Devious Golden

This may seem like a silly question, but hear me out - -

I was pretty set on building up a Long Haul Trucker for my touring bike, but being the small guy that I am, I would have to settle for 26" wheels in my 50cm frame.

So my question, would the Surly Cross Check work as well for a fully loaded tour? I want a Surly because my shop can pro-deal the frames to me at cost, and I can't get a touring-specific frameset alone any of the other brands we carry.

Will the cross check with 700c wheels be a better advantage, or will having the extra braze-ons and such that come with the LHT be more of an advantage, despite 26" wheels? The friends I'll be touring with will all have 700c wheels, so I don't want to get tired quickly in comparison, or get blown away. Is the difference really that big?

Thanks in advance!

Dougmt

In my opinion... you won't be "settling" for anything if you go the 26" route... in fact I prefer 26".... it's one of the reasons I didn't go with the LHT... I need the largest frame and that means 700c. You can get the same skins in 26" that you'd tour on in a 700c so I see no problems... go with the surly and you'll have a fine ride...
PS... just out of curiosity, what does a LHT frame go for with the pro deal?
D

Devious Golden

Thanks for the advice!

Perhaps it's just my aversion to mountain stuff, but I spose having the lower BB and longer chainstays are worth me learning to love smaller wheels.

I haven't looked at QBP for a few weeks because I'm between shops (start at my new shop tomorrow morning), but I believe the EP price is close to $220.

Loose Cannon

You could try a LHT fork on a cross check. I've heard of people doing this before and can't see any huge problems with it. One issue to consider with a cross check, especially with a smaller frame, is if your heel would hit your rear panniers. I think the reason the smaller LHT frames are built to take 26" wheels is to widen the wheel base and hence prevent this from happening.

Schumius

for wheels alone, i prefer 26"s for touring, they are more common than 700Cs in many parts of the world.

Bizikleto

With your bike loaded and ready for the tour I assure you that unless you are only faster than a slug and your companions are high-comp, speed-crazed pros, you won't be blown away nor more tired than they will be. You'll settle for nothing. For sure. All fully loaded, even if they were speed pros, I doubt you'd slow down the group's pace or be left behind because of the wheels. 700c are the standard for road racing and cyclocross, because that's what used to be since the dawn of road cycling, and 'cause they are better for pure speed, leaving aside the weight side. 700c (also named 28in, 29in with 622-mm rim) and 27in (630-mm rim) were devised for speed only. 26in were for strength under severe stress (name it weight or bumpy jumping). In the past only 700c or 27in wheels were available for touring because that's all that was available at all. And they did (and do) very well, of course.
Anyway, if you are not convinced and you have the opportunity, give both bikes a loaded roll. You'll be suprised how well the 26in-wheeled bike behaves in terms of stability, stiffness and nimbleness with the heavy panniers on (not that the 700c will do badly, but do compare). See if you ride faster on the bigger wheels. Share your experience in the forum. I may be wrong, along with the thousands of tourers on 26in. 26in happens to be a good compromise between size and performance. Try it and you'll see. It's sheer experience, not mere preference or customs what count for.

All the best and good choice.