Stu In Tokyo

I'm sure this has been discussed a few times and I did do a search, but I still have some questions.

First some info;

I live in Tokyo Japan.

I'm 46 years old about 5'11" tall and getting back into bike shape, I've dropped 42 pounds and need to drop another 80 pounds or so, yes, I'm still a big guy. I currently weigh 258 lbs, but I'm riding nearly every day, and working on it all, including what I eat.

I hope to be down to under 200 pounds by next spring, and by summer I want to buy a touring bike, I want to put in the long miles. I'm not interested in a "Racing" bike or going really fast, I have a motorcycle that does that

I want to do some long day trips and some longer two or three day trips, camping kind of stuff. I don't think I need a bike that can go around the world, but I don't mind spending money on good equipment.

My current bike is a 1988 Cannondale SM500, I bought it new in Canada, and brought it to Japan with me in 1990. It sat neglected for about 10 years but I recently restored it back to near new, with a fresh paint job and lost of new shiny bits. The bike is a mountain bike, but I've got it set up for the street, touring tires and such. I use this bike to do my city riding and to pull my trailer around that I do deliveries for our liquor shop.

I was down at the bike shop that carries a lot of bikes and I was a Giant and I also saw the Surly LHT and the Surly CC. The LHT is nice but wow, expensive, about 160,000 yen, for just the bare bike, no extras, no racks etc, that is about $1900 US

I think that might be out of my league

What other suggestions can you guys make?

This shop has most of the popular brands, I'd say if it is for sale in Japan they would be able to get it.

KHS, PANASONIC, Giant, Gios, TREK, RALEIGH, TOEI　,　FK　,　ANTARES　,　CANNONDALE　,　BIANCHI　,　R&M　,　MARUISHI　,　RIVENDELL　,　JAMIS　,　FUJI　,　SURLY　etc .. are the brands of touring bikes they carry.

Thoughts, Opinions etc all gratefully accepted.

Cheers!

crimsonking

I'd say you should buy Japanese brand while you're at there, They sure make some nice bikes.
Check out Panasonic, Araya Swallow, Toei, etc.

RB1-luvr

based on your want for long trips, then if I were you I'd be looking for a long comfortable frame, three sets of water bottle bosses, quality tires with puncture resistance (they can be upgraded), fenders (can be added), excellent saddle, and great brakes and rack eyelets in the front fork.

Stu In Tokyo

Thanks for the replies fellas.

I'm thinking of buying just a frame set from the US, MUCH cheaper, I can get a Surly LHT from Jenson USA for $430 US and the shipping is $50 US, that is $480 US. That is only 40,000 yen, as the dollar is quite low compared to the Yen.

Locally they want 160,000 yen for that bike, no racks, or such, just the bare bike.

I'm thinking I could outfit the bike how I want it, not wasting any money on parts I I don't want or need, for a LOT less than buying the bike ready to go. I have no problem at all with the building of the bike, I have a workshop and the tools.

I have read online some real complaints on the paint of the LHT, it is supposed to be a very weak powder coat, anyone have a comment on that?

abdon 

I upgraded my Giant Escape R2 with a Surly Cross Check frame (let me know if you wanna buy my old Giant frame. I'm in Misawa and could Black Cat it to you ) Surly's are very nice, but I wouldn't pay that kind of money for them.

If this is something you are planning for next year, your best bet is to keep an eye for an old school steel frame your size and build it up from there. There are some very nice Nishiki, Panasonic, and other touring oldies out there that will be every bit as good as a surly (minus all the braze-ons, but you can work around that) for a fraction of the cost.

If I was overhauling an old bike, I would replace the drivetrain, upgrade the wheels to 700c (which, them being smaller than the old standard 27" would give you a hair more clearance for bigger tires) and maybe replace the brakes if they are not long enough to reach the 700c rims. I would have done this myself but out here in the far north most of the used bikes are mamarachis.

PM me if you wanna tour the deep north. I have a three day shimokita peninsula trip I wanna do.

Stu In Tokyo

Thanks for the info etc!

What size frame is your Giant Escape R2?

I'm about 5'11" tall, 181cm.

Yeah, I'm looking at doing this in the spring, I'm mainly just trying to get some research done now.

I do check Yahoo Auction (the E-bay of Japan) just about daily, but any large sized road frame is not very common. I have no problem with building up an old bike, in fact I might just enjoy that more than buying a new one

Unfortunately my touring for the next couple of years will be day tours or the very occasional over night tour, got two daughters to put through school (in Canada) so their mother and I work a LOT right now but thanks for the offer!

staehpj1

I seriously doubt that. Most bikes, the LHT included, come outfitted with a very sensible choice of components at a price well below what you can typically buy the parts for.

zeppinger

The OP has already said that he lives in Japan and he is planning on taking advantage of the strong Yen against the weak US dollar. He can get the frame from the states for cheap but to buy the whole bike in Japan would be expensive.

OP: There are lots of places that you can purchase a completely Surly, not just the frame set, online. If there is not import duty on bikes then you are better off buying a complete.

abdon 

Not in Tokyo. I'm not surprised that he is being quoted $1.9k for a garden variety LHT.

Stu, I'm in the same boat. Two daughters and everything else gets in the way :\ This year I focused on building up my daily mileage. Next year I plan on squeezing at least a few long weekend tours (Shimokita peninsula, down to Miyako, Hakkoda mountains to Hachimantai, etc.)

The frame is a 50cm compact with carbon fork. I think the virtual size (if it was a full frame) would be about 54~55cm. You can look it up at the Giant site for all the geometry data. It still has the flat bar, trigger shifters, and the derailleurs. Eventually I'll post it on ebay but for now it isn't going anywhere.

staehpj1

Not sure I follow... He is talking about buying the frame from the US and I am suggesting he buy the whole bike from the US. I'm not sure if increased shipping costs for the full bike would kill the savings or not.

Stu In Tokyo

Thanks for the info guys!

I would want to build the bike up over time, partly to defray the cost, but also, I have no problem with using parts I get in auctions etc.

For example, years ago I had an old Peugeot touring bike, I cannot even tell you what it was besides a light tan color it was only a 12 speed, but I got it from a friend, it was a mid 70's bike, he road it all over Europe in his youth (this was the last 80's) It had a Brooks leather saddle on it, took me about a week to get used to it, and it is one thing I should have kept when I sold the bike so why buy a complete bike with a throw away saddle when I know I'm going to buy another Brooks saddle? Also pedals, I run clipless, Shimano SPD, I like their shoes too. There is a Brooks B-17 saddle on auction here for about $12 right now, has one scuff on it. Stuff like that.

Not to worry, I might just end up buying a whole new bike, but building up a frame might be cheaper is I have time on my side.

Again, thanks all for the info and thoughts!

Stu In Tokyo

Something else I'd mention, I'm having trouble finding a large frame here, I'd want at least a 58cm frame, more like a 60cm one if I can get it, using this info....

https://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...g_a_frame_size

.... I have an 89cm PBH so on a 26" wheel bike I would need a 58-62.5cm frame.

Cheers!

NeilGunton

Apologies in advance if this is obvious already, but I just thought I'd mention it... I notice you're only talking about your height and PBH (standover) measurement here. A lot of people seem to think that's the only important dimension, but in fact the top tube length is equally so, if not more.

For example, when I was shopping for a Long Haul Trucker back in 2007, I went to the Rivendell site because I read that the LHT is virtually identical in geometry to the Atlantis. According to that chart, I should have been on a 58cm frame or even a 60cm. But when I actually went to do a test ride, I found that I was way too stretched out on the 58, and 60 was impossible. In fact, even the 56cm which I eventually got would only work with the shortest possible stem. I seem to have relatively longer legs and shorter reach.

The point is, don't go only by frame size, because everybody has different body dimensions. Some people have longer or shorter legs relative to their height, same for torso and arm length. How stretched out or scrunched up you'll be in the saddle will determine how comfortable the bike is to ride, and whether you actually want to take it out and use it.

Now I have a Co-Motion Americano that was custom sized for me, and it feels just right. Fit is THE most important aspect of buying a bike, so please don't just go by PBH... you already have a bike, so you probably know if that one fits you or not, so be sure to measure the effective top tube and stem length so you can compare with what you're looking at online.

And again, sorry if this is already obvious, just wanted to lend a caveat if you're ordering a frame without being able to test ride it first.

Good luck!

Neil

Stu In Tokyo

Thanks Neil, I very much appreciate the input, I certainly do NOT have all the answers, and it is this kind of input that I'm looking for.

I know the that PBH and and seat height are not the ONLY things to take into account, but they are good starting points.

The bike I ride now is a 22 year old Cannondale SM500, a mountain bike that I've adapted for road use, lots of compromises with it.

Again, thanks for the help!

Cheers!

LeeG

just out of curiosity what happens if you go into a bike shop and ask for a "touring bicycle"?

fietsbob

Bruce Gordon made a contract with a Taiwan shop to have an LHT competitor, that is made to use his excellent racks.
he has self made frames too, made to order.

has a tried and tested component pick, + a set of premium quality panniers sewn by another bay area company.

Will ship anywhere

Stu In Tokyo

If you are talking to me, they scratch their heads, and suck their teeth three times, then show me a couple of bikes they think are touring bikes. The shop I go to a lot has the LHT and the Surly CC as well as a couple other "Touring bikes" but they are not big sellers.

Cheers!

hyakuyen

I`m in Nagoya and picked up a 20 year old Miyata touring bike in good condition on yahoo auctions last year. I`d been searching for a few months so when it came along in 60cm frame size I jumped on it. I think it was probably re-imported from the US as I doubt whether this model would have been sold here, especially in that size.

While there are some good touring bikes out there such as the Fuji Touring or Trek 520 they don`t have them in anything larger than about 53cm. But maybe if you ask around they can get one in for you. If you don`t mind 650A wheels there are plenty of randonneur bikes, but I`ve never seen anything larger than 55cm, which I don`t quite understand as I`m not that much bigger than the locals.

But I`d go with the LHT self-build, especially seeing as you already have the workshop and tools.
Good luck!

pawnii

check out the new LHT Deluxe
it comes equipped with a S&S Coupler
sweeeeeeeet as

https://surlybikes.com/frames/long_ha..._deluxe_frame/