I have been reading around, trying to decide on what bike to buy for long distance riding. I saw that a lot of people swear by the surly Long Haul Trucker as being ridiculously comfortable. My question is, what makes it so comfortable for long distance riding. I imagine it has to do with the frame geometry, but what specifically about the geometry makes it comfy?
I see that the LHT is on Bikes Direct right now, but I am not totally digging the components it has on it.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/surly/longhaul.htm
I like the components on the Windsor Knight a bit better.
http://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/knight9.htm
Would a bike like the windsor knight make a good long distance bike? My main goal is to get the biggest bang for my buck. I want to try to spend under a 1000 for a complete bike so I can ride my first century, and get experience with the gears...then buy a Trek or better after I have a couple centuries under my belt.