garethzbarker

Last weekend I rode a friend's LHT around a bit and I was blown away by the comfort. It had 4 panniers but he said it wasn't full. He also said that the load led to a lot of the comfort. How comfortable are those badboys unloaded? I'm kind of thinking of getting one but I work too much to tour proper. The only time I'll load it up would be shopping and a few camping trips.

jdom

I don't find much differance in comfort loaded or unloaded.

staehpj1

Personally I find my road bike supremely comfortable and any touring bike I have ridden less so.

garethzbarker

I usually ride a spec roubaix or a motobecane Ti hardtail. I find my roubaix pretty comfortable but the touring bike really hit the spot for me personally.

Cyclesafe

Unloaded touring bikes tend to be heavier and stiffer than typical road bikes. Gearing can be ameliorated with tighter casettes. I am perfectly happy riding 200 unloaded miles per week on my Americano, but I can't keep up with any reasonable fit person on a road bike. Mountain bikes and beach cruisers are easy pickings, however.

garethzbarker

that makes sense that the steel would stiffen up as weight decreases.

Lamabb

Why not check out the surly pacer? It sounds like you don't need a 100% touring bike, but rather a similar comfy bike that you could add a rack to for carrying stuff. It sounds to me if you're not going to do any heavy touring. the pacer is a better bike for your needs becuase it's similar in feel but responds better than a touring bike would.

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/pacer_complete/

antokelly

my thorn is super comfy either way ,my look road bike is also CLASS.

jwbnyc

The LHT unloaded can make for a harsh ride due to the over-sized tubing.

You can counteract this by lowering the tire pressure when riding it unloaded.

Garthr

If you liked the ride when the LHT was partially loaded, you'll like it just fine. Use some good tires, at least 38mm wide ones that can go as low as 50psi if you want. This gives a great ride no matter the conditions.


That said ..... Ride quality is totally subjective to the rider. One's passion is another's poison.

So there you go .

Thor29

Everyone's different. When I had a LHT, I found that unloaded it felt like a big, slow, pig. Some people like LHTs as commuters, I preferred my Crosscheck. However, if I were buying an all-around bike right now, the Salsa Vaya would be the one. I haven't ridden one, but I do have a Salsa La Cruz that is very similar. The Vaya can be loaded up for touring but is more of an all-around do-anything bike than the LHT. I'm a big believer in disc brakes, but if you aren't, the Salsa Casseroll is another good choice. My one gripe with the Crosscheck is the dropouts. It has 132.5mm spacing and semi-horizontal dropouts. The idea is to be able to run either road or mountain hubs, geared or single speed, but I found that road hubs had an evil tendency to be pulled forward out of the dropout when pedaling hard.

LeeG

zactly, type of tire and pressure make a big difference. I've got a CrossCheck with 35mm tires, unloaded and tires pumped up it's a hard ride, the front tire has a slow leak and if I forget it'll be down to 40psi in a week. It's actually quite a nice ride at 50psi in the front.

robow

Huh??? The tubes aren't really that oversized.

And because it's your basic butted cro-moly steel, fairly heavy frame, longer chain stays and long wheel base, it rides pretty smooth with or without a load

garethzbarker

I think I may just take my brooks down to a bike shop and ask if I can test ride the pacer and LHT. I'm not in super shape so speed really isn't an issue. I only go a few kmph faster from my brother in law's 30lb hardtail to my carbon road bike. The comfort may be b/c I'm a clyde I realized. The steel was probably flexing better under my big butt, so in that case the bike would always be a bit loaded

jwbnyc

I didn't say they're that over-sized. I said they're over-sized. How much weight, rider and load, is on the bike makes a difference. How much do you weigh? In my case, 135lbs, it makes a big difference whether the bike is loaded or not as to how harsh the ride is.

eofelis 

My LHT is the 42cm size one and I weigh only 110, so my experience may be a bit off the scatter diagram here. My LHT is certainly a comfortable ride without panniers but I think it rides smoother with a full load (35lbs) on it. The small size of the frame and shorter tubes probably contribute to it being stiffer and the extra weight seems to smooth it out.

I rode a 42cm Pacer (with the steel fork) for several years and I loved it! It was not as light and fast as the carbon fiber wonder bikes but it was amazingly smooth and stable, but also quite rugged on rough roads. It's a great sport touring bike!! I'd still be riding it if I didn't score a tiny Gunnar Sport frame on ebay.....

NormanF

Agreed. The Salsa Vaya is good enough for most people. If you really want to do expedition touring, the Salsa Fargo is worth considering.

There's no longer for a dedicated touring bike in most circumstances anymore.

TimeTravel_0

cross check.

robow

Smoothness of ride is all relative, compared to many large oversized tubed aluminum road bikes in my past, (think early Cannondales), it rides like butta' It's probably steel's finest attribute but at the expense of weight.

iforgotmename

I find my LHT to be comfortable both loaded and unloaded. Like others have said tire size ane psi are a big part of the puzzzle. I run 26x1.5 Schwalbe Marathon Supremes at around 50 psi front and 65-70 rear. I have to say that the supremes are WAY more comfortable than the Specialized Armadillos they replaced.

BigBlueToe

I also find my LHT comfortable both loaded and unloaded. What I really like is how stable it feels with a load - no whippiness; no shimmy. Yes, it's heavier than my road bike, but the thing that really makes it slower is the gearing. It's set up to climb mountain passes with a full load, not overtake racy people on weekend rides.

If you care that much about riding a light, fast bike, but also want a comfortable tourer that can carry a big load up mountain passes without trouble, I recommend two bikes. It makes sense if you can afford it.

LeeG

if you don't mind greater number of flats the Marathon Racer in 1.5" is even more comfy than the Supremes

azesty

Unloaded my LHT handles like an aircraft carrier. Try riding it no hands, and try to shimmy around a pothole, it just doesnt move.

But, with a load it handles well, much better than a more shaply handling bike would.

h

iforgotmename

My Supremes still have a bit of life left in them but, I am going to neeed some tires for this winters SS Karate Monkey build. Thanks for the tip Lee. Sounds like the racers would be great when I set the bike up as an urban SS... comfy is good.

eofelis 

A few years ago I was descending off of Coal Bank Pass out of Silverton, CO. Loaded bike, thunder, lightning, heavy rain, 10 miles of downhill. The bike went down the hill like it was on rails.