?? Surly Long Haul rucker??? Discuss

who is making good touring bikes in the US these days...Surly?

 

Hi
I just toured south france with my mate who was on a Surly Long haul trucker and it was absolutely brilliant for her. She had front and back panniers fitted. With the steel frame she said it was heavy but very sturdy. When going up hills she would slow down a bit but I don't think she uses all the gears she could. She was a bit worried about the racing style hand bars with the gears sticking off the ends but in the end she found them very comfortable. You do get the odd bruise from the gears hitting your legs but it never worried her. She was on a 50 inch frame and I would guess she is around 170 cms.
Great bike!
cheers

 

Thanks. Yeah, sounds like she experienced first-hand my thoughts on the 'race' bars. I will be riding a lot of unsealed roads (dirt/mud/rocky two-tracks), so I am glad to hear it seems durable. Is the piece about bruises from gears solely a design flaw or is that the case with other touring bikes as well?

I appreciate the info on the height and frame size, 50 inch frame would be a bit amusing, and I'm guessing you meant 20 inch or 50 cm...tthanks for the reply I appreciate it.

 

opps yeah 50 cm it is. You can get different handle bars put on the bike, if you are turned off by the bumps into the levers, but maybe on a bigger frame this wouldn't be a problem anyway.
cheers

 

I have the Surly LHT in the 52cm and I have no problem with it.Its in the shop now for a new set of front gears I wanted the 22,32,44t this will give me a lot better to go up some of the hill I will be going up this spring.I think the Surly LHT is the best for touring.If I have the money I would get another I love this bike. Don't think you can go wrong with one.

 

The Surly LHT is great for touring, both loaded or "credit card touring" but a bike that is a wee bit preferred by me is the 1995 to 2001 Bianchi Volpe. It is all steel with joints that are TIG welded lugged joints. No other could be stronger for the weight. The Volpe has a 59 mm trail for stability. The down tube is bigger like an aluminum or carbon down tube but being steel makes the bike less "twisty". Also the seat and down tubes are elliptical at the bottom to make it even less "twisty". By twisty, I mean, you put the bike on the ground and step on the bottom bracket and see how much it flexes. This sideways rigidity puts your mind at ease coming down a hill at 40 mph (60 k) . Both the LHT and Volpe do this nicely. The cromo tubing in the Volpe is called "Infinity" because the taper is one gradual taper, on the outside not the inside of the tube. The Volpe has plenty of fender room but the wheel base is an inch or so shorter than the LHT. The steering in the Volpe is a little quicker but they both handle nicely for touring. By the way, either bike is best equipped with the Selle An-Atomical leather seat for long hauls for most people. It is the leather saddle similar to the Brooks B17 with the leather slitted down the middle. But saddles are always a personal thing. All in all I like the Bianchi Volpe a wee bit better. Not the newer Volpes, though. If you keep an eye open for a 5 to 15 year old Volpe, another advantage is cost. If you cannot find a secondhand Volpe, go with a LHT, I'd say.