best pump, lock, and tool kit to buy. the topeak wedge bag looks cool, there's a u-lock on sale at bicyclebuys.com for thirty something that i might buy, and as for the pump, i was thinkin' of getting a frame pump. anybody have some recs? (especially on the best tool-combo to get)
what a thread my little ol' queston has turned into! i should get surly to give me a percentage of the last month or so in sales they've made with the l.h.t... yeah, whatever.
i don't have a digital camera at my disposal or i would post a picture (not because you guys would be aching to see a pic of the 520, but because i feel, after all this time of waiting and researching to buy, it's my responsibility). here's a quick mental pic: forest green frame, black rear and front derailers, three red bottle cages, black bottles, soon-to-be red fenders, black seat/handlebars, black trunk bag, black cranks. my panniers will be red.
i enjoy the gearing much, yet, i might replace the 26 with a 24 tooth up front, as my lbs has given me the option...we'll see.
well, so ends my curiosity about "ANYBODY LOVIN' THE SURLY LONG HAUL TRUCKER?". indeed, you do. thanks for all the help and for teaching me so much everyone. i'll be following this to its death, hoping for more pics of all those beautiful l.h.t's that you bought because you read this thread (that is, besides murraylove and patch, of course). later.

a content, ty, hall.

Revtor

aah Im now at peace. . . : )

enjoy your trip and let us know how it all goes!!!

~Steve

crank bros multi tool is small and has a chain tool. . also get a quick link for your chain from lbs.. $1.75
bring a leatherman, too!
tire levers, patch kit, tubes!
if youre leaving for a long trip, bring duct tape (wrap a few feet around a TP tube and crush it flat..)

I used all of this stuff on my month, I hope you're more fortunate, but like a helmet its cheap insurance you hopefully never have to use!

~stv

avalenc

I'm thinking of getting a lht and building it up--

the one thing is that I'm super-short (five feet)--I think that the 42cm will fit, but I'm wondering if anyone out there has a 42cm frame--all the pictures I've seen seem to be of at least 50s.

-Adriana

girlbike

I'm new to the group, and a new Long Haul Trucker owner, and thought I'd post a photo of my just-barely-finished bike. There'll be more pics on my site after I get a chance to ride it for awhile. Anyone else have a LHT based on 26"?



Crystal
girlbike.com

girlbike

Where did you find reflective handlebar tape? Your bike looks great, btw.

Crystal
girlbike.com

Revtor

That 26er looks like a great trekking bike for touring and hitting trails..
nice!
~steve

roadfix

Girl........Nice rig. Are those Conti Town & Countries? I use them on my Mtb tourer.
Your rear Cargo rack looks kinda tall. Nothing wrong with that but could it possibly be the 700c version? Overall, nice setup. I like 26" wheel based tourers.

late

Girlbike,
Hi, I am considering getting a new frame, and that is on my list of ones I want to test ride. I have short legs, and ride a 165 crank.
That looks like a 47cm frame with 175mm cranks. That is a real long crank for that size frame.

One way to get a rough idea of your ideal crank length is to measure your thigh bone in inches. Multiply by ten and you have your crank length in centimeters. My thigh is about 16.5 inches, so I ride a 165.

In any case, something to think about. Some people prefer longer cranks, some like the short ones. Nice bike.

markw

Now that you've had it a few days, at least long enough to put a couple hundred miles on it, how do you like your LHT? I'll probably be ordering my frameset this week. Of course I'll go the opposite end of the range with the 62.

Patch29

Thanks, It made by Cinelli and called LUX. I found mine at REI. I have found it to start to wear off on top near the hood where my hands are a lot, but it is probably not important there as it is from the sides.

markw

Ok, I did it. Went and ordered a 62cm LHT from the local Surly dealer. Good price, $400 + tax, came out to $430. It should be in by the end of next week. Now for the problem of what to hang on it. It will have a Honey Brooks B17 or Team Pro with big rivets, and Nitto Noodles, along with 10speed Ergo shifters. I've found good deals on Sugino XD cranks 46,36,26. Also found XT hubs for $50 a pair. Leaning towards the XT rear derailleur and either Ultegra FD or XT FD. Not sure what I can use to match the 46 on the cranks. I do like the photos of Murraylove's bike and do think it tends to look better with less black. Still need to decide on rims, Sun CR18, MA3's or the current Mavic Touring 700c. I'm thinking with some shopping and assembly by myself I can have this built for around $1000, and it will probably be a better rig than the Trek with the components I'm specing. I'm not counting the price of the Ergos since I already have those. But still it will be a competitive build. I'll track everything and post a total when I'm done.

Patch29

Here is my Long Haul Trucker almost two years later.

I have made a few changes recently. I swapped the Jannd racks for Surly Nice Racks and added Paul's Touring Cantis.

The nice racks take some time to install. They are hardware intensive, but they fit great and are designed to fit a lot of different size and types of bikes. I really like the little pegs on the bottoms of the racks to keep the pannier bungee hook from coming off. I also like the open design on the rear rack so you can get in there to adjust the pannier hooks easier, plus I think strapping items down will be easier too. I rode 20 miles this morning and the new brakes feel very good. I am hoping to get some time off for a good trip soon.





















Larger photos can be found here.

bgcycles 

All my stock touring frames have sloping top tubes and up sloping stems. A 54cm BLT-X would be a
59.2cm frame center to center if the top tube was level.
I also do custom sizes for an additional charge. There is also a choice of stem length option now.
Any questions - feel free to give me a call (707)762-5601
Regards,
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon Cycles
www.bgcycles.com

NeezyDeezy

Those do look like nice racks, Patch. Nice setup.

tgbikes

I have Had several tourilng bikes and at 60 the LHT has solved all the od problems I'v had with all of them. Bodies and bike frames are both designed with varistions, bell curve, the average of both will probably be fine. I have large feet,I like long crank arms and fenders for touring, The long hall trucker has a long frame with what i beleve is the longest diatance from the ft axle to the crank center, so there is no toe overlap. Cannondale has along ft.center distance but with the large aluminum chain stays my heel would clip the stay. these two issues are not adjustable. components can be changes, many things can be adjusted, but the things that bothered me are both fixed with the frame. Good luck.

vik 

There is one issue with long cranks on the LHT - the BB is very low and you don't get much pedal clearance. This is fine on smooth paved roads/pathways, but if you wanted to get a bit adventurous and go off asphalt onto uneven surfaces with rocks or roots - you'll start hitting pedals.

Not a problem for everyone - just depends what kind of riding you want to do.

vik 

Surly LHT & Cross Check Owners Page:

https://surlyville.net/

Surly LHT & Cross Check Google Groups:

https://groups.google.com/group/SurlyLHT?lnk=sg

saanichbc

As a matter of fact, there is currently 157 members of our Long Haul Trucker and Cross-Check owners group located here: https://surlyville.net

If you would like to hear from us regarding our rides and what we think of them, you are welcome to join us and post your questions.

We all LOVE our LHT's and CC's.

Best of all, compared to a 520, you can build the frame the way you want it the first time, instead of buying the complete bike, and swapping off parts that you didn't like when you first got it. Obviously, a cheaper way to get yourself into a great touring bike.

We have lots of pics, and an owners rides page there that will give you an idea as to how some have built up their LHT's and CC's.

You're welcome to join us, so why not hear it from a lot of us who are current owners of these fine Surly products?

Alekhine

I love the LHT and I don't even own one. I did suggest my father buy one though, which he did, and he is thrilled with it.

grolby

I love the LHT! Or, rather, I will soon. My brand-spanking-new Black Cherry Pearl frame arrived yesterday afternoon. I should have it built up and rolling in about a week and half to two weeks. The LHT is a replacement for my old Miyata 210, which was totalled in an altercation with the rear bumper of a Chrysler. It looks like it should do everything that the old bike did, only better. I slipped the wheels I'll be using, with 26x1.25" tires mounted, into the fork and frame and was flabbergasted by the distance from the tires to the seatstay bridge, chainstay bridge and fork crown. Will I be able to install fenders without them sitting an inch above the wheels!? I like my fenders to be reasonably close to the wheels, as purely an aesthetic matter. It's not really a big deal if there's a gap, but it would look nicer if things were snug.

Other than that extremely minor concern, there doesn't seem to be anything NOT to love about this bike. Ridiculous clearances, insanely long chainstays, just about any braze-on you could possibly imagine, and a really great-looking paint job just to put the icing on the cake! Or maybe the icing will be how it rides and handles? I can hardly wait to find that out. The bike also looks downright muscular, especially with the big, wide Rhyno Lite rims I'll be using. It's going to be a long week before I can start building it!

tipsy

This is definitely good publicity for the Surly. I agree - the internet can be overwhelming with the amount of choices available for bikes and the plethora of component combinations. Something tells me it will be hard getting a Surly in Australia unless I go to Sydney according to their website. I hadn't even worried about fitting out a bike with all of my own selected components until i read this. So now I'm considering anything between a Fuji Tourer and a Surly. I also liked the sound of the Cannondale t800 until I realised I'd want to at least change to a lower geared crankset, and spending even more money on a bike that retails for $2200 over here isn't something you want to be doing......

edit - some searching has made me realise that it's better to make my way from the australian importer's website, and realised that there are heaps of surly retailers. One bike shop near me is quoting $675. i want the sage green after seeing a few of them done up quite nicely. but then comes the headache of fitting it out. HOW DOES ANYONE ELSE COPE WITH ALL THE OPTIONS?!!!!

Calerano

My 50cm LHT stripdown for a quick spin

croshaven

I rode my SLHT on a self-contained tour from Prudhoe Bay to Kelso, WA this summer; 3,000 miles in two months. It performed very well. Two other members of our eight person group also had SLHT's and they all performed quite well.
It's not a light bike; when I bring it out to club rides, my friends tease me by saying I brought my "truck." With the Surly nice racks it weighs in at about 34 lbs.
I built it up with the help of a friend--we even cut the stem ourselves.
I've got bar-end shifters, XT drivetrain with a 22 for a small chain ring and a 34 cog cassette which came in really useful when going up 2+ mile 17% unpaved grades on the Dalton highway. I've also got a reverse return rear derailer, i.e. when you release tension, it climbs into a bigger cassete in the back. This makes it easier to shift under load and it also makes it easy to downshift with bar end shifters--you just press down with the heel of your hand. I've also got V-brakes. My 48 spoke Velocity Dyad wheels with White Industry hubs (built by Peter White) cost more than the frame.