Originally Posted by DrJim

What I believe is that the LHT is designed primarily as a general purpose utilitarian touring bike. It has a geometry and frame tubing designed for strength and long distance comfort. It also has braze-ons that allow attaching racks for carrying heavy loads. I have never ridden an LHT although I have seen a bare frame. I get my information from reading many reviews and comments including this from the Surly web site description:

"People understand and appreciate the LHT’s dependability and everyday riding comfort, whether they’re cruising to the store or lost in the middle of nowhere. Why the Trucker? Simple. A touring bike’s job is to go the distance and then some while carrying you and your gear, all in relative comfort. The Long Haul Trucker was designed in all aspects to do exactly that. Its low bottom bracket and long chainstays provide comfort and stability. We gave it ample tire clearance for larger tires (larger tires soak up a lot of road static) with room for fenders too. The frame’s tubing is thicker-walled and larger-diameter than standard road and sport-touring frames, and this pre-tunes it for the weight of cargo. And it’s got all the braze-ons, from rack mounts to water bottle cage bosses to spare spoke holders."

All of this is of course a matter of definition and interpretation. If you believe that the LHT is "fast and nimble" then, for you, it is. But it seems to me that the basic design is not aimed at "fast and nimble".

As to why LHT's are popular in San Francisco, I don't know. I suspect though that there is a certain amount of faddish follow-the-herd response to marketing. And, of course, the reviews have been good. I seriously doubt that the typical LHT buyer in San Francisco is thinking "fast and nimble" as a primary objective. If he were, he would choose something else.


In regard to your recommendation of an LHT for Bikerjp, it seems to me that he is more interested in what is generally described as a sports-touring bike. His statements of desired objectives and qualities and the frames that he has listed as candidates all tend toward that type of bike. He alone can make his decision but it appears to me that he is not interested in a full up touring bike.