Yen

I took a 2nd ride today on the 54cm LHT, a longer ride to verify the fit. This ride included traffic and cornering. No hills on my test ride but with the gearing they shouldn't be a problem -- anything I could do on the hybrid will be easier on the LHT. Again, I loved the bike, the fit, and the way it rides. It feels sure-footed, just the way I want to feel on the road. The low, sure-footedness of the bike is just what I was aiming for. And the shop offered a deal I'd be a fool to pass up.

Definite changes I'd make:

Saddle - I told myself that my next bike will have a Brooks saddle, most likely the B17. I'd LOVE a dark brown leather saddle on the blue frame, but Brooks doesn't make the B17 in dark brown (only honey and black). Of course, black is obviously nice on this bike, but I love brown leather. I'm not sure the honey color would be the best choice on this blue frame and I'm trying to find good photos to convince me one way or another.

Bars - I do not ride in the drops - ever. Due to a wrist prosthesis, bending my wrist sideways to reach the brake levers while in the drops is painful and definitely not recommended. This is non-negotiable so I am not willing to compromise on this issue. That said, I'm considering:

• Trekking bars - However, with the stock stem my hands may be too close to me and might require a longer stem. How might this affect the handling on this particular bike? Are they suitable for bar end shifters?
• H-bar - I like the look of the H-bar; I placed it over the stock bars as I sat on the seat and liked the hand positions it provides. This bar would bring my hands a little closer to me than they are on the hoods, the same distance I'd like to achieve. He recommended MTB brake levers on the sides (underneath) with the stock bar-end shifters placed just in front of them. That sounds like a very comfortable arrangement.
• Bullhorns - This seems like the ideal bar for me since I like everything about road bars EXCEPT the drops. With the shifters on the ends and brake levers underneath.

If I change the bars, then I also need to consider the Grips and bar tape - to match (or not) the saddle. He recommended MTB cork grips and matching black cork tape for the bars (if I go with the H-bar).

Pedals - Clipless SPDs with a platform cage on one side. I have Shimano M520 SPDs (multi-release) on my Roubaix. I generally don't pedal during turns; my inside foot is up around 12:00.

Changes I'm considering and other add-ons:

Tires - WTB Slickasaurus currently on the bike. Any comments on these? I want excellent puncture resistance and good performance on typical city streets with an occasional gravel trail. Not necessarily city slicks, and I'm not planning any loaded tours in the near future.

Bottle cages, wireless computer.

The biggest decision is the bars for greater comfort (not upright, but a little more relaxed than riding on the hoods) and the best configuration of bar-end shifters and brake levers on each one.

No matter how long the ride, at heart I am primarily a recreational rider who likes to look around, wave/smile at people, and just have a good time whether I'm riding 5 miles or 100. For me, it's not about the speed..... it's all about the fun.

Is there anything else you would consider or change?

roadfix

The bar, lever, and shifter configuration is always a tough decision. I went through 4 different drop bar choices until I settled on my current set up. Who knows, I may switch again. I have a new Salsa Bell Lap bar sitting in my garage still unused.

As for your Brooks saddle you can do what I did. Get the honey and if you don't like it, dye it brown. That's what I did with one saddle using some permanent hair dye. It's permanent and doesn't rub off, even when wet.

This is my current bar set up. They're Richey Biomax bars. They were not comfortable at all on my road bike but they work very well on the LHT. Being near saddle height makes a big difference whether a particular handlebar works or not.



This saddle used to be honey.

Dellphinus

Here you go:


I was riding Nimbus armadillos, because they are bulletproof, and I ride gravel sometime, so I ride 1.5s. I was also planning to switch to different tires, but after riding the Slickasaurus's for 600 miles, I do not plan to switch them until they wear out; they're fine, and we ride in pretty flatprone areas. When I do replace them, I plan to try Pasela Tourguards.

I ride with aero-bars for long distance- I plan to add a second rear brake lever to the right aero-arm.
I added a kicksand.
I swapped the stock levers for Cane Creek SCR-5C compact hoods/levers- they're wider, and smaller- MUCH better.
I plan top move the bar ends to the end of the aero arms to let me shift while relaxing.
These are really nice bikes- VERY comfortable, handle very well, and I keep up with 18-19 mph guys just fine. Have not ridden ot loaded down yet, but everyone says they're better loaded than unloaded...

CC Rider

Yen,
Check out this handlebar option that Wes Morrow posted over on Crazy Guy. It's a pretty slick set-up utilizing bullhorns and aerobars. Very Cool!
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?...c_id=2799&v=2I

Cave

Go for it Yen, looks like you've found yourself a bike.

Just a note on the Brooks - they are quite wide - is there any way for you to try both a standard and a narrow?

vettefrc2000

Road the Tour-de-troit last week.

Yen

Thanks everyone!

George, Dellphinus, and vettefrc2000 -- beautiful!!! George, that was mighty brave of you to use hair dye on your Brooks saddle but it turned out beautiful, WOW.

vettefrc2000 -- How do you find the handling of your LHT with the trekking bars? Did you change to a longer stem to compensate for the closer reach of the grips?

CC Rider: That's a nice-looking set-up. However, he's a bit more stretched out than I prefer to be.

Cave, I haven't begun to look into the Brooks sizes yet, but my current saddle is a Specialized Toupe Gel which looks (to me) like the most uncomfortable thing on earth but I actually adapted to it quite quickly. Anyway I believe its width is 143mm so I'll see how that compares with the Brooks saddles, especially the women's.

brianmcg123

Yen,

Here are a couple of pictures of my blue with a black Champion Flyer. I had a honey colored B-17 but I hated how the saddle looked with the blue and I liked how the Flyer felt better. Springs are nice.

PC220370.jpg

PC220371.jpg

Speedo

The honey darkens as it ages.

Speedo

roadfix

True, but that could take a long time....
Everything ages slowly in SoCal.

Yen

brianmcg123: What do you like more about the Champion Flyer? I keep reading that the B17 is the one to get, presumably because it's better (more comfortable) for longer distances.

And, I'm not sure if I want springs. When I think of springs under my saddle, I cannot help but think of the type of "spring" a suspension seat post adds -- a feature I'm trying to get away from on my current hybrid.

Dellphinus

Yen, I just went from a hybrid with suspension post to the LHT, and for the first 40 miles, rode with my B67. The saddle srpings are not like the suspension post- you don't get the "bounce" when climbing like the post gives. However, I do not miss the springs...

Skyler_WA

I highly recommend buying your Brooks saddle from Wallingford Bicycle Parts. They have a 6 month unconditional satisfaction guarantee on their Brooks saddles, so you can buy a B17 first and try it for up to 6 months. If you decide you don't like it, you can send it back and try a B67 next, or a B17 Narrow, or whatever. The only extra cost to you is the shipping. Finally, if you decide that none of the Brooks saddles are going to work for you, they'll give you a full refund (except, of course, for the shipping costs).

FYI, I have no business connection with them -- I'm just a very satisfied customer who bought my B17 from them 6000 miles ago and never regretted it.

roadfix

Jen......try the standard B17 first as your riding position will be pretty much upright with the trekking bars. Narrower Brooks saddles are generally ideal if your sitbones are narrowly spaced and/or your bars are positioned lower than your saddle.

BigBlueToe

What kind of seatpost is this? I'm intrigued!

redxj

Miche Supertype. FYI to Yen, Brooks does make an Antique brown in a number of their seats. I have a chopped B17 in Antique Brown on my Nishiki commuter bike

Yen

Gorgeous!!! Wow, that bike shines like a diamond.

I'm going to take a closer look at the Wallbike site (link posted by Skyler_WA) and see what saddles are available in the darker brown color. The saddle will depend on the bars I choose; as roadfix said, the trekking bars would put me more upright. Bullhorns would allow me to stretch out more. I'm going to ride it for a while and see what comes to mind as I ride it.

Yan 

Wow our names are almost the same...

Yen

Wow, they are! At first, I thought there was a new post by me!

Yen is the abbreviated form of my childhood nickname. Some people still call me just "Yen".

Lamplight

My brother's blue LHT with a Honey B-17:

Bicycle dad

Lamp

I do not ever recall a bike with so many spacers but if works more power to him

Yen

Regarding tires: How are the stock WTB Slickasaurus tires in terms of rolling resistance and durability? The bike would mainly be ridden on paved roads on which loose gravel and glass are common. Occasionally we encouter a path with crushed rock/sand. Typical rides are recreational; MPH with our group is 12mph; alone, 15+. Current mileage up to 50+ miles. We're not into going fast, just having a good time and keeping a reasonable pace. Not planning any loaded touring yet, but additional uses will include short distances around town, night riding, and general all-around riding. Main concern for me is puncture resistance but I don't want to be held up by a sluggish heavy tire.

Should I change them now, or wait until they're worn or fail?

Skyler_WA

I would call them adequate but not great tires. I rode them for 600 miles until winter arrived and I had to install my studded tires. During those 600 miles, I got two flats, but that may have just been bad luck.

Unless the shop where you're buying the bike is willing to give you credit for them towards a different set of tires, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to get rid of them. Ride them for awhile and then decide if it's worth changing them to something else.

Dellphinus

I'd leave them on unless the glass becomes a problem. Like I said, we ride in a flatporne area- lots of glass and car tire steel wire from the belts. So far, so good. Cruising on the LHT and stock tires at 15 is pretty efforless.

brianmcg123

Yen,

I was undecided on which saddle to get for my LHT, the B-17 or the Champion Flyer. The Champion Flyer is basically a B-17 with springs, same profile and everything.

I ordered both from Wallingford (www.wallbike.com), since they have a 6-month trial/return policy. I tried the Flyer first for a couple of weeks. Thought it was O.K., but really didn't feel like the springs were doing anything. I didn't feel any bounce. I thought that this may be do to the 37mm tires I was running and that the springs was just overkill. So I put on the B-17 thinking that this would be it. I tried it for a week. I hated it. It felt like I was riding my bike on a fence post. The difference in the shock absorption was really amazing. Even though I can feel no bounce on the Flyer, it really is doing its job.

So, I returned the B-17 and kept the Flyer. I really like it, and I relaly like the way it looks too, kind of a rugged jacked up truck look to it.

Just give them both a try and see which one you like best.

Brian