Touring - Surly Long Haul vs mid-80's Miyata

I'm looking for a project and decided on building a steel touring bike. I'm a 61 year old woman, and I really do much better with a lighter weight bike. I'm very careful about how much weight I carry with me. That said, does anyone have knowledge about comparable weights of a new Surly LongHaul frame (claimed 5.1 lbs. for a 56cm) verses a mid eighties Miyata 615 or 1000 (May have been the same frame with diff. components). I had a 615 years ago. I recall the bike weighed about 26lbs. stock, but I have no idea what the frame actually weighed. I know the Miyata is a triple butted Cro-moly. I know the Surly is double butted 4130, but I don't know if the difference in weight is measurable or negligible, between them in, say, a 53cm frame. Thanks all that answer this (what difference does it make with panniers on) question.

My 1985 Miyata 1000 weighs about 28 pounds, plus racks and fenders. I don't know the frame size, but the bike is on the large side.

The difference in weight would be less than one pound, which is almost neglible for touring.

I picked up a miyata 610 from the 80's, and I see no reason to get a different frame.

Two years ago I borrowed a 1980's Miyata 1000 from a good friend for a bike tour in the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire. It had been across the country 3 times over the years, and had recently been rebuilt, with an entirely new drivetrain and wheels. My friend said it weighed 24 pounds, but my sense is that is was more like 27 pounds or so. I adored the bike - it fit me perfect and was comfy, functioned flawlessly, and was pretty lightweight for a touring bike. I tried to buy it from my friend, who doesn't often use it anymore, but alas, he said no.

I looked about for quite awhile before settling on a Surly LHT frame. I didn't want an aluminum frame, having read about harshness being transmitted through the frames, and having brutally experienced it on the back of a Cannondale mountain bike tandem for 3 years. I didn't think it would be possible to be as happy with another bike than the borrowed Miyata, but I was pleasantly surprised. I took my Surly on a tour of the St. Lawrence / Lake Champlain / Adirondacks mountains of New York last summer, and I am extremely happy with it. It weighs 30 pounds from top to bottom including the bike rack. 16" gear inches on the bottom end, and 100 on the top. And it is unbelievably comfortable.

Bottom line - I recommend both bikes. Here is a link to some tour pics - the Surly pic is in the Blue Water tour, and the Miyata pic is in the White and Green Mountain tour.

http://home.stny.rr.com/teamaegis/
Reg