I am hoping to ride RAGRAI, I'm originally from Iowa and am just going to back to visit and hopefully I'll be there to RAGRAI.
I have also been looking for a new bike -- I currently only have a Hybrid and am becoming more and more unsure of which bike to travel across the country on (as I plan on doing more than just this trip from the coast to Iowa). Different bike shops have recommended the Surly LHT but then another says the Trek 520 among others. Those 2 are at the top of my list now, but what do you think. I am really getting excited for the ride and like to get this taken care of as soon I could.