JeePakXJ

(i posted this in the clyde forum as well) So im looking at building a bike mainly for durability for carrying heavy loads (f/r panniers, trailer and loaded 72hr pack) for going on biking trips. I dont care about weight or looks or "ooo thats some smooth shifting" i want stuff that will last many many thousands of miles with care.

So far Im looking at a surly cross check frame with the LHT front fork, shimano deore xt m770 9sp cassette, shimano saint rear der, and campagnolo athena ergo shifters.

I dont need a 3 chainring set, Id rather only have a single chainring but with my recent knee injury id feel more comfortable in the long run with having a double chainring like a 38/48 (i never leave the 48t on my road bike and hardly use the lowest ring on the cassette unless im going up the really big bridges over the intercoastal with a headwind).

Any suggestions on stronger parts than ive listed and alost on parts i havent listed. Im still looking at what front chainring set, crank and front der that would be best.

Oh and im 6'3" 257lb (but im still dropping weight! lol)

bradtx

JeePakXJ, I've suggested touring bikes for Clydes/Athenas in the past and since you're looking at Surlys anyway, pick the LHT, perhaps with 26" wheels. Most any cross or hybrid can handle your weight by itself, but adding touring kit, which is dead weight, requires a frame built for that. The larger the frame, the more important this becomes.

As far as drivetrain gearing, what works for you now riding unloaded or lightly loaded just isn't going to cut it when loaded with 40+ lbs. of gear. I suggest swapping in a mountain triple crankset.

A bike that's well equipped and is well liked is the Novara Randonee https://www.rei.com/product/816068/no...onee-bike-2013 . While it uses 700C wheels, it has a better geared crankset.

Brad

wsgts

Welcome to a fellow Clyde. I'm 6'1" and about 255 this morning, of course I'm an old dude compared to you.

Seems like you started just like I did, except I did the Trek 7.4FX. I just got the Surly LHT, and I have had no problems using it with a good 40 pounds of stuff for my commute to work and back. It's so much faster (surprisingly) than the Trek, and doesn't feel like it wants to come apart going across massively rough surfaces. I broke spokes on my Trek with the same load and route on my commute, LHT doesn't seem affected.

Completely recommend the LHT, the drops are a little difficult to get used to, but well worth it. I got the 700c wheels on mine.

T

bikemig 

agree with the posters above, get a touring bike with a good triple. That weight will be tough on your knee. The Surly LHT with 26 inch wheels is a great choice.

seeker333

If you intend to use a trailer, then almost any suitably robust bike will do. The thread title brings this to mind.

A LHT has several features which make it ideal for carrying f/r panniers, and few other bikes are as well suited to this task. So decide trailer or panniers before going any further.

If you think you'll use panniers. then consider a LHT with 26 wheels. Add Surly, Tubus, JandD or OMM racks. Tubus are arguably the best and cost the same as Surly or OMM.

It would be a mistake to not put a triple crankset on this bike, especially if you're a heavy person with knee problems.

An XT cassette is fine, but so is a less expensive Deore level. I see no need for a Saint RD, 90% get by with Deore, XT, 105, etc. Derailleurs are pretty tough, and even lower-end derailleurs seem to work fine for most people.

You may want to consider using V brakes in place of cantilevers, or even disc brakes. Heavier loads necessitate stronger brakes. Surly makes a disc-brake version of the LHT, identical in every respect except for disc instead of canti.

The newer (and now pretty much std) larger diameter 31.8mm stems/handlebars are stiffer than conventional 26.0 gear, and they cost about the same.

Thomson makes a strong, highly adjustable seat post with great warranty. This is sensible place to throw money.

Good wheels are essential for >300# loads. Wide rims allow for wider tires, both suited for heavier riders and touring. Look for 36h wheels, or even 40h or 48h rear. You may have to have them custom built, or DIY. Wheels are a topic that can be discussed to great lengths, so I'll stop now.

chefisaac

I am a big guy.... 6 foot 4 and 286 pounds. I believe, as a clyde rider both new to touring and also dedicated commuter and weekend rider, its all about the rims, spoke count and well made wheel. On my touring bike I run 48 spokes with Deep V rims. Works great. The wheels have to support your weight plus loaded weight.

You can check the bike out here. Look in the touring pages and the picture links are on the bottom of the pages.

chefisaac

and yea..... you will want a triple up front. Bar end shifters are great too!

fietsbob

I had the assistance of the Cargo Bike Maker, Human Powered Machines , in Eugene Oregon.
It was built Using his power Bent 3/4" .049" wall Chromoly Tubes that comprise the rear triangle
and the 2 side by side top tubes , from His Cargo bike , Long Haul Frames , and some of the parts

from the Burly Tandem frames of the era.. early 1990's..

I used tried and true components , 40 & 48 spoke hubs and rims, Friction Bar end shifters
110-74 bcd triple Cantilever brakes [Scott-Peterson SE, from the Burly tandem assembly shop's parts Bin]

Derailleurs picked up from Campag's 80s MTB era," Olympus , Euclid " . Re used the Bruce Gordon Racks
i Had been using on a lighter framed Bike.

Though Subsequently I may Have used the Koga World Tour Rohloff , or the Bike Friday Pocket Llama I got
years after returning from the trip I used the HPM build bike On.

By being of some strength the One- off framed bike proved itself a Solid predictable rig.

there are options a Dual Drive Rear Hub .. the triple is in the hub, cassette on the outside.

And there is internal gear hubs .. really like My Rohloff . the up front investment is a bit ,
but after that the running costs are lower..

in its 14 gears it covers the whole MTB range. of 27 or 30..

Theres a few IGH from Shimano , some like as well..

robow

Will your specific Campy shifters work with that Shimano RD ?

Gravity Aided

You might want to consider butterfly or trekking bars,
if drop bars are not your scene.

JeePakXJ

How much did your build cost you if you don't me asking. That is a superb looking rig you've got there.

lenA

box stock LHT with 26 inch wheels

climb on bike.........ride

JeePakXJ

I'm good with drops as. I've been riding a trek 2200 composite for a bit now and have come to like them.

JeePakXJ

What's the advantage of 26" wheels vs 700c? A lot of people have been recommending them.

lenA

lots more tire choices...all being equal, they are stronger (shorter spokes)

It feels like the center of gravity is lower, and I like that when riding loaded up for touring

drrobwave

Try the Soma Saga
Mine has XT - FD&RD, Coda double crank with 44/29, Ultegra 8 Speed bar end shifters, and deep v rims with XT hubs 36 spoke count - and it will haul a load. Cost $1200 built it up myself.

LeeG

This

Tourist in MSN

If cost is no object, consider the Co-Motion Americano. Tandem wheels are built for a load. I know of no other solo bikes that use tandem wheels. I have never ridden one, but last summer I toured for a week with someone that had one. He had nothing but positive comments about the strength of the bike.

If cost is an issue, then stick with the advice from others here, LHT with 26 inch wheels.

LeeG

My bias for recommending the 26" wheel LHT is more about handling than theoretical differences in wheel size or tire sizes. I don't know about other sizes but I had a 56cm LHT with 700c wheels then got a 56cm LHT in 26" wheels for my heavy load carrier. I did not like how the 700c version steered, especially with a heavy load. The steering was slow and when I tried tight maneuvers up and down curb ramps onto bike paths I would overshoot turns too much. It was like a bus, which isn't a bad characteristic riding fast but riding slow around people and barriers was awkward.
When I got the 26" wheel version it was obvious the handling was quicker and more precise, very easy to thread a needle with 75lbs of books on front and back. It handles more like the CrossCheck than the 700c LHT. Btw the CrossCheck is not the bike for your purposes.

fietsbob

wider 700c tires are less common, in odd parts of the planet. MTB tires are more common..

406 , 20" are going to be found, and those wheels are stronger than the larger.

Bike Friday pocket Llama Heavy rider option, was my latest purchase..
they are built to suit as the rider orders it.

Advantage, packs into a suitcase sized box, or actual suitcase, so easier to get on airplanes to go

places.


i suppose to a non mechanic a bike is a single thing, rather than a sum of the various parts.

what the Co-Mo bike frames do is use the 145 rear dropout spread,
which means the narrow flange spread of cassette hubs is centered under the rim,
so dishless..

my Rohloff hub bikes have dishless wheels in a 135 wide format.
because they don't have to make room for that big stack of cogs on the outside, like cassete hubs..

they recently offer the hubs made for the many people using them in tandems,

they have a 36 spoke hubshell , in addition to the original 32 hole.
a few people had parts airmailed to them when hub flange's spoke holes, cracked .
riding their tandems, loaded touring mountain roads in the Peruvian Andes.

so the really hard users could find the metal fatigue limits..

JeePakXJ

The only thing I'd have against the 26" lht is that being 6'3 I'd need the 62 or 64cm frame which also means longer crank arms so my feet would be even closer to the ground than with 700c wheels. Does anyone have experience with 26" wheels on a big frame?

seeker333

The BB height on all LHTs and DTS is identical for a given tire size.

The BB height drop below wheel center line of the 700c version is 31mm lower than the BB drop of the 26" version, to compensate for the radius difference of 622mm BSD and 559mm BSD rims, respectively - i.e. 622-559= 63, 63/2=~31mm. See geometry charts for proof.

No matter what size crank (and pedals) you use, they'll have the same ground clearance on the 26 and 700c Truckers.

A 26" wheeled LHT would be advantageous if you are using 180mm cranks, since the smaller diameter wheel yields more pedal-to-wheel (or pedal to fender) clearance. There's less likelihood of "toe overlap" on a 26" Trucker.

Gravity Aided

That's a really good point, Seeker. All things being equal, I don't suppose heel strike would be too much of a problem, either.

seeker333

If you mean heel strike with regards to 26" vs 700c LHT, then yes, there is no difference.

Chainstay length is 46cm on all models of LHT/DT, so heel strike likelihood depends only on shoe size, pedal type, cleat placement, type of bag, type of rack and placement of bag on rack F to R. 46cm is usually long enough to make all these factors relatively insignificant, although I suppose it is still possible for a bicyclist with size 15 shoes, large square bags and short rack to get heel strike even on a LHT, T520 or similar long-CS bike.

Gravity Aided

I'm just kind of wondering, because I'm thinking about racks setting lower on a 26" frame, but if dimensionally the LHT is the same, that wouldn't matter. I'm currently using 2 700c Tourers converted from 27" 80's Schwinns, but also liking a Miyata commuter bike for touring as well, running big 2"+ tires on it in 26". Great stability, good handling. Haven't tried a front rack yet, but with cantis and a low bottom bracket and long fork rake, it looks like it'll work out.