metal_cowboy

Well, it is finally done. This was my first bike build, everything went together great. The bike will never be this clean again, so I took some pictures.

https://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/metal_...r=adbf&.src=ph

The parts:
Surly LHT 62cm frame (Spicer Cycles)
Nitto 48cm Noodle bars (Rivendell)
Dia Compe brake levers (Ebay)
Ritchey Pro Stem (Spicer Cycles)
FSA Orbit XL II head set (Spicer Cycles)
Brooks B-17 Saddle (Wallingford)
Thomson seat post (Ebay)
Sugino XD Crank (Ebay)
Shimano UN-72 bottom bracket (Rivendell)
Mavic A719 36h rims (Performance)
Shimano 105 hubs (Performance)
Panaracer Pasela 700x37 tires (Spicer Cycles)
Planet Bike fenders (Spicer Cycles)
Shimano XT rear mechanical (Ebay)
Shimano 105 front mechanical (Rivendell)
Shimano Dura ace bar-end shifters (Rivendell)
Avid Single Didgit Ultimate brakes (Ebay)
Tubus Rack (Wife's bike)

georgiaboy

Beautiful bike! The components you selected for your bike are well-thought out. Most of the parts I knew of but a few of your choices opened my eyes.

Couple of questions as I am still selecting parts for my build.

FSA Orbit XL II head set Has this headset worked well for you?

The Sugino XD crank is highly regarded. Does it work well for you?

The handlebar setup works well for you?

Anything you would do differently as regards your build?

Thanks,

metal_cowboy

The FSA Headset was at the suggestion the shop I bought the bike from. I was originally going to go with a Chris King headset, but decided I need to cut down the cost of the build a bit. I have never had problems with any headset I have owned, so I don't anticipate any with the FSA. It has a good warranty and is definitely built to last.

The Rivendell Noodle bars are awesome. I have the same setup on my Rivendell road bike and my Co Motion tandem. I thought about going with STI shifters, but since all of my other bikes have bar end shifters, I decided to stick with 'em.

The Avid brakes were a bit of an indulgence. The brakes got really good reviews, and I bought them more with the thought of eventually moving them over to my tandem. I do prefer the v-brakes to cantilevers. That being said, I think that cantilever brakes are more aesthetically pleasing on a touring bike. I ride in wet mucky weather, so stopping power is more important than aesthetics. The only thing I forgot with the brakes is to put on inline cable adjusters. It is still easy to adjust the brakes via the brake arm, but I will put on the cable adjusters on when I do a brake cable change.

The Sugino cranks are awesome. Rivendell sells them for a little over $100. I have ridden the same cranks on my road bike with no trouble after 10k miles.

I could have save some money on a different rear derailleur. I thought about going with a 105 triple, but since I ride in a lot of rain , I figured the XT might hold up better.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any other questions you have.

georgiaboy

I think you definitely made the right choice with the rear XT derailleur, albeit, you spent a little more money. I have XT on the rear of my present commuter and it is smooth an dependable. XT is my choice as well. When you purchase from Rivendell you spend a little more but you get what a bicycle deserves. If you build a bike you should go all out in my opinion.

I still deciding on mustache bars as opposed to the noodle bars.

I will be using 26" wheels as the size frame will be 46cm. As far as a wheelset, I am considering if would be worthwhile to purchase a wheelset from Peter White Cycles or to save money by using Performance. The nice thing about a build is that you can buy the parts you want over time.

Not sure why Surly goes from 46cm to 50cm with no sizes in between. I would pefer a frame with a standover height of 29.2.

Thanks for the input. Enjoy your bicycle.

roadfix

You'll most likely do just fine with a budget, machine built mtb wheelset. I'm running a cheap machine built XT/Mavic 32 spoked wheelset on my new LHT which I have been using on my mountain bike prior. I'm not a heavy rider as my LHT frame size is a smallish 52 so I don't foresee any problems with these cheap wheels. Since using them for a while I have detensioned and retentioned all the spokes. 26" wheels can take a lot of abuse.

Also make sure the top tube on the 46 isn't too short for you......
Standover on the 50 is just under 30" but the top tube length might be just right for you..??

michaelnel

Terrible pics, awesome bicycle!

I have a Thomson post too and initially used it with my B17, but found I needed more setback. Too bad, because the Thomson is as good as posts get. I am now using a Salsa "Shaft" with the B17 and am very happy with it.

metal_cowboy

Yes, the pictures do not do the bike justice. I was too amped at getting the bike done that I did not wait until daylight to take the pictures. Perhaps I will take some better ones and post.

The one change I may need to make is the seatpost. I was not thinking about the need for some setback with the brooks saddle. I have a Nitto Crystal Fellow seatpost on my Rivendell Road bike and it works great with the B-17. I like the looks of the Salsa "shaft", guess I will need to give it a try.

NealH

A fine looking bike and equipped well. The 37 Pasela is a particularly good pick. I would have preferred to see silver fenders and a Nitto rear rack (also silver'ish) but, the black is A-Ok too. You donna great job with this one and the ride will be rewarding I'm sure.

I am thinking about doing something very similar except using a Soma frame.

By the way, what is your inseam measurement (PBH)?

michaelnel

My favorite thing about the Shaft is that the tilt can be adjusted without messing with the fore & aft adjustment, and the tilt adjustment is stepless so you can get whatever angle you want.

metal_cowboy

I thought about "accessorizing" with silver. I think the silver accessories give the bike a classier look. I all ready had most of the black components from previous bikes, so the bike got a more "industrial" look.

My PBH is 91. The bike is a pretty good fit. I would ideally like to ride a 63 or 64cm frame, but the LHT has the same TT measurement as my Rivendell Road bike which is a 64, so the ride is quite similiar.

roadfix

I agree. I had the same 'problem' as you did, spec'ing my LHT build with black components. But at the end, I like that industrial look. Nice build, BTW. And as suggested by another poster, I decided to mount my black B17 narrow instead of my antique brown Pro. I'm also planning on getting the new Vega rear rack as opposed to the Cargo. My OldManMountain rack will remain on my commuter, I decided....