mokezak

Which bike should I choose, Trek 520, Surly LHT, Jamus Auora Elite, or Cannondale T2? Or??? Thoughts?

Supertick

Ride all of them and pick the one that fits you best. There is no right answer to your question. I happen to own a Cannondale T2000 and a LHT and they are both great bikes. But they might not be best for you.

vettefrc2000

mesasone

Surly!

kk4df

Lht

12bar

I hope LHT is the right answer, I just ordered 2

Texasfietser

Lht

martianone

+1 to the ride each one- then decide which fits you better and feels more comfortable.
All are fine, however each needs some tweaking to meet your needs/preferences.
My partner has a T-2000- with some preference modifications it has been a great bike for her.
I have the 520- some rider preference adjustments a fine ride for me.
IMHO- don't made a dogmatic decision; just because some beat the drum for one model.
Try as many as you can.

kuan

I think, if you need a small frame, that the LHT will suit your needs better because of the smaller wheel.

CCrew

Whichever fits you best and ignore all the people that specify a single bike. All the bikes you listed are good quality. It's now about which one makes you want to ride it.

-R

CardiacKid

Picking a bike, especially a touring bike is an extremely individual choice. All the bikes you cite are good quality bikes. They have small differences that differentiate them. You need to find the one that is best for you, based on your build, riding style, condition, personal taste and anticipated uses. Buying the most popular bike is not generally the best approach.

robow

If we're talking about complete bikes, then to me it starts off with, "Do you want STI or Barends" because I see that as one component that differentiates one group from the other, and it's not always cheap to change out.

BengeBoy 

+1

Excellent point - any touring bike is likely get tweaked at some point. Ignore changes to saddles, chainrings, brake pads, handlebar tape - those are easy and not that expensive. Wheels can be rebuilt, or upgraded and then moved to your next bike....

But changing to/from bar ends to STI is expensive.


(BTW, my vote is "used.")

eofelis 

I had a 2002 Trek 520. Rode it for a few years and then moved on to an LHT. LHT had a better fit for me in an XS frame size.

stevage

Out of curiosity, can you get an LHT with STI? I testrode the LHT, and the bar-ends turned me off instantly.

(Yes, I understand the logic about trying to repair STI when you're 3000 miles from civilisation in the Mongolian wilderness. No, I don't think it applies to me.)

Steve

MtTabor

Is timing an issue? 2009 Trek 520s won't be out until around December (even though they're posted on Trek's site, they don't enter production until November). Unless you can find a 2008 in your size; in my neck of the woods, they're all gone. LHTs are backordered, but not as bad, and I'm waiting to test ride a couple of those.

mokezak

Thanks everyone for you input. I figure I would have to ride each one a fair amount to really get the feel for which one would be best. My real choice would be Trek but I chose LHT for now. I have two years to prepare for a trans American ride, Northern Tier. During that time I'll ride the LHT and if it doesn't work out then I'll try the Trek 520. I guess my big question had to do with frame types, alum v steel...I've been told steel is better for the long rides. Thanks again. The problem for me is that I live in a small town and there are not any Trek 520s, LHT, or any touring bikes in the bike shops....I had to order the LHT

blindman10

If you are still considering Jamis, I would look past the Aurora Elite and look at the basic Aurora. The Elite has a shorter chainstay, a carbon front fork (not sure if that is the best choice for a touring bike if you want to put racks/weight up front). There is an older thread (here) that discussed the Aurora Elite vs Aurora if you are still interested.

eofelis 

I don't like barends shifters either. I tried my LHT with downtube shifters but I didn't like reaching down to shift on a loaded bike. So I got some Pauls Thumbies adapters that allow you to mount the barend shifters on the top of the handlebars, making them thumbshifters. I really liked these!

(I'll try to post a pic later.)

mokezak

Thanks you guys. I agree, not sure how I feel about the barend shifters but they look very inconvenient. I'm hoping to have the bike by this weekend for a maiden voyage, sixty mile ride Boise to Idaho City and back...I'll have a better idea about how I feel about the LHT.....except, I've got no other experience with any other bike to compare it to. Thanks again. I have a feeling that I'll be buying upgrades as time goes on...

cliffy

I just purchased a LHT last week, and was in the same boat on the barend shifters before the purchase. However, just riding to and from classes this week the barends grew on me. They aren't that much of a change in hand position, and you have less to worry about while touring.
My basis for comparison is a road bike with STI's and a cheap mtb with thumbies. The barends seem to suit the surly.

mokezak

Thanks for all your information. Right now because of the end of year, I have not been able to find any tour bike except Fuji. Id buy a Trek or LHT if I could find one.

kuan

The only problem with barend shifters is you can't stick a mirror in the barend or run those fairie lights that stick inside those holes.

oldmtngoat

I see you already made your choice and wish you the best with it. For those that may read this thread in the future, size issues may help make your choice. In the smaller sizes, the LHT only came with MTB sized wheels. The tire issue pushed me to the Trek 520. If the LHT had come with a standard road bike wheels I'd have gone with the LHT with a custom build to get the precise components I wanted.