Touring - Coming out and need your help

Hi everyone who reads the touring section:-) I am excited to find this forum and I'd like to get to know you!

I am an experienced tourer, although it has been a while:-( I just ordered a Surly Long Haul Trucker and have received it! Now, I need to pick parts. I want to just make one order through my bike shop with eveything that I want. I want to run a straight bar and mtn bike shifters. I am pretty sure I want to go with sram shifters and rear derailer. If this was your bike and wanted mid-range componentry, wwyd?

The frame uses 26 inch wheels. What rims?

Thanks so much!!!

jamie

I have a 54cm LHT w/ straight bars using Paul thumbies and Dura Ace shifters. A complete XT drive train (11-34 cassette). Everything works perfectly together. I'm sure the Sram XX would be great stuff if you don't find yourself in some remote area with a breakdown. That would be my only concern is finding parts.

Also I use Mavic EX721 rims though the 719 seem to be more popular. I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus 1.75" tires and some will say they are heavy, I have not found them to be bad at all and extremely puncture resistant.

Good luck on your build, I really enjoyed building my bike and I'm sure you will too.

xt shimano is great ,sunrhyno 36 hole ,marathon supreams (my next buy) dura ace chain or even sram chain 9 speed .best of luck with new bike.

If you will always run a flat bar, go with sram if you want. It is unlikely to break, and will probably be easily available. On the off-chance that a deraileur or shifter breaks, and you can only find shimano, then replace both, and you will be fine. If you might want to switch to road bars and bar-end shifters later, then a shimano set-up would be easier.

While I love SRAM stuff -one question you might want to ask yourself is whether or not you're going to go with SRAM 1:1 ratios at the shifter -if you do, it means you'll need an SRAM rear derailleur -and they certainly aren't as common as Shimano ones. FWIW, I run an mtb with Gripshift 9.0ESP with 1:1 (love it) and use the Shimano compatible gripshift on my backup tourer. I figure less precise shifting is ok compared to off road use. My advice would be to go with the Shimano compatible gripshift unless you're going off roading with it.

Wheels... I really love my Sun CR18s and Rhynolites (good but heavy), but use discs and as such any kind of rim issue or wear is harder to notice.

Thanks for your responses. Nigeyy, my frame doesn't call for disc brakes. Ans I am going to run a sram rear derailler. I love the precise shifting on tour and the ability to micro adjust my front derailler.
Thanks for the suggestions on rims.

I'd get the SRAM X-7 RD Since it is a good mid range and all metal instead of carbon, and X-7 or better shifters, maybe even X-0.On another note my dad has 9.0 Grip Shift and RD on his recumbent(It falls into SRAM's comfort line or something like that) Just as good a X-0 just another line, it is soooooooo nice, I'd get that setup any day.

Sun-Rims cr18 48 hole with tandem hubs(bomb proof)

No one suggested velocity rims, hmm.