I wouldn't worry about going with 26" wheels, my buddy that i tour with runs a 700c LHT, our last ride together i didn't have problems keeping up with him or anything. I did get him on some of the passes as the 26's do spin up a little faster. But that trek looks like a really good bike if i had 1400 bucks i would probably get that, for that matter wanna buy an 87 kuwahara for 1400:)

Thanks Fiz, I'm going to refocus on that LHT, test the 54cm with 26" wheels again. Then find a 56cm with 700...

NO WAY!

I like the idea of the Portland but the wheels just do not cut it. Not to sound bad but the guy is 235lb. I am 220 (was 240) and blew out a 32 spoke wheel last year. Those low spoke count wheels just do not cut it for us big guys. That is a mandatory pass till Trek figures out to put some decent wheels on it for the bigger guys.

Stick with a bike with 32 spokes or 36 if possible.



Now you have several flavors of bikes in your list. You have a couple HD touring/ utility and then you have some sports bikes.

What exactly are you looking to do and carry? This going to be a daily driver where you are carrying stuff for work, Run to the store for a bag of groceries or are you able to travel light and have no really need to carry anything that wont fit in your pockets and a seat bag?

I'm going to try to point out the differences in the designs not tell you what to buy. You need to figure out what you are buying it for and want out of it the narrow it down.
Size:
I have lower back issues and of the mind set to ride the tallest frame I can stand over and flat foot and fix the fit with seat and stem adjustments. That is going to make for a naturally higher handle bar height for a more relaxed riding position and be easier on my lower back. My ideal frame size would be 60cm with a 110mm stem according to fitters. I ride 63cm frames with 90mm stems and very happy with the combination. Try the 56cm and see what you think but dont buy a 56 just for the wheel size. More later.


Sport bikes:
Like the Traitor bikes as well but as a big guy in a hilly area Id like to see a 36/50 crank on it to get some gear for the hills. It is a sport bike with short stays. Trunk bag would be fine but you would be limited in pannier sizes if you are looking to make it a mule.

Like the Rodriguez bikes but it is also a sport bike geometry with the same loading issues as the Ruben just has the gears the Ruben doesn't have. Looks like a nice bike for Credit card touring or commuting if you have minimal stuff to carry and not having to stuff big bulky jackets you needed on the way into a bag for the ride home.

Redline...Same deal as above. Fun rider, minimal utility.


The trucks (Masi, LHT and 520).

I loved the Masi in last years colors. Still one of the bikes I wouldn't mind owning. It would do fine as a Credit card touring and it could successfully be fitted as a full blown touring bike

LHT: I would not rule out 26 wheel especially on a truck/ utility bike. At your height to fit a 700c there are compromise made in the geometry on some bikes. To keep the toe overlap in check they have to screw with head tube angles and that changes the ride. The LHT is a TRUCK. It is a utility bike and built as such. The wheel selection was to keep the geometry true. Nothing wrong with what they did. Don't get hung up on tire sizes, there is reason for it. They designed the LHT for daily use as a do it all/loaded touring and the geometry is set up so as not to tax the rider. For a general do it all rider it excels but it is not a sports bike for darting in and out of traffic. It is a SUV of the bike world

The 520 has shorter chain stays that will be the more sporty feel of the three. I have nothing bad to say about the 520. It is more of a "sport tourer" but it is built strong and should be a very reliable daily driver.

Shimano 2200 is essentially Sora quality. No way would I pay $1600 for a bike with Sora-level components. The rest of the components are described so vaguely, one has to wonder how low the quality is there too.

2200 is worse than sora i promise

wheels, i was leery of them but for the most part wheels are all about the build quality. if you are used to using machine built wheels then i may agree. wheels should be tension checked, balanced, and prestessed if you are buying the machine built variety. the wheels on my portland were poorly tensioned so i fixed them up. i will definitely report on how the wheels hold up next spring/summer during the commute season. fyi i weigh 190 and new england roads are awful

There is another Portland owner on here and after the second set of wheels came apart on him he had new 32 spoke wheels built.
I REALLY like the portands set up of a disc brake commuter to the point of seriously considering one but the wheels are a big negative.

Black Friday at Recycled Cycles
 

I really wanted to take my time with this purchase. Today's mission was to nail down this wheel size issue. Went down to one of my LBS to test ride some LHTers. A black 54 with 26" wheels & a blue 56 with the 700. Well it was black friday but I went blue.... I preferred the ride of the 700 over the 26. We've got lots of hills in this town, and found that I preferred the climbing stride of the 700 over the grind of the 26" up hill. And at 25% off I scored this sweet lady for $825. The virgin ride home was like riding a bike for the first time. :love: I've got a name for her already, and I've got a feeling Long Tall Sally and I will be enjoying each others company for a long time to come.


http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr....1gJJ5NUJI9M%3D

thanks to all of you who posted your thoughts on this thread.
g

NICE!
Sometimes bigger is better. If that bike is adjusted for you then it was the right size for you. For some reason bike shops try to size you down. That is traditional sizing of a "fist full of seat post". I buy as big as I can flat foot straddling the frame. It makes the bars a naturally high. With the bars up like that it will be a very relaxed ride. That's how I have my DD set up. I'm not super fast but I can ride all day. That's what that bike was built for.

If you find yourself sliding forward on the seat you may need to put a shorter stem on it. Sliding the seat forward often is the wrong thing to do and the seat looks pretty far forward if it isn't an optical illusion from the seat bag.

How to tell if the seat is to far forward is you will start having hand and wrist pain because you have to support yourself /push against the seat with your arms. When the seat is adjusted right with somebody holding the bike while you do it you should be able be able to take your hands off the bars sit upright without pushing off from the riding position. If you cant the seat is forward and your center of gravity is forward as a result. That will put stress on hands, wrist, arms neck and back on longer rides. When its right you can move your support back and forth from hands, seat and feet and that helps stave off fatigue

Sheldon Brown has a good bit of info as does Rivendell
http://sheldonbrown.com/frames/index.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...izing_position