So, I now have definitive proof that I'm spending too much time on the BF Commuting forum, or maybe too much time browsing craigslist, possibly both.

I'm in the process of building up a new road bike (standard N+1) and I've been browsing CL just to see if I might stumble across a great deal on wheels or something. Then this weekend I happened to see a Long Haul Trucker frame, fork and headset in my size for what seemed like a decent price ($320). Let me say that I had never seriously considered buying an LHT before, but I loved the color and it looked like it was in outstanding shape. Out of curiosity I looked up the geometry and plugged it into a spreadsheet I use to estimate stack and reach. It turned out the fit would be outstanding. I sent the seller an e-mail to confirm that it's built for 26" wheels and the next thing you know I've completely convinced myself that this frame is a sensible upgrade for my RockHopper frankenbike.

After a successful negotiation with my wife (I had to agree to get rid of the RockHopper one way or another), I arranged a time to meet the seller and by lunchtime yesterday I joined the ranks of the LHT owners.

I spent my lunch hour stripping useful parts off of the RockHopper and transferring them to the Trucker. I made such good progress that I kind of decided to challenge myself to get this thing on the road within a day using only parts that I had on hand. It was a trick to squeeze in assembly time without compromising family time, but a little late night work and a slightly delayed departure this morning made it happen.



This build is full of compromises. The gearing is way too low for my commute (44-32-22/12-28). The stem is too short. I chose the stem height based on the length of the cables (didn't want to cut new ones and have to re-wrap the bars). And of course, this bike deserves a little more aesthetic consideration than the RockHopper which donated most of the parts. But overall I think it came out great for just throwing it together with parts on hand.

I expect I'll have a few question for experienced LHT owners as I develop this project. For now, just this: How long do I have before a band of thugs stop me on the road and force me to install a Brooks saddle?

Update: Two month version pics in post 39