Lht
10-27-09, 02:37 PM
#4
Flying Under the Radar
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Northeast PA
Posts: 4,116
Bikes: 10' SuperiorLite SL Club | 06' Giant FCR3 | 2010 GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Whatever it is. Probably the best bike out there for touring hands down. I thought I had my Giant setup pretty nice and envied many a LHTs on tour.
10-27-09, 03:04 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,200
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 137 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 81 Times
in
64 Posts
once you load any road bike down with crap it pretty much destroys any enjoyable handling traits it has because a lot of the weight ends up beyond the wheels. With the LHT it "settles" into bus like comfort. I can ride into town and come back with four six packs and it glides on home. I picked up a can of paint and it rode even better. It's a bus, the seat and wheels part is incidental. I feel like I'm on a Continental Trailways bus with a table in the back and a hostess serving drinks like the early 60's. It's a rock and roll bus in disguise. I should try fat tires, right now I've got a 700x35 Schwalbe Supreme on the rear and 37x700 Vittoria Randonneur on the front, that Vittoria is amazing, it looks smaller than the 35 tires but rides smoother.
Last edited by LeeG; 10-27-09 at 03:08 PM.
10-27-09, 04:29 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 610
Bikes: Surly Trucker
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
It's hard to beat the price / component combination of a complete LHT for fully loaded touring. Very few mainstream companies are dabbling in touring (lots of custom frame builders do tourers though). Soma's new touring frame is quite a beast from what my friend's tell me at https://wekeepgoing.com though. I loved the time I spent with my Trucker.
10-27-09, 04:34 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 357
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
we heart our LHTs too! rock solid on downhills when loaded!
our builds and component list.. - https://pathlesspedaled.com/?page_id=22
russ
our builds and component list.. - https://pathlesspedaled.com/?page_id=22
russ
10-27-09, 04:49 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,200
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 137 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 81 Times
in
64 Posts
so here's the dilemma, my 56cm LHT has 700c wheels. It's great. My old After The Apocalypse 26" wheeled sport/tour bike is more like a road bike. Would I like the handling of the new 56cm 26" wheeled LHT and if so halleluja because my feet are knocking the front fenders all the time at low speed handling moments. For unloaded riding light 26"x1.50 tires accelerate faster than similar sized 700cx37 tires and are nicer in potholes than lighter 32mm tires.
10-27-09, 06:34 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 225
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'd say that Surly did a great job of filling a niche in the bike market by taking a ground up approach to the design of the LHT. I did a frame up build and no matter what components you put on the frame, it makes an outstanding bike for the intended purpose. I look forward to many years with my LHT and I think this is the first bike I've owned that I couldn't already see where I'd be looking for the next best thing.
