Originally Posted by
phredette
OK, so my questions.
1) Is the LHT a guy thing? Inappropriate for a woman? I certainly would not discount Jamis, but I may well be interested still in the LHT if appropriate.
I personally don't understand the appeal of the LHT, but I can't see why it would be inappropriate for you...
2) Since there’s not another LBS around here that carries Surly, and I would like a good selection to choose from, I’d have to travel some to get that kind of selection. Since most of the options are around a 3 hour trip (NYC, Boston area, etc.), would it be good to try Harris Cyclery, which is a 3 star Surly dealer plus they have about anything else I’d be interested in?
3) If I go that route, should I call ahead and make an appointment, making sure I’ll see someone who will not laugh me off the face of the earth?
If you're going to travel that far, I would definitely try to make an appointment. In addition, I would verify that the store you'll visit will have the models you want to test available
in a size that is appropriate for you. Not many shops in my area will make actual appointments; they seem to assume that anyone can help any customer and you should just show up whenever you want. If the shop won't make an appointment, you might ask which employees are the most knowledgeable about touring or cyclocross bikes (or whatever type you decide you need) and find out when they're working.
I don't know anything about Harris Cyclery, though I am a big fan of Sheldon Brown, so I can't say whether they're the best shop to visit or not. I will suggest that you might want to try multiple different bikes, so you might want to visit an area that has several shops carrying the brands you're interested in. I'd also look for shops where you can do test-rides in an environment similar to your own. If you live in a rural area, for example, test-riding bikes in Manhattan might not make sense.
4) If you were in my shoes and wanted a good all ‘round bike for commuting and touring &etc, what kind of bike would you recommend?
My current favorite in the "do anything" category is the Soma Double Cross DC. It works for cyclocross, all-weather commuting, and "light" touring.
I think the most important thing is to decide what type of touring you're likely to do and how often you'll do it. Credit-card touring is very different from self-supported fully-loaded long-distance touring. A true touring bike will tend to have longer chainstays and a longer wheelbase than other bikes. The long chainstays mean you can mount large panniers and not have to worry about hitting them with your heels when pedaling. The longer wheelbase aids in stability when riding fully-loaded. The downside is that these bikes are typically heavier than road race, road endurance, or cyclocross bikes and the handling may feel slow in comparison.
If you're not planning to do long, unsupported tours you may find that a cyclocross bike, like the Soma Double Cross or Surly CrossCheck, are a decent compromise. Handling will be similar to a "standard" road bike. You can mount racks and panniers, both front and rear, as long as the panniers aren't too large. And a cyclocross bike will have no problem with larger tires and fenders. Frames will tend to be a bit lighter than a pure touring rig, which might be nice when you're just riding around.
If you plan to ride in foul weather, I would seriously consider a frame that can accept disc brakes. I've been doing some wet weather riding recently and found that rim brakes are pretty scary! Seems to take forever for the brakes to scrape all the dirt and water off the rims and actually start slowing the bike down. That's one of the things that initially got me interested in the Soma Double Cross DC...