Originally Posted by
revcp
By "nimble" I mean you can ride singletrack with the Troll, but not with the LHT. The LHT is strictly a road or developed trail bike. The Troll is a very capable off road performer, not just because of the frame geometry, but also because you can use much wider tires than on the LHT.
As for shimmy, I've not had that. Could be because I'm set up with bikepacking gear, not racks and panniers, so the weight is inline with the bike, not hanging off the sides. Could also be that the comments are about a bike that was built up poorly.
The Troll will very capably do everything the LHT will do. The converse is not true. If you go with the Troll, and will be building up from the frame, I've built two now and would be happy to share things I've learned.
Thanks for the info.
I am leaning more and more to the Troll, it's versatility is mind blowing.
It will still be a good few months before I begin the project, but as it will be a slow build, I'll start a thread and @ (mention) your name in the thread to alert you that I've begun the project, so any feedback/advice you have will be gratefully accepted.
Originally Posted by
VictorKnox
I have had both. I had a Troll as a commuter and now own a LHT. I can't compare loaded touring performance because I never had either of them loaded down, but as commuters with racks/bags/fenders/fat tires and relatively light loads, the Troll is a much nicer riding, quicker handling bike. I have used a few different vintage mountain bikes as commuters, and also owned other Surlys: Troll, Cross Check, Krampus, Pugsley, 1x1, so I am used to riding "heavy" bikes, but when I first got the Trucker I was shocked by how heavy it was. I am currently in the process of disassembling it to sell it and move on to something else for commuting. I read a lot about it being heavy and sluggish before I bought it, but I thought it would be no big deal because I was used to heavy bikes. Wrong. It is ridiculously heavy and sluggish feeling. The Troll never felt like that. I know people are going to say that I am not using it as intended, and they are right, but I know lots of people use Truckers as commuting or road bikes. I cannot understand how, and I am not even remotely a weight weenie; I only own steel bikes and have no desire for carbon fiber or aluminum.
I would say between the two, there is really no reason to pick the LHT. The Troll can do a lot of the things the Trucker cannot, but the reverse is not true.
Whether I get a Troll or LHT frame, I will primarily be using the built up bike as a commuter, grocery getter and back up bike, more so than a touring bike, but my groceries will at time weigh more than many people's touring gear.
What I don't quite understand about the heavy comment about the LHT, is that its frame and fork are either no heavier or is actually lighter than the Troll's.
Do you have any particular thoughts about the gusseting and bracing on the Troll?
To me it makes me think the frame must be near indestructible and that does appeal to me a lot.
