I see the front fork which has rack bosses. I see the new shiny frame and I love the color. Is the frame worth $400?

I'm confused. Do you already own the mountain bike? Is the choice going from existing NS mountain bike to LHT? Or are you starting from scratch and going from nothing to either LHT or NS mountain bike?

If you already own the mountain bike and it fits and has enough braze-ons to make it all work then the LHT is indeed a harder sell.

But don't underestimate the power of the shiny new paint...

Speedo

Yes and no.

Yes in that if you want the frame and can afford it and will ride it (clearly LHTs are good touring frames and have stood the test of time with people who tour).

No in that if you have a touring bike or mtb-***-touring bike already, and are reasonably happy with it, or would prefer a frame other than the LHT or want a tourer with discs. By the way you can get lowrider racks that use u-brackets to affix to a front fork.

It's really up to you, though I would welcome the opportunity to test your question if you'd mail me the $400..... (cash only please)

LHT frame - $400
Complete nice MTB - $100 - $150

Basically you can build a nice tourer MTB for the price of an LHT frame. You can even buy the 26'' LHT fork for $100.

Anyone tried using the 26" LHT fork on any older mtb ? Any comment on bike handling change?

Anyone tried using the 26" LHT fork on any older mtb ? Any comment on bike handling change?

LHT Frame: apprx $400

"converting" your mtb to a touring bike: $150-250 -- +?

Kicking your panniers off of your rear rack and having to gather your personal affects off of the road: priceless

If you look at the length of chainstays on the pictured MTBs, they are just as long as the LHT. THAT is priceless.

to further my point, none of the pictured bikes are mountain bikes. the 920 and that bianchi would be considered multisport/ hybrid/ fitness bikes. chainstays that long on a real mountain bike would make for a sluggish ride and a hard to lift front wheel. my point is that real mountain bikes can be converted to 'work' for touring, but a real touring bike is going to make your life just a little bit easier.

In their days a Trek 920 or 950 was considered a REAL mountain bike. So then, and old REAL mountain bike would work for touring just fine, unless you're a snob or made of cash, or both.

So, do you use spoons or rapalas or do you prefer pop gear beneath a cannon ball?

The Nyala and the Trek 950 were mountain bikes just old ones. Back in the day, mountain bikes had much longer frames and relaxed geometries. And they were difficult to lift the front wheel but they were more stable for downhill.

As for choosing to touring on a mountain bike, I'd rather not. Flat bars and long distances have resulted in hands that took up to 6 weeks to recover the feeling in my fingers. Thanks but I'll pass.

Finally, if you like to convert old bikes, bully for you. But don't go lording it over the rest of us who would rather not. I can do it but I choose not to. And, if I don't buy a new touring bike today, where do you think your bargains are going to come from tomorrow?

i decided to buy a surly because i find its easier to define myself through my possessions than it is to become a supercilious cycling gnostic... there, i said it.

i just dont think most people have the resources (in terms of time, money, knowledge, etc) to effectively convert your garden variety - available - mountain bike. finding an old steel trek that isn't rusting to pieces seems difficult sometimes. the early multitracks that were built with tru-temper and spec'd sensibly are becoming too far gone to make them worth resuscitating.
i'm certainly not made of money, but i also don't have a mortgage, car payments, credit cards, or a 'real' job (bike shop!). i find that helps. i'm all for reusing and recycling, but when faced with a relatively affordable, ubiquitous, fashionable (hmm...) alternative the draw can be too much.

Boh, I for one, won't blame you. If I were doing the Great Divide trail, I'd be riding the 920, no questions asked. It's a sweet bike and very dear to my heart. While the Thorn's have captured my fancy, I know I'll never buy one because the Trek has everything they have. Only subtle differences, really. It was my replacement frame that Trek sent when I broke the frame of my 830 ($100 upgrade, top of the line True Temper OX—I'll never part with it). But for road touring, I wanted 700c wheels, which, apparently a lot of folks don't care for, but for me is indispensable if I'm road riding. Otherwise, I'd use the Trek.

As far as defining ourselves through our possessions, I have no problem with that. These days, the only things I have that "define" me are my sailing, bikes, and art. My cars used to, but it behooves me to be incognito in this day and age.

One thing I don't get: Why do folks dis old steel? In my entire life, I've never seen a steel bike fail because of rust. Never. And I've been around the block a few times.

Yes it is - definitely. The Surly is an excellent touring bike. If you want to save a bunch of money, I'm sure you could tour just fine on one of the other bikes. I have an old Stumpjumper that is similar to those old mountain bikes in the pictures. But I bought a Surly frame and built it up. And I'm very glad I did!

If I'm not mistaken, LHT forks are 1 1/8" and most older (80s-90s) mt bikes use 1"--at least the ones pictured are.

Flat bars are easily swapped for drops, no? Nitto makes drop bars with 25.4mm clamp diameter.


Let me make my position clear. I love the Surly LHT! Disclaimer: WITH 700c wheels! I love Novara Randonee as well and the Trek 520. I rode the Fuji Touring and liked it too.

What makes no sense to me is a Surly with a made-in-taiwan frame AND 26'' wheels which as awful lot like a old MTB with drop bars.

No flat bars are not easily swapped for drops. You need the bars, brake levers, shifters, tape and cables (probably with cable housing). You'll need to adjust the brakes and derailers, too. Not that simple. In the case of the Nyala you picture, you wouldn't need special brake levers but you would need v-brake capable ones for the Trek or new brakes.. Depending on the shifters, you might need new front derailers too. To fine tune the front derailers and the brakes, you'll in-line adjusters for the cables.

If you ride the size LHT that uses 700C wheels that great for you. But the world is made up of people of all different sizes. The LHTs that use 26" wheels is for people that need a frame of less than 54cm. Life is easier if the bike fits right. A 21" mountain bike (that's what a 54cm translates to) is a huge mountain bike. The top tube is going to be very long...long enough to fit someone 6'3" or more. For some one who needs a 54 cm road frame, a 21" mountain bike will not fit. Once you get to even smaller frames, 46 cm and smaller, the 26" wheels make for a bike that a small person might even be able to straddle, let alone ride comfortably.

It's a lot like an old MTB but not quite. Again, it's about fit. I know from personal experience that there aren't that many 12 to 15" mountain bikes out there.

This is such a strange thread.

So are you saying that Surly should not offer a size smaller than the 56 and only offer it in their 700c sizes?

You do know why they go to 26" wheels in the smaller sizes don't you?

This is very baffling. So what someone is supposed to do if they ride a 54 or smaller is hope to find a 20 yr old mtb in good condition and then spend a bunch of money converting it to touring? Good luck with all that.

Builds character.

Great thread. Amazing how similar that Surly looks compared to the MTB's. Glad I still have my Trek 970.

I have to admit I'm fairly chuffed at seeing my Bianchi used as a good example for an alternative to a LHT.

That was a planned bike that came together all of a sudden when I stumbled over the available bicycle - it's exactly what I was looking for: Lugged steel frame, long rear triangle (I wear size 43/44 shoes and have never had a heel hit my panniers), no suspension. From my understanding of the 91-92 Bianchi line, the Nyala was next to the bottom of a five model MTB line. And, more importantly, as high as you could go without getting saddled with suspension.

The bike was built specifically for riding the C&O Canal trail last summer. Thus the desire for 26x2 tyres. 1600 miles later, I've yet to find the time to make that trip, but it's been used for everything else: urban riding, occasional commuting to work (42 mile round trip), weekly runs into Ashland for Sunday coffee (36 mile round trip), training on my hilly routes, and is even my bike of choice on those horrible cold winter evenings when I'm chained to the trainer because I didn't get out to ride that day .

I'd love to own a LHT someday, but that someday comes after buying a car, replacing a motorcycle with almost 100k on the clock, and (most likely) paying off the mortgage on the house. In the meantime, the Nyala will probably serve me very well. So far my only problem with it is that the left shifter is showing signs of wearing out. I'll probably upgrade to eight speed if only because they're easier to find. Or possibly get rid of the indexing completely - friction shifters never wear out.