The thing that makes the Surly particularly well suited to commuting and errands is the ability to take wide tires/fenders/racks, the rugged, durable steel frame, the geometry is quick enough but certainly no racer but not boring either like the stodgy LHT, the frame has multiple fender/rack eyelets thought it is missing the one on the fork that the LHT gets midway for a front rack, oh well, and, if pressed into racing duty, can make a decent cyclecross bike for the less than serious or beginner and equipped with my light weight set of road wheels, it is a darn nice long distance road machine for a century etc.