I have an LHT and love the bike. I ride it loaded and unloaded and the ride is great either way. The bike is a 56cm 26in and just completed a 325 mile supported charity ride from Cleveland to Cincinnati in four days without an issue. I also loaded toured on it, grocery shop, commute and just ride on. It is stable and comfortable and I can hit 20 mph with 2.0 tires on it so it's not slow. Altough sometimes I am slow my average cruising speed is 14-16. Both are great bikes I just am partial to the LHT