Hi, I have today a Kona mountainbike that I have converted to a ss-bike. I love the feeling of ss but since I mostly ride on tarmac, I have starting to think about a more roadbike. Maybe a surly steamroller. Anyone who have experience of this bike as a ss setup? also other suggestions for a ss long distance touring bike is welcome.

Regards, gustav from sweden

For long distance touring, bike fit is critical. The Surly will be fine as a frame. Make sure you can run the size of tire you ne Ed for the total weight on the bike and the terrain you plan to ride.

Next is gearing. For touring you have luggage and hills. Gear appropriately or use a flip flop system where you can change gear ratios.

No experience with the Surly but I think the Redline 925 and the Bianchi San Jose will make great touring bikes.

Well, the Steamroller does not have rack and fender mounts

Really? I always thought they did..

Nope, but other Surly frames do. Among those, the Cross-Check is suited to light touring, and the Long Haul Trucker is a proper touring frame. Both have front rack braze-ons and derailer hangers. If the OP is at all serious about loaded and/or extended touring down the line, I'd strongly suggest frames along these lines. Even if the touring turns out to be suited to singlespeed, the mounting eyelets/braze-ons and geometry are going to leave you with far fewer headaches and backaches.

Yes, I consider myself serious about this subject. Braze ons for luggagerack is not a big deal to mount rack on the bike, there are steelfittings from Tubus that make it easy to fit the racks on your bike, both front and rear, I have done it on my Kona explosif. However, I agree about the importense of the geometry. Is the geometry of the long haul trucker , better than the steamroller? I know gears are a help when there are hills, but riding SS gives me such harmoni and peace inside so I think I stick to that.
Thanks for the tips , I will read more about the bikes You suggest.

/Gustav

Schwinn Madison 2008

is the best candidate for the job.

I took my maddy for a ride last year from half moon bay-->Big Sur down the Pacific Coast Bike route, and it handled like a dream. It also has eyelits for fender and rack mounts. The Geometry of the frame makes it really comfortable yet very responsive.
I rode Fixed gear up and down the hills which made it easier then freewheeling it.

Not trying to be a jerk, but have you ever ridden a touring bike for comparison? And I'm unclear how riding fixed on hills is easier than a freewheel.

If the OP is really serious about touring, he should seriously consider a touring frame. Yes, the geometry of the LHT is much more touring-friendly than the steamroller -- Surly has detailed geometry specs on their site if you'd like to compare. While I agree there are fender and rack solutions for frames without eyelets/braze-ons, that's no reason to ignore how much easier they make life.

But again, it's a question of how serious you are about touring. For long, loaded tours, you'll be kicking yourself for going with an aggressive frame. But if you want your bike to multi-task as a commuter, club rider, or whatever else, a touring frame may be too sluggish for your tastes. Keep in mind that almost any bike will perform alright for short tours without tons of gear, and a lot of randonneurs prefer "sport touring" bikes.

The above poster is correct. Listen to everything he said.

Also consider the IRO Phoenix. Geometry's slightly more aggressive than the LHT, but just enough to make it a reasonable compromise between urban commuting and touring. It's also got cable routing for an internal geared hub, if you're so inclined. I've been riding mine for about a month now, and it's been an absolute joy.

if you want a bike for touring, get a touring frame! it ain't rocket science. they are DESIGNED for comfort over long distances and outfitted to mount all the things you need.

ANY frame can be a SS. let's not get caught up in the necessity of track ends for touring.

I would go with a Wabi because a 55cm weighs 18.4 pounds so I would want a bike on the light side for touring.

The Long Haul Trucker or Cross Check are good. LTH will require a chain tensioner and the Cross Check has horizontal drop outs. Or find a used touring frame or i dont know. Touring isn't the time to be macho with a track frame

You trollin'?

No, pointing out the advantage of a lighter bike, Wabi is one of the few that list the weight of their bikes.

Who cares about how light the bike is when you've got 50+ lbs. strapped to it?

Yes I have ridden many touring bikes, the OP wanted to know if anyone had suggestions for SS long distance touring (Single Speed) he didn't ask about regular touring bikes.

How is the LHT or Cross Check not a ss-compatible frame? The OP asked about ss, long distance touring bikes. I don't feel the Madison fits the bill for long distance touring, but I suppose that depends on one's definitions of long distance and touring.

+1

OP: you seem serious about this. Don't try to make a "fixie" into a touring bike (and really, that's what most of them are..)

Instead, take a serious touring bike and convert it to SS. The Surly is a good choice, also don't forget the Trek 520.

I have a Langster that I use like that. I think it works great. It is light and zippy when unloaded and works great with packs and long distance (as long as it is flat - I don't mind hills when the bike is at 18lbs, but wouldn't want to do it loaded). Its a road frame, so it does well long distance. The biggest problem is that you can't put on tires greater than 25mm (without some mods) and probably need to stick with 23mm if you want fenders. A dedicated touring bike its not; I'm sure you could do better with a dedicated touring bike, if that is what you are after.

Really, to give a decent answer to the question we would need to know what you mean by touring. Good luck.

My vote goes to the Cross-check, it's a good medium and has the appropriate drop-outs for SS.

Is the reason for wanting SS because of a machismo "let's see if I can do it" type of thing? I can't see doing any loaded touring on a SS without wanting to punish myself.

Hehe, thanks for all answers.... well, I have been making touring with gears many times. Its working. But in recent years my intrest for SS have grown bigger and bigger. Its not a macho thing, more a serch for simplicity, cleaness....I dont know, ..anyway, I converted my kona explosif to SS and it was just as magic as I was imagined. It makes me forget I am riding a bike, the bike becomes more of a stroll, a walk along the beach. I really like the feeling. I do understand that big hills will make my life hard but its allways a possibility to jump of the bike and walk upp the hill. I also try to carry as little luggage as possible - maximum 10 kg. (same pack as I use on my back when I am walking in the forrest. So, I will stick to SS , not to prove anything but to be moved back to my childhoods first bike, when everything was simple and easy.
But I do want a strong and really nice touringframe. Not to agressive, something in between speed and layed back. I want flat bar (like a mountainbike), I bit of a uprised position. I dont mind brazeons for racks but I dont care about them. Just looking for a really comfortable and durable frame. The Redline 925 look sweet but I dont know anything about it. The surlybikes looks nice to but I dont know what model to choose? I have red the Crosscheck is a bit to weak in the frame, dont know if its true. But I think I red its collapsable and I dont like that, I want the bike to be as clean as possible. I think I hear You saying the steamroller is more agressive than the LHT and not so comfortable,, is that correct? But surly state the steamroller is not a trackbike, more of a roadbike? Please give me more suggestions and explanations on the diffrent frames , pros and cons. For me, this is a very intresting subject. I am also looking at the Kona paddy wagon.....
About my luggage, I have a big saddlebag, 24 litres, a Carradice Camper Longflap. Under that one I have a rear luggagerack where I strap a big watertight sack with my tent and matress. On the stem is my camerabag. Thats all.

/Gustav

https://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CFwQ8wIwAg#

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=de...=30&SKU=FK0001


Or just grab a touring bike and take the gears off.

Using a track bike would be murder for me after a day or two. I do like my Fantom Cross Uno for light touring..., but would go with what you have or touring frame before going with an aggressive geo frame.