Surly Long Haul Trucker



Moto700

Member
Jul 24, 2011
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Saw one of these yesterday and spoke with the guy for about 5 minutes. Very nice touring bike but pricey, get what you pay for. Guy said he has 2 other bike and hardly ever uses them. Anyone know anything about the LHT or Surly?
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/
 
I have the Surly LHT front fork on my Habanero Ti frame. I like it for riding comfort--it's got some road absorbing ability, but it's also very sturdy. It is heavy, though. I'm hoping to eventually find a Ti fork to replace it a year or two down the road.
 
Originally Posted by jpr95 .

I have the Surly LHT front fork on my Habanero Ti frame. I like it for riding comfort--it's got some road absorbing ability, but it's also very sturdy. It is heavy, though. I'm hoping to eventually find a Ti fork to replace it a year or two down the road.
CF seems to be the material of choice for forks, regardless of the actual frame material,
 
Originally Posted by vspa .




CF seems to be the material of choice for forks, regardless of the actual frame material,
I'm not one bit interested in CF anything on my bike (the handles on my Ultegra brifters are, but I didn't know that up front, and there's no choice, so that's a bit of a sacrifice, but it's not a ride-ending event if one breaks). I just don't trust CF as a fork, frame, handlebar, rim, spoke or seatpost material. I've read about far too many of each breaking.
 
Originally Posted by jpr95 .




I'm not one bit interested in CF anything on my bike (the handles on my Ultegra brifters are, but I didn't know that up front, and there's no choice, so that's a bit of a sacrifice, but it's not a ride-ending event if one breaks). I just don't trust CF as a fork, frame, handlebar, rim, spoke or seatpost material. I've read about far too many of each breaking.
If you mean carbon fiber when you say CF according to the Surly web page the LHT is cromoly steel. Taken directly from the LHT page off the Surly site:

Like all our frames, it’s made of cromoly steel. We like steel for a lot of reasons. Foremost among them is the ride quality a well designed steel frame delivers. It doesn’t hurt that steel is relatively inexpensive, or that it is more easily repaired than aluminum, carbon fiber, or titanium. You’ll probably never need to have the frame repaired, but if you do you’re more likely to find someone who can weld steel than someone who can weld ti or aluminum. Repair carbon fiber? Good luck with that.



Tubing 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double-butted. TIG-welded Rear dropouts Vertical, 135mm spaced Brake compatibility Linear-pull or traditional cantilever Braze-ons Upper bosses and dropout eyelets for racks front and rear, fender eyelets, chainstay spare spoke holder, pump peg, downtube lever bosses, 3 sets of H2O cage bosses, rear housing stop for canti brakes, housing stops for brakes and derailleurs Seatpost diameter 27.2mm Seatpost clamp diameter 30mm, Surly stainless included Headset 1-1/8" threadless Front derailleur clamp diameter 28.6mm (bottom pull) Bottom bracket shell 68mm wide, threaded standard English (1.37”x24t) Chainring clearance 42/53t double, 38/52/56t triple Fork 4130 CroMoly, lugged and brazed, tapered curved blades with midblade rack eyelets Frame Weight 58cm = 2340g (5.15 lbs) Fork - uncut = 1020g (2.25 lbs) Max. tire size 700c: w/o fenders: 45mm; w/fenders:42mm 26": 2.1" with or without fenders Wheel sizes 42-62cm accommodate 26" wheels; we also offer 56-62cm sizes which accommodate 700c wheels
Remember, this is not built as a commuter or a road bike. This is a touring bike.
 
So, what are you saying, Moto? I never said the LHT fork was made of CF--I was fully aware when I bought it that it was steel, and likely somewhat heavy. That is why I would like to try to find a Ti fork sometime in the future--to reduce the weight a bit, without sacrificing durability. The compromise I made when I bought it was price in that I just didn't want to spend a lot more on a fork when I was already spending quite a bit on a Ti frame with an Ultegra Triple groupset. Let me reiterate: I am not a fan of CF. If I had a lot of disposable income, and could afford to drop several thousand dollars on a bike every few years, I might consider it, but I don't have that type of income, so I went with a material that should outlast me.
 
it was me to bring out CF, im also unsure about the material but i was pointing out that stock bikes of steel, aluminium and titanium do come with a CF fork from the factory,
so there must be some advantages that these manufacturers know and we don't,
the other day i was checking out a Look CF fork in the store and it really was marvellous, except for the price, like 500 us the fork alone !
 
Originally Posted by jpr95 .




I'm not one bit interested in CF anything on my bike (the handles on my Ultegra brifters are, but I didn't know that up front, and there's no choice, so that's a bit of a sacrifice, but it's not a ride-ending event if one breaks). I just don't trust CF as a fork, frame, handlebar, rim, spoke or seatpost material. I've read about far too many of each breaking.
No, it was you. What does CF have to do with the LHT anyway? I mean, I agree with you about CF but that's not what my thread was about. You did mention you have a LHT front fork and your feedback from your first post is appreciated. Maybe I could start a thread "Does CF suck?"
 
There we go. vspa was the one who brought up CF--not me, I was just responding to him.

Anyway, all I know is that between the two bikes listed in my profile, both have steel front forks, but separated by about 2 decades in manufacture. The newer--the LHT fork--definitely is far more comfortable to ride long distance. My older bike is brutal, teeth-rattling, bone-jarring over bumps, but the newer is far more tolerable.
 
Originally Posted by jpr95 .

Anyway, all I know is that between the two bikes listed in my profile, both have steel front forks, but separated by about 2 decades in manufacture. The newer--the LHT fork--definitely is far more comfortable to ride long distance. My older bike is brutal, teeth-rattling, bone-jarring over bumps, but the newer is far more tolerable.
I know LHT is not CF, so the input about your newer LHT fork is exactly what I was looking for, positive or negative. Thanks for sharing your experience on the LHT fork. Hopefully someone else with have some additional input on LHT.
 
Hi Moto700.

I bought a LHT last year for touring and couldn't be happier. I managed to find a 2009 on Craigslist that was practically in mint condition so that took the edge off the rather high price of the LHT. They are a bit heavy but make up for that in terms of comfort and durability. It's a solid bike which means that you don't have to worry about it regardless of the terrain. While I've only done a few short tours (about 2 weeks each) I've been really pleased with the performance. So far the only thing I change out was the seat (the one that comes with it being rather uncomfortable). I haven't climbed any mountain ranges with it yet but I've been on everything between asphalt and rut filled logging roads. The LHT has yet to disappoint. It will be accompanying me to France in 3 weeks time.

Hope this was the type of info you were looking for.

C
 
Rode a LHT yesterday at a LBS. Heavy bike but the gearing is great. 8 revs on the pedals and I was up to speed, no effort. Very nice ride and good handeling. And they take lay-away. I'll need that for a $1300 bike. Yikes!
 
26' wheel size = to MTB wheels ?
not a bad idea for touring,
 
Originally Posted by vspa .

26' wheel size = to MTB wheels ?
not a bad idea for touring,

According to the owner of the LBS, where I rode the LHT, frame sizes under 54 only come with 26" wheels. Over 54 you can get 26 or 700.
 

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