saharvey2

My choice of a new commuter is coming down to the the Burley Vagabond and Surly Long Haul Trucker. The target build kit for the LHT would likely be 105/LX with STI. The bike I choose would essentially be my only road bike. So for the club rides, I'd be pulling out my racked and fendered road bike. Currently I ride a sport touring bike from the early 80's. I would appreciate input on the Burley and the Surly.

Burley Vagabond

Surly Long Haul Trucker

Stuart
---
82 SR Semi-Pro Touring
84 Santana ATB
96 Voodoo Erzulie

CHenry

Burley makes a very nice sport touring bike in the Vagabond. The Hudson, too.

Plosive

You can't go wrong with either. I like the color CHOICES with the Burley. It is nice that it comes with the rack as well. What I didn't like about the LHT was that you were "stuck" with the smaller wheel size with a smaller frame. Although, this wouldn't matter for the larger frame size.

wsexson

IMO the Long Haul Trucker is an excellent frame.

fthomas

Nice bikes. What about the prices?

The LHT has longer chain stays, but that may not make a differance to you for commuting vs touring.

chipko

I have been using the LHT for the past month and i love it. I got the frame to replace an old nishiki touring frame that died on me. The geometry is great, a really comfortable ride. the longer chainstays give plenty of room for panniers. I agree with the above comment about being stuck with a smaller wheel size on a smaller frame. if i rode a small frame this might have steered me away from the surly, but i ride a 63cm, so no problems there. I cant speak to its abilities on club rides however. i do all my recreatioal riding on the LHT, but it is all solo.

grolby

I don't see how this is a problem. Using the smaller wheels allows a small frame to preserve the proportional geometry of the larger versions, therefore also preserving the handling characteristics and making it far more likely that a short person (like ME!) will be able to be fitted to the bicycle appropriately without making sacrifices, like toe clip/fender overlap or worse. 700C wheels are "tall person" wheels. At 5'5", I am short for a man but taller than many women. It's challenging enough for me to find a bike that fits right - I'm right at the small end of frame sizing, with 50 or 52 cm being about my size; I can't imagine how hard it must be for a 5'2" or 5'3" woman to find a bicycle that fits well. For even shorter women, and there are many of them, it's got to be quite a challenge. So I salute the frame manufacturers that design their smaller sizes with appropriately sized wheels! The bicycle industry hasn't done much to recognize short people, historically. I'm glad that's changing. There are plenty of high-quality tires available in both sizes, and using a cassette with an 11 or 12 tooth high gear will solve any potential gearing issues, so I don't know what there is to complain about.

Aware

I Love my Vagabond! Rides great, smooth, comfortable, fast, sturdy. I added some Scwhalbe tires, 35 in the back and 32 up front and a B-17 saddle. Just my opinion but this is the nicest, most enjoyable bike I've ever had.