Touring - Touring bike as your only steed?

Based on the type of cycling I'm interested in (utility, not racing, distance vs "speed at all costs") I'm strongly considering the Surly LHT as a good bike for me. Currently I'm using a Bianchi San Jose as my all-arounder; I even did some loaded touring on it. I've also got a road bike that's sized a bit too big for me but that I used extensively for a few years - that's how I realised what type of cycling I was interested in.

To afford a LHT, I'll have to sell the road bike. I'm using the San Jose primarily for commuting now, and it works well for that (single-speed simplicity). I may have to sell it as well to finance the LHT, patricularly since there seems to be some functionality overlap. How many of you are using your touring rig as your commuting/utility/go-everywhere rig as well? How many of you have a touring bike as your only bike?

The LHT is very popular around here as a commuter. I think it would be
a good move for you. I have a very hard time getting bikes to fit. If I ever get the chance to try one in my size, and it fits, I'd buy it. I have a bunch of spare parts in the cellar just waiting on a frame.

Based on other threads I've read, there are lots of folks who use just the LHT and are really happy with it. I, too, thought seriously about selling my bike (a Jamis Nova) and going with the LHT. I decided against it & for the moment I'm keeping my Nova and investing a bit of $ to dress it into a light touring bike.

I test-rode the LHT and liked it quite a bit. That said, for my intended purpose (weekend rides, some long distance, very occasional light touring) it was too much. The LHT is an amazing machine, but for my purpose I could stand to have something lighter and a little livelier. If I were ever to take off for a couple of weeks of loaded touring, I'd most likely plunk down the $$$ for a LHT. Till I have that luxury, it's the nova for rides and my SS for commutes.

LHT should work out fine since you're not gunning for speed.

Look into cross bikes as well, like the Bianchi Volpe or Surly Cross-Check, depending on how extensive your tours are. Non-racing cross bikes like those are made to be all-rounders, and will be a tad better for dirt & gravel roads (due to the higher BB). LHT stock will have lower gearing, though.

I wouldn't sell the SJ, just save up a little more cash. If you're commuting regularly, a backup bike is a good thing.

Didn't you get your economic stimulus check? :D

I use my converted hybrid "touring" bike for everything except organized centuries and other supported long distance rides. If your going to limit yourself to just one bike the Surly LHT is the bike to get. Here is a photo of my late 80's Specialized CrossRoads I use for 95% of my riding.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/crossroads-1.jpg
It's currently sporting a single pannier for commuter duty.

I recently went through the same decision process (two weeks ago). I had a road bike that I bought last year and I was mainly using it for commuting. I am also interested in touring/utility cycling and my road bike would not allow me to do that.

I sold that bike and invested in the LHT and my decision was swayed due to the fact that I can use the LHT both for commuting as well as for utility (grocery runs etc).
In addition, LHT is generally very well regarded (at least on these forums) as a really good touring bike.
The one thing you might want to consider is if you do any weekend rides with other road bikers. The LHT might be a bit slow to keep up with fast riders

Also, you can take this as an opportunity to learn some new bike building skills (assuming you don't have them now). You can take mostly any old road bikes (which you can find for pretty cheap) and convert to a FG later, when your finances permit.

Right now, my touring bike is my only bike, but I hope to add a FG (that I build) sometime.

I bought an LHT last year, and knowing that I was going to use it pretty much as a regular road bike, my LBS equipped it with 700 x 28 tires. I absolutely love it. I wanted a steel bike with a somewhat relaxed riding position, and got exactly what I wanted. I was also drawn to a touring bike, as I'm a big guy (6 -2, 260 lbs) and wanted a frame/fork/wheel combination that could carry my weight. I wasn't too concerned about the bike being super-light, as frankly, if I want to cut ounces I am better off to do it between the neck and the knees.

The only changes I made to the bike was to replace the saddle with a Brooks B17, and I recently swapped the huge handlebar bag I had on it for a rear rack and trunk bag.

I'm more of a recreational rider - I think of bicycling as an activity as opposed to a sport - and usually ride about 25 - 30 miles at a time at about 15 mph average, which includes climbing some pretty good hills. I have just about 1000 miles on the bike now, and just replaced the original tires.

It might be a good choice for you, but I really missed having a road bike when I tried to use a touring bike as my only bike. Everyone is different so only you can really say what will work for you.

I think the key is whether you usually ride alone or with others. If you are alone it doesn't really matter if you average 14 or 17 mph. If you ride with someone else who has a typical road rather than touring bike, who is at least as equally as strong as you, you'll either get dropped or seriously frustrate the other person.

Last week I sold my 16 lb carbon road bike and will henceforth ride my 23.5 lb Americano. By swapping out the 11-34 cassette for a 11-21 and the 35mm XR's for 28mm "racing" tires, my gear selection approximates a road triple with a 12-25 cassette and I save about a half a pound where it counts most in reduced rotational momemtum. OTOH, it will never be a quick bike, but I can still smoke mountain bikes, hybrids, and beach cruisers. Lower your standards!

+ 1 on the LHT. I have a fast ti ride road bike, but my LHT is a far more practical and comfy ride for commuting (and upcoming touring). Yes, the LHT is a bit slower and not as snappy, but that's to be expected. with an XT 11-34 and a 24-36-48 crank it's going to be a fine tourer and plenty fast enough for a commute. Extremely comfy ride and if I had to pick one bike to keep it would be a hard decision. My LHT is several pounds heavier, but as they say, steel is real.

Run this one by me again. One bike you say? I just don't get it.

As long as you don't already love the feel of riding a sporty road bike and you're not going to miss it, a tourer should be fine.

Be sure that's what you really want, though.

You know, it's very easy for any of us to say we're not interested in speed, but, is this really true? If you're riding for fitness, you will never achieve it just poking around unless you spend most of your days riding for great distances. Not to mention that any shorter trips will take longer. I think we all aim for the most speed we can get eventually, as we become more and more fit. And then, there are the guys (and I guess some girls too) on mountain bikes who delight passing what they see as road bikes. They pass you pedaling like heck, and then if you keep a steady pace and they don't turn off, you're eventually on their tail because they've run out of legs. I can't help it even at my age. Sometimes I just love to suddenly turn it on and give them a lesson :-)

But if you're really not interested in any of that, not interested in carving tight curves at speed and all that kind of sporty stuff, then a touring bike is a pretty good choice.

It isn't my only bike however, my Trek 520 is my primary bike. It definitely feels quick enough for me and its capacity to just "function" really fits my life. I bought it used and at a good price. I would seriously entertain a LHT someday, it may very well be my next purchase.

My only bike is a Novara Randonee touring bike:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c269/AzCowboy/Bike%20stuff/RandoneeSized.jpg

She normally has a set of grocery panniers on the back for hauling groceries and other stuff. :)

For a while my Fuji Touring was my only ride. I augmented the collection with a fixed gear bicycle -- yep, I drank the Kool-Aid. The Fuji is still my workhorse and does a darned fine job of it: comfy, sturdy, reliable, and plenty fast as long as you keep the motor tuned.

i too sold my roadie (giant tcr zero) to get an LHT as my all-arounder, and have no regrets. I don't do any real racing, and its been fine for club rides. its been awesome for commuting, loaded errands, and long rides.

one important thing for me was to be able to remove the racks easily for the faster rides. i installed the fenders and racks independently so i could unbolt the racks easily.

here's a pic of it loaded up for a grocery run:

http://enthoosed.com/data/mediaStore/2008/07/08/scaled/size5_1215530042027-13.jpg

Last year my brother bought a LHT mainly for commuting, and now it's the only bike he ever rides. His Colnago hasn't left his room in probably nearly a year, and his mountain bike is in the back of the shed somewhere. Also, last year I got my Univega: my first real touring bike. All of my "fast" bikes have hardly been used since, and even my Nishiki, which had previously been my favorite bike, sits in my room unused nearly all the time now. Needless to say, if I could only have one bike, it would without a doubt be a touring bike.

I had a tough time deciding between the LHT, Crosscheck or a Bianchi Velope but eventually chose the trucker. It's not my only bike though and I might have chosen the Volope in that situation because it's just slightly less sluggish feeling and a little more fun to goof around on. I would try to ride all three of those bikes plus a few more.

If a person is only going to have a single bike, a touring bike would make the very best candidate.

If I had to have only one bike, it would be a touring bike.

My Trek 520 is the only bike I have, although I would like to get another :D

It can go fast, far, and carry heavy loads. I could put bigger tires on it and it could go off road. I couldn't ask for more.

I have two bikes -- and both are dedicated touring bikes that I use for everything (except off road riding).

No single purpose bikes here, don't have the money.

The question in the original post fits me to a T. I do fast club rides with my Bruce Gordon BLT by carrying less stuff and using thinner tires. The 700x43 tires go on for single-track. Back to 32s and a rack for commuting. I have other bikes, I just do not bother with them any more. Well except for the CounterPoint Tandem.

My LHT is my only bike and my primary means of transportation. It's fast enough for my needs (my math says I average ~15mph on the way to work), and it's super convenient because I can carry or pull anything I strap to the bike with not much difficulty. Best of all, it's comfortable.

I have ridden club rides on it, I keep up well enough. I have gotten the sideways compliment, "If you were on a road bike with real pedals and shoes, you probably would have beat me up the hill!"
(my answer: I made it up a lot faster than I was expecting, but last time I climbed like this I had a my tent, sleeping bag and dinner with me.)

I had a question about the LHT -- which it seems that many people here favor.

How fat of a tire can I fit on the 26" model? Surly lists it as being able to accept a 2.1" tire, but I was curious to find out if anyone has experience with fitting a tire that size on there.

My main concern is getting it set up as a versatile commuter -- I'd like to be able to fit fat-ish tires on there in the winter without a lot of fuss.

...
How fat of a tire can I fit on the 26" model? Surly lists it as being able to accept a 2.1" tire, but I was curious to find out if anyone has experience with fitting a tire that size on there.
...

I'm still on the stock tires, so I'm not positively sure, but there is *massive* tire clearance on the 26 inchers. Surly is probably correct, and that 2.1" is probably with fender clearance to boot.

I had a question about the LHT -- which it seems that many people here favor.

How fat of a tire can I fit on the 26" model? Surly lists it as being able to accept a 2.1" tire, but I was curious to find out if anyone has experience with fitting a tire that size on there.

My main concern is getting it set up as a versatile commuter -- I'd like to be able to fit fat-ish tires on there in the winter without a lot of fuss.

I can't comment on the rear tire clearance, but a 2.35" Big Apple fits the front with about half a millimeter on each side. :D I don't recommend that, of course. (I have an LHT fork on my commuter)

A LHT makes a pretty good all-arounder. It's a bit heavy, not very quick handling, but if you want an all-around bike, so what? It's strong, you can hang bags on it for a trip to the store, you can put wide tires on it for rough roads, it has wide-range gearing so you can go up steep hills and also do okay on the flats (though not go real fast).

If you're just looking for an all around bike, I have no comment on how the LHT stacks up against other models. If you're looking for a bike to go touring on, but know it will be your only road bike and are concerned whether it will be suitable for everyday riding, it will, and it's an excellent touring bike.

Here's a fresh pic of my LHT that I use as my primary bike (as mentioned in my previous post in this thread). It's pretty much to Surly spec (although assembled from a frame and fork by my LBS) except for the Brooks saddle and the 700c x 28 tires.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/tpelle/Surly_LHT/DSCN0472.jpg

I used to have a large handlebar bag on it - one of those jobbies that had the transparent map pocket on top - but I felt that it messed up the balance of the front fork too much, and you couldn't park the bike against anything. The front fork would turn under the weight of the handlebar bag and the tire would roll out from under the bike causing it to fall. I removed the handlebar bag and added the rear rack and trunk bag. I like this combination much better.

I have just about 1000 miles on it. Yes, it's a little heavy - although if you look at the weight of the bare frame/fork combo and compare it to some of the aluminum/carbon-fiber frame/fork combos available from web stores, it's not that much heavier. I'm a big guy, at 6-2 and 260 lbs, and I figure if I want to lighten my ride I'll do it between my neck and my knees. I wanted a frame that I could be confident wouldn't crack under my weight, the stress of the bumpy cold-patch blacktop and occasional potholes, and would give a smooth ride. It's exactly what I wanted. (Love the bar-end shifters, by the way!)

The LHT makes a great all around bike, I love mine. That being said if you commute/ride in bad weather often I would keep the San Jose as a second bike. I ride year round in NYC, and this winter trashed the drivetrain on my LHT. This was my first winter here not commuting with a fixed gear bike ( it was out of commission for awhile) and I definitely missed the simple maintenance factor. I like commuting on my fixed gear and doing touring/long rides on my LHT.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I think I'll do what I can to hold on to the San Jose. The fact that it's so light and has the flat spot on the top tube makes it so much easier to haul it up and down stairs. Maybe it will say the commuter and the LHT could serve as a long distance rider.

On a related topic, for those of you who have 2 or more bikes with one being a tourer, is your secondary one a dedicated road bike? Do you miss the racing geometry with the touring bike or is it a non-issue for you? I'm thinking of either putting thinner tires on the San Jose, though the cross tires are useful for gravel and crushed stone, or putting thinner tires on the tourer, should I get it, and use it as a distance road bike, perhaps saving the larger tires for when the bike is under load. Thoughts?

i have an early 80s specialized expedition and ive finally got it dialed in with a b17 and nitto noodle handlebars and other various upgrades.

its so stable, comfortable, and versatile i dont have a need for my other bikes! i may sell them and bring it down to just one bike.

My only bike was a touring bike until I added... another touring bike! (LHT) I'll probably lighten my old bike as parts wear out to turn it into something like a road bike, or a "sport tourer".


The fact that it's so light and has the flat spot on the top tube makes it so much easier to haul it up and down stairs.

That's my only complaint about the LHT. The cable runs under the top tube and the cable guide is a real pain when carrying the bike over the shoulder over three stories.

I run 2" Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on my 50mm LHT (26" wheels) with no clearance issues.

I'd be jealous if only I did not appreciate a car for Friday night movies and a mild dislike of riding in the rain. Who normally needs a car , if not for that. Renting a car when needed would be nice. One can put your bike on the train, all of North America is at your doorstep. / But, for our family, car lite is good enough.

[QUOTE=tpelle;7091977]Here's a fresh pic of my LHT that I use as my primary bike (as mentioned in my previous post in this thread). .

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/tpelle/Surly_LHT/DSCN0472.jpg

QUOTE]

I love my Surly for local commuting. That is my LHT to a tee, except for Look pedals and panniers. But, I was pleased to be able to get it in red.

One can put your bike on the train, all of North America is at your doorstep.

Unless you live in the South. Passenger trains come nowhere near my area. :(

How many of you are using your touring rig as your commuting/utility/go-everywhere rig as well?

I do. It does everything I could possibly need it to.

i got a 60 cm LHT complete earlier this year and love it. all i've done on it so far are commutes and day rides, but it will eventually also perform in the touring role that it was intended for. it's not my only bike, i've got a mtn bike and an older cannondale touring bike that i usually ride in the rain, just because i have it. i'm building up a fixie as a beater bike for trips to the bar, and i'm probably going to get a folding bike for scooting around on business trips. i've never had a plain road bike, but it might be nice to have a fast bike without all the racks & fenders for when you're feeling sporty. i'd love to get an airnimal chameleon and knock out 2 birds with one stone--i lust for that bike but am loathe to blow $2500 on a bike that i've never seen in person and have to drive 5 hours to look at.

so in answer to your question, no i don't just have one bike, but a touring bike covers about 90% of what i normally do.

I only have two bikes, my LHT and old Motobecane fixed gear.

The LHT is great for touring, grocery runs, and longer rides while the fixed gear is more of a beater bike for around town use that I don't have to worry about when I lock it up.

Unless you live in the South. Passenger trains come nowhere near my area. :(
http://www.tarprail.org/amtrak.php

http://www.tarprail.org/amtrak.php

Thanks for the link, but it appears I'd have to rent a car or take a bus for several hours to get to any of those stations. Memphis and Newbern are over 200 miles away, and Atlanta isn't much closer.