Touring - My 42cm Surly Long Haul Trucker

Well here she is, finally. Not quite done, needs fenders.
http://community.webshots.com/album/82565251NmJWKQ

(I hope the link works)

I have ridden it around town a few times. It has hauled some recyleables and delivered beer (to the LBS who ordered it for me), so it's good to go.

I think it looks quite proportional with the 26" wheels.

It's quicker and more nimble than it looks! It's a very nice ride. The fit is great too. I wanted the steer tube left long for a while, but I think I like it as it is.

Lemme think what it has on it:
105 crankset 52-42-24, 165mm crank arms
105 fr der
LX rear der
XT 12-34 cassette
Aero levers
DA dt shifters
Deore hubs, not sure what the wheels are, but would be upgraded for a big tour.
Conti Contact tires
Bontrager handlebars and stem
Extra brake levers (not sure of exact name for them)
Terry Lib Ti Race saddle
Jandd Expedition rear rack
Blackburn Mtn front rack (I'm going to see how it works out)
I have some Freddy Fenders on order for it

The only thing that is wierd is the placement of the water bottle cages. They are at mid-tube and a large water bottle won't fit in the seat tube bottle cage. I put a side entry cage on it. My Pacer does not have this problem.

Very nice.....
Q: Does your front Blackburn rack attach at the fork crown as well, or are you given that option?

Very nice.....
Q: Does your front Blackburn rack attach at the fork crown as well, or are you given that option?


It only attaches at the dropouts and midfork.

That's a very small bike. Can I ask how tall are you?

That's a very small bike. Can I ask how tall are you?

I'm about 5'2" tall

Standover on this bike is 70cm

Nice looking ride, you did a great job.
I'm really interested in building up a bike for Rail to Trail touring and have considered the LHT. Can you give a rough estimate of what it cost to build your rig?

Well here she is, finally. Not quite done, needs fenders.
http://community.webshots.com/album/82565251NmJWKQ

(I hope the link works)

I have ridden it around town a few times. It has hauled some recyleables and delivered beer (to the LBS who ordered it for me), so it's good to go.

I think it looks quite proportional with the 26" wheels.

It's quicker and more nimble than it looks! It's a very nice ride. The fit is great too. I wanted the steer tube left long for a while, but I think I like it as it is.

Lemme think what it has on it:
105 crankset 52-42-24, 165mm crank arms
105 fr der
LX rear der
XT 12-34 cassette
Aero levers
DA dt shifters
Deore hubs, not sure what the wheels are, but would be upgraded for a big tour.
Conti Contact tires
Bontrager handlebars and stem
Extra brake levers (not sure of exact name for them)
Terry Lib Ti Race saddle
Jandd Expedition rear rack
Blackburn Mtn front rack (I'm going to see how it works out)
I have some Freddy Fenders on order for it

The only thing that is wierd is the placement of the water bottle cages. They are at mid-tube and a large water bottle won't fit in the seat tube bottle cage. I put a side entry cage on it. My Pacer does not have this problem.

Thanks for the pictures. You have two very nice bikes. Are there any differences between the ride of the LHT and the Pacer? If you only could have one bicycle which one would you choose? Do 26" wheels work better when climbing, or no difference? Do 700c wheels cruise better on flats and downhill?

Nice looking ride, you did a great job.
I'm really interested in building up a bike for Rail to Trail touring and have considered the LHT. Can you give a rough estimate of what it cost to build your rig?

I would use this bike for road and gravel riding. I'm hoping to tour over Kebler Pass (30 miles of gravel road) near Crested Butte, CO next summer.

It's hard to estimate the cost. I bought the frame (around $400) and the headset and 105 fr der, everything else came off other bikes I had. I need to get some better wheels, but I'll use the ones on there for now.

Thanks for the pictures. You have two very nice bikes. Are there any differences between the ride of the LHT and the Pacer? If you only could have one bicycle which one would you choose? Do 26" wheels work better when climbing, or no difference? Do 700c wheels cruise better on flats and downhill?

I have only had the LHT out a few times, running errands around town. I haven't done any hills yet. So far it's smooth and quick. I'm not sure if I could choose just one bike. The Pacer is very nice too!