Surly LHT complete stock?
 

I recently purchased a long haul trucker to do a 3000 mile bike tour this spring and was wondering what parts would you switch out of the stock complete on a tour like that? Or is it pretty much ready to go? Maybe if you could list Like 3 things you would switch out most important being first. Any help would be great. I'm wondering about the WTB Slickasaurus tires; tires seem to be one of the most important aspects of touring would they be sufficient?

Ride it now, wear out stuff, like the tires, buy better then.

I always change out the pedals and saddle on any bike.

The LHT is really good as is. Which wheel size did you get?

700x35. frame 56. I'm sure you are right I would just hate to be stuck in the desert with faulty equipment.

The Complete LHT is a terrific bike. You should have no problems in three thousand miles. Then again, there is the possibility of "infant mortality" where some mistake has been made or there is an undetected defect somewhere. Just ride it around as much as you can before the trip and any such lurking problems (usually minor if at all) will surface.

The stock components are very good quality. I replaced handlebars, stem, brifters and saddle. Did not need to replace them but I wanted a road bike cockpit since I also use it to commute.

I have a 60cm LHT set up as a road bike (i.e: non-touring) with 700c x 28 tires. I love this bike, and except for such accessories I've added such as seat bag, handlebar bag, and cyclocomputer, it's pretty much perfect as-is.

I use MKS pedals that are made for old-fashioned toe clips and straps, as I have big feet and prefer to ride in "regular" shoes. Works for me.

I also am a big fan of the bar-end shifters. This is the first and only bike I've ever ridden with them, and was a little apprehensive about them, thinking that they would be difficult to reach, but I took to them right away. I don't know that I would ever go back to brifters. I definitely recommend them for a touring bike, just from the reliability standpoint. When my LHT was just about 200 miles old I started hearing a crunching or grinding noise from the vicinity of the bottom bracket, and since it was time for the first recommended tune-up anyway, I took it in to the LBS. They found that the front derailleur hanger wasn't sufficiently tightened down to the tube and the front derailleur had rotated out of position and was hitting the chainrings in certain gears. The only thing I noticed was the noise - it still shifted perfectly. I bet that wouldn't have been the case with brifters.

The thing I worry about most on tours is breaking rear spokes. Goodness knows, I've done it enough times (back in the days when I didn't know much about how to prevent it.) I always have the rear wheel gone over by a good wheelbuilder prior to any tour. If nothing else, the peace of mind is worth the fee, and he/she may find a potential problem and fix it before I load up and set off.

Hey Tpelle where are you located in KY I am just curious because I am located in Louisville Where I am going to start the trip. Maybe you're interested in coming we could be the LHT in "regular shoes" team.

Was that actually cheaper than just building a bike frame up?

Yes, it was still probably $500 cheaper. The LBS took the unneeded stuff on trade. The only real piece of crap on the stock bike is the saddle but that's always the case.

I'm in Campbell County, just outside of Alexandria. I live about 14 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

I'm really not a "tourer". I'm just a big guy (6' - 2-1/2" and 260 lbs.) who started riding for exercise. I bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker because I figured it was built to carry a load (me), had 36 spoke wheels, and a steel frame, and just a lot of retro features that I like.

The longest I've ridden so far at any one session is about 25 miles, but these are Kentucky up and down hills miles. I ride the two-lane blacktops in my neighborhood. I'm thinking about some longer rides next summer, maybe the Miami Scenic Trail over in Ohio, or maybe along Rt. 8 from near my home to Augusta, KY and back.

I've got a new LHT complete and I would buy some better tires before going on tour. Schwalbe Marathon Plus have worked well for me (meaning zero flats) over the last 4000 miles on my old bike. I also wasn't impressed by the stock brakes on the LHT so I traded with the Avid Shorty 6 brakes from my old bike (still have the stock brake levers though). Buy a better saddle and you're ready to tour (after buying racks, fender and panniers, of course). Oh, and get the wheels re-trued before you leave on your tour. They seem strong enough, but are probably machine built and need a little fine tuning.