I have a LHT and a Bianchi Volpe CX bike. I have used both for extensive touring. I got the LHT when I returned from a fully loaded 3700 mile tour on the Bianchi; thinking it would be better for the kind of touring that I do. Since then I took the LHT on a long tour, 2900 miles and several shorter tours, so I got a good feel for the bike.
The LHT does a great job with a heavy load. It is stable and while on the sluggish side for handling does well in most conditions. I actually like the way the Bianchi handles better than I do the LHT. I generally run 28mm tires on it. Fork blade braze-ons for a front rack would have been nice on the Bianchi.
I have ridden the Bianchi with exactly the same configuration as the LHT. My Bianchi and the LHT have exactly the same drive trains, and the same wheels (except the hubs). I built up both bikes. I prefer the handling characteristics of the Bianchi . It is quicker and more responsive. It is also a little lighter, and I run 28mm tire on it. This could contribute to the better handling. The Bianchi also handled the loads just as well as the LHT. Here again, I used 28mm Continental Gatorskin tires while touring on the Bianchi, and 32mm Schawlbe Marathon tire on the LHT. The 28mm tires are much lighter than the 32's.
My wife and I are leaving for a 6 week tour in a couple of weeks, and I'm still vacillating over which bike to take ( I know, "such a problem").
As you can see from the pictures, this is not light touring. IMO--I think for light touring and commuting the CX bike would be preferable to the LHT. I'm not too sure what the widest tire my CX bike will take, but that might be something to consider if you want to use 35mm or 38mm tires with fenders. You don't need a LHT to pull a BOB.
The road was too muddy to ride on! Part of our route last summer took us over 400 miles of dirt, gravel and unpaved roads and trails. I don't run tires larger than 32mm, but the tires and LHT did very well in those situations.
This is the usual setup for the LHT. I generally carry about 35 ponds of gear.
Bianchi Volpe CX bike with same load. The only thing different between the 2 bikes are the frames, tires, racks and computers.
