Surly LHT 26" tires like riding thru molasses...Help!

[spriteybikes]

Hi, I took a new surly LHT (42 frame) w/ 26 wheels around 700 miles thru Michigan last summer. I am 5'3" and about 118 lb, quite fit. My boyfriend rode his steel frame touring bike w/ 27 wheels.

The Surly is a lovely bike in many ways, but it is SLOW. I had to kill myself to keep up w/ my man, and I just thought perhaps it was b/c he's a stronger rider, etc. Well, fast forward to this spring. We are out riding all the time and I'm easily keeping up and sometimes even blasting by him on hills on my cannondale w/ the 27 in wheels. It is definitely the bike.

Can my surly be saved? I don't want to do another dismally slow tour on this thing, it was so frustrating and exhausting, and wonder if I can change the wheels out on this otherwise wonderful bike?

Otherwise I am thinking I will sell the bike and possibly go for a 2006 Bianchi Volpe w/ the 27 wheels and a 2006 model which still has the front braze-ons (I hear they are gone on the 2007 model).

Advice and comments very welcome. Thank you!
Spritey

 

[Froze]

Not sure what your rim width is but you need a narrower smoother tread lighter tire, such as a 26x1 to 26x1.25. If you can go this route use 650c tubes instead of tubes marked for the above sizes, the 650 actually fits better.

Inexpensive tires such as the Forte Metro-K at $15 from Performance are cheap and an ok tire with a size of 1.25; or Ritchey Tom Slick comes in a 26x1.0 and this is a better faster tire then the Forte and not overly expensive at about $27 at Performance.

 

[spriteybikes]

What I mean is that the tires are smaller and hence the bike is slower than a bike w/ the 27" wheels. I would like to switch out and put 27" wheels but it's sounding like that might be an issue b/c of how the cantilever brakes are mounted to the bike.

I may just throw in the towel and get the Volpe w/ the larger tires. The surly LHTs really are great bikes but they are so lumberingly slow. And believe me, it's not the touring weight I was carrying b/c I was not carrying all that much. On long, flat stretches my boyfriend at his cadence would naturally be very very far ahead. This frustrated me greatly b/c normally I don't have a problem keeping up, only with these smaller wheels.

If surly could do the smaller bikes w/ the larger wheels I think it would be better...

SB

 

[alfeng]

What I mean is that the tires are smaller and hence the bike is slower than a bike w/ the 27" wheels. I would like to switch out and put 27" wheels but it's sounding like that might be an issue b/c of how the cantilever brakes are mounted to the bike.

I may just throw in the towel and get the Volpe w/ the larger tires. The surly LHTs really are great bikes but they are so lumberingly slow. And believe me, it's not the touring weight I was carrying b/c I was not carrying all that much. On long, flat stretches my boyfriend at his cadence would naturally be very very far ahead. This frustrated me greatly b/c normally I don't have a problem keeping up, only with these smaller wheels.

If surly could do the smaller bikes w/ the larger wheels I think it would be better...

There are unspoken variables ...

Not just tires, but the HUBS ... the BB + the chainring sizes on your Surly, too ...

Even the adjustment of the brake pads (rim OR disc) where there may be unintended rubbing -- your bike may simply have been unintentionally sabotaged by whoever set it up.

So, what hubs are on your Surly's wheels AND how freely do the wheels spin?

What BB type does your crank have?

What are the chainring sizes on your Surly's crankset?

Et cetera.

 

[Froze]

What I mean is that the tires are smaller and hence the bike is slower than a bike w/ the 27" wheels. I would like to switch out and put 27" wheels but it's sounding like that might be an issue b/c of how the cantilever brakes are mounted to the bike.

I may just throw in the towel and get the Volpe w/ the larger tires. The surly LHTs really are great bikes but they are so lumberingly slow. And believe me, it's not the touring weight I was carrying b/c I was not carrying all that much. On long, flat stretches my boyfriend at his cadence would naturally be very very far ahead. This frustrated me greatly b/c normally I don't have a problem keeping up, only with these smaller wheels.

If surly could do the smaller bikes w/ the larger wheels I think it would be better...

SB

Your saying that because the bike has 26 vs 27 that that one inch difference slows you down? Bull cocky!!! It that were true then we would be riding 50" tires or something like this: File:Ordinary bicycle01.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What's slowing you down is the weight of the tires, rims and hubs to a lessor extent, followed by the width and the tread on the tire...the knobbier the tread the slower it is due to friction.

 

[v1pro]

Here's the scoop on riding a 26" wheel bike for road use. WEIGHT is the biggest enemy to get these babies going fast for a long period of time. I have a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, that's a 20" wheel, actually They are 451 wheels. They are light, tires are pretty skinny and I have raced with them! Now comes the 26" wheel, they are pretty heavy and it is not a common thing to find light tires, tubes and rims! So when you add it up, they are going to be heavier wheels than what most people are used to on their light road bikes and the ride will eventually feel slow, and end up riding slower, it does feel like it is sucking the life out of you! I know because I commute on an old steel lugged Trek 950 with semi-smooth treads, 26 x 1.5 to 1.85 and yes they are slower than my 700c cousins. Don't lose any sleep over this, just pick the right rides for these wheels. I've toured, commute, ride trails and even rode a very wet 200k brevet on my 26 wheels and really enjoyed the ride very much. If you want to treat it like a normal light road bike, you will need to make a lighter wheels and put on lighter tires. Remember when doing this, all of the protection that you would get from these heavier wheels/tires are almost gone!

 

[gudujarlson]

Tire weight and circumference are not the only variables that might effect the rolling resistance of the tires. In fact, those are probably insignificant compared to the elastic properties of the tires. As a tire rolls it is deformed by the weight of the bike, rider, and gear. This deformation causes the tire to heat up. This heat energy is lost and slows you down. Touring tires tend to trade rolling resistance for durability and ride quality. They are designed to carry heavy loads over long distances, but not at high speeds. My suggestion is to try some tires that don't trade away as much rolling resistance. Personally I tour on 700c/23 endurance road race tires, but I also try to keep my gear + bike + rider weight under 210 pounds.