Thoughts-
- I would consider it if purchased thru the Raleigh corporate discount. At full price I wouldn't go near it, but that's just personal preference.
- a 40t single ring is simplified, but I think it would be limiting for me due to the large jumps in the cassette.
- nicely spec'd bike for the corporate discount price.
So a small but key clarification- surly and salsa use butted tubing. The LHT has a double butted main triangle per surly's site.
Long Haul Trucker | Bikes | Surly Bikes
I read a lot that surly uses heavy plain gauge tubing and am not sure where that came from. It often times isn't lightweight, but they don't market lightweight.
Salsa tubing, like surly, is butted and shows as such on their site. The Vaya and Fargo are triple butted.
As for 631 steel, its quality air hardened, and Raleigh advertises the frame as custom butted which typically means the hitting varies by tube, by frame size, or both.