Surly Bikes for Touring?
 

Hi,

I'm looking into getting a touring worthy bike this summer. I've toured on serious touring bikes in the past and more recently on a moutain bike equipped with slicks. My next bike needs to be more efficicent and lighter than my MTB but also versatile enough to handle dirt roads one might encounter in less fortunate countries than Canada and the US.

I've been looking at Surly frames and I'm wondering if there are others who are using them.

My situation is thus:

I'm too vertically challenged to use the larger frames for the Long Haul Trucker. So I would have to use the smaller frame which only takes the 26" Wheels.

Any thoughts on the neverending debate/controversy of 26" versus 700c wheels?

The other option I've looked at is the Burly Cross Check frame. They can put a different fork on it for the front racks but the geometry is a bit different. With the Cross Check I'd be able to go to 700c wheels. I saw one all built up for a customer who was going touring in France.

Anyone out there who has toured on the Cross Check? If so what do you think of it? how did you outfit it? Flat bars? straight bars? what else?

Any advice on the Burly frames would be greatly appreciated.


...Thanks

I'm 73+ inches tall and I feel the 26" wheels are better than the 700 for touring. If I was shorter, it wouldn't even be close. As long as one is running the same components smaller wheels are generally better: No toe overlap. Lower tighter range. Good tire availability from touring to fat (while 700 is in the other direction just depends what you want). Arguably better availability of spares, the world over. Lighter components. Stronger for the same spoke count, and a cool thing about that is that 36 spoke stuff is not weird so you can get a 40 spoke equivalent wheel without being limited in components. Lower bag position. More space on frame for bottles or fenders. Easier to pack. None of this is that big a deal but I think the edge is with the 26" wheel.

Dont get yourself knotted up in the 26/700 debate. I recently had a custom frame built for day tripping/commuting/touring and agonized endlessly over the wheel size. I, too, am vertically challenged and in the end I had my frame done for 26", almost solely for the height/stand over reason. 'Twas such a relief when I made peace with that.

Cant give you any Surly advice though.

Have fun with it.

I think that all small tourists/commuters/utiltiy style riders can benefit from using 26" MTB as their std wheel size. The cons are hard to see and the pros are as stated above.

Here's a nice read:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=209903

Ive toured the Oregon/California coast on a crosscheck. I now own a Long Haul Trucker (700c)

The Crosscheck was more "fun" to ride, it had a sharper geometry, but would wiggle a lot at speed with a load. The LHT is like a Caddie, just let it go, its smooth and straight.

I prefer 700 wheels because they feel much smoother to me and the bike in general feels like it moves with less effort. Ive also recently moved to a 29er mountain bike, which is also 700c wheels. I feel a lot of the arguments for 26 are situational, i.e. yes you might be able to find more parts around the world, but honestly, how many of us are touring Mongolia?

I also find it MUCH easier to find legit tires for 700c. All the road tires I can find for 26 are usually some heavy crap for riding to work. And also too wide.

Another FYI, my girlfriend and I are touring Europe for 8 weeks next summer, and I am riding my 700c LHT and I am building her (5'6") a Crosscheck with a LHT fork.

Wheel size really isn't much of an issue--- both 700c and 26in work well. 26in wheels are cheaper and thay would fit you better, so go that route.

One thing I find interesting on my touring bikes is 700c wheels on bikes with really small front chainrings. (22-32-44 or 24-34-46 or the like) With gearing like that, a lot of good those tall wheels will do you!

With a Surly frame, you could put on 26 wheels and a higher geared crank for the same gear-inches as a 700c wheeled bike.

My Mercian is 700c, with stays cranked out to accommodate wider tires. It's a great tourer, IMO, and I can take it through dirt trails just fine. I'm a taller rider though (6'2"), and I sort of went with the Rivendell/Surly philosophy on that.

It doesn't have to be outer mongolia, I couldn't find 700C touring gear in most shops. Basically you can get anything for an MTB even in small centers, and a lot of 700c racing, but finding touring grade stuff is hard in either format. The only advantage around here for 26" is that one is probably out of luck just about anywhere for anything nice, but if it comes to a break down situation where you would put up with anythingm bet it 2.0" or 23mm, then there is much more for the former just about anywhere. So I buy what I like and carry my spares, but if I toasted a front or rear wheel on my touring bike I could get an MTB replacement in just about any house I drove by.

But the reason I ride 26" is higher performance, and that isn't going to be the same for everyone. If you tour on a 120" gear don't get 26".

Thanks for all the very useful responses so far. I'm still pondering and I won't have any vacation time until maybe next spring. So there will be lots of time for research, banging my head against the wall, and finally making a decision.


...Michelle
Victoria, BC

Small frame, small wheels, there's nothing to ponder. There are too many compromises on the frame geometry to get 700C wheels in a little frame.

I recently switched to the 26" camp. Seriously, Mountain stuff is arguably more durable, but definitely more affordable. Also, While we may not travel to the ends of the earth, a much needed 26" tire or tube is certainly easier to find no matter where you are in the world, especially after the mountainbike boom in the Nineties. I love road bikes and 700c tires, but 26" is popular for touring bikes in other countries for a reason-practicality.

The Rivendell Atlantis uses a 26" wheel on some of the smaller frame sizes. Good tourer.

One issue to consider is that there has been poor availability in many sizes for the Surly LHT. Check and see if you'll get the size you need in the timeframe you have.

I wouldn't sweat the 26/700 issue. If you need the lower stand over 26" makes sense and you'll get any tires you would like to run in that size. Also the LHTs seem to be sized quite large so double check that the size you select will work. Most people are going one size down from what they would ride in a road frame.