Buying my first touring bike.
 

So I'v been mountain biking for some time but have recently decided I would like to do some touring.
I haven't had a touring bike before and have read a couple buyers guides. I'm pretty set on the Surly LHT. However, I currently live in South Korea, a place where touring is not popular. There is only one Surly dealer in the country. I want to get a bike while I'm here so I can doe some tours of both Korea and Vietnam for holiday.
I'm wondering how big the frame of a touring bike should be for some that is 6' 1" and has silly long arms and legs.
Thanks Much.
Alex

Where do you live? I'm in SK.

This may help http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?k...31WpvkCw#gid=0 I have a 56 and I am 6'. I have a little more standover than some but that's my preference.
This is one of many fit calculators but it should point you in the right direction http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

I'm currently riding a Novara Randonee 56 cm, I'm 5'11 also with long legs & arms. A month ago I test rode an LHT 56 which fit nicely so I'm guessing the LHT 58 would work better for you. Having ridden many borrowed bikes from shorter riders I can say that riding a too-short frame is very uncomfortable & inefficient.

I'd be curious about the cost in Korea, given Surly is a US Brand ,
of Minneapolis based QBP..
But the frames and the build up are done under contract in Taiwan, RoC..
[as is 90+% of the world brands ]
Or PRC, 'the mainlands' ..

Shipping stay within SE Asia in that case,
Or does it go to the Midwest of the US and then back again?

I'm not sure this will help, but along with the spreadsheet it may narrow it down. I am 6' with very long legs. I raced on a 64 cm bike for several years, and I still had a fair amount of seatpost showing. I have been riding 58cm bikes for the last 15 years including a LHT, and they seem to fit fine--maybe even a little on the large size.

LHT come with uncut steerer tubes. Don't cut it until you have the fit dialed in. Good luck.

I would guess that the bikes are shipped to the US first. Perhaps some other big international brands (ie Giant?) are shipped direct from frame factory to the various country markets. AFAIK Korea is protectionist/high tariff so probably foreign bikes (despite Asian-made frames & components) would cost more than in the USA. A poster wrote that Bikes are incredibly expensive in Korea.