Originally Posted by
Cutwolf
Getting stuck in places too boring to cycle...heh, I'm not sure how it could be boring doing something like this. I don't know I've always been the "escape" type. I love making the twice a year 20 hour drive from New Jersey to Louisiana for school by myself. Everytime I see a passing cargo train I kind of wish I didn't have any responsibilities so I could just hop on the train and get off randomly a few hours later not knowing where I am.
The biking tour is sort of a combo of those things.
I have a question about bikes. Newbie question, but here goes:
I'm looking at the Surly LHT and they have size specifications (42 cm-62 cm).
What exactly is this measuring? Does the size I want depend on my size and the amount I plan to carry or does it depend on the distance I plan to travel?
The size is based on your size. You want a bike that fits perfectly. It will make all-day riding much more comfortable, which is what you want on tour. The model of bike you choose will be where you address the amount of stuff you can carry. A good touring bike is made to carry plenty of weight without handling problems, and without breaking anything, and is meant to do that day after day - all the way across the U. S. if necessary. It will also have geometry that makes all-day riding more comfortable, and longer chainstays so that if you are using panniers you won't hit them with your heels with each pedal stroke. Lastly, a touring bike will have brazeons for racks front and rear, mudguards, three water bottle cages, and even a place for a couple of spare spokes on some models - good because breaking spokes is a hazard of fully-loaded touring.
Bike sizing is tricky these days. The number usually refers to the distance between the center of the bottom bracket (the "hub" of the cranks) and the center or top of the top tube. Some frames list center-to-center, and some center-to-top. This distance is used because people with longer legs need a longer seat tube so that the bike will fit without having the seatpost sticking 2 feet out of the frame! Likewise, people with short legs need to be able to straddle their bike at a stop without the top tube squashing their privates.
You'd think that bikes with different length seat tubes would have the other tubes proportional - a bike with a long seat tube would have a long top tube, etc. Evidently, this wasn't always the case. Sheldon Brown has a good article on sizing that goes into this.
Furthermore, this number meant more when all road bikes had a top tube that was parallel to the ground. Nowadays they don't. Top tubes commonly slope down toward the seat tube. This affords more standover room, and lightens the frame, without sacrificing strength. However, that means that the distance from the bottom bracket to the top of the top tube is also changed, which means that if you go by that number to choose your frame size, you may be fooled. So manufacturers often list "effective" length, as if the top tube was still parallel to the ground.
I suggest you read
Sheldon's article. There's also one at
Rivendell's site. Then go to a bike shop and ride some bikes and find ones that feel right. Hopefully, before you buy a bike, you'll be able to try it. If you buy mail-order like I did, buy the size that is your best guess, knowing that there are plenty of ways to adjust the fit after you get the bike - raising or lowering the seatpost, sliding the saddle forwards or backwards, and trying different stems until you get one with the right height and reach.