Surly Disc Trucker
 

Pictures are now up at site.

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/disc_trucker

Note spoke holder moved to left SS.

I could do without the pump peg, chain hanger, spoke holder and decals.

I wonder if the third hole on the left dropout is a mount for a Rohloff OEM2 axle plate, because I can't see this same third hole on the right dropout. Maybe it's just the pics.

Nice green color.

still say Koga Miyata builds better complete touring rigs,
but they don't bother with the US market.
its saturated with competing brands.
included is racks, mudguards, , and lights, US dealers survive off selling that stuff
point of sale as accessories , just so you know.

given bikes often have 3 spoke lengths , the holder may be a style gimmick.
find out if the length of spoke means anything
before you are in Bear and Lion country to learn it aint so.

but yea they sited the rear caliper on the chainstay so no disc
specific rear rack needs to be added to their product line to compensate.

Thanks for the link. I have been waiting for those pictures.

I am getting one in Black because that is what I want.

Also, I will get the racks, pump, fenders, lights, saddle, drivetrain, handlebars, etc.. and strip off the decals and put on a kickstand. Because that is what I want. It is my bike, it not about what I need but what I want. And I want one. :)

Gil

P.S. Notice I did not say what I could afford, but what I want. I am trying to do my part in stimulating the economy!:lol:

The LHT spoke holder holds 3 spokes, at least mine does. I'm glad they did the rear caliper correctly, very nice. Looking good.

Guess I'm a retro grouch, but I don't like the look of disc brakes on a road bike.

Yep, I want one. But I already have the caliper equipped LHT. It will still do nicely.

I wonder why they didn't keep the rim brake mounts on fork/stays. This feels like it's going against their habit of encrusting their frames with every mount and braze-on possible.

Still, I might end up either getting the fork or the frameset to swap with my Kona Sutra. This is the bike I originally wanted.

I've always thought cantilever posts on a disk bike look funny, but you have a very good point, that never stopped Surly before.

Am I missing something, or is the 64cm LHT available only as a frameset, and NOT as a complete bike?

I already have Mr. Brooks. ( Trek 520) But I wanted the correct size frame with 700C wheels and disc brakes. The LHT Disc would work BUT. 46 CM comes in 26" not 700C wheel size. They're still not looking for my business. I'm still slowly saving for my dream machine. Several details need to fit my needs better. The LHT Disc looks good though.

nothing wrong with that, you are more likely to get a spare tire in Ushuaia
in a 26" than a wide 700c. being short, riding that small a sized bike frame
is tough to adapt to a larger wheel ,
the geometry gets wacky .. steep seat tubes, low angled head angles
to get any room for your toes , Or Ms Terry's solution 2 wheel sizes..

fitting a pair of 1.5" wide tires will roll just fine..


You'll barely know they're there, hidden behind the 4 stuffed Panniers and such..

Most wheel sets are built with 1mm spoke difference between front, rear drive, and rear non-drive side. Sometimes 2mm. For instance the front might take 290mm spokes, and the rear will take 290 and either 291 or 292. I would imagine that the spokes included are rear drive side, because that is where they are most likely to break. But even if you must use a 290 spoke where a 292 would be proper, even in bear and lion country, it would still work just fine.

I would love the way the disc trucker rides and brakes, but damn, I hate how finicky disc brakes are. This bike does look really nice though.

Just an FYI, I'm not picking apart your statement; on a disc brake front wheel, the rotor side is dished. With my disc brake rear hub & rim the spokes are the same length.

That's a little silly. The spoke holder is for carrying spare spokes. If you don't pay attention to it until you're on the road, then of course it will be useless. You forgot to pack spare spokes or else you would have figured out if the spoke holder worked before you got to Bear and Lion country.

It's designed to take 3 spokes, so in theory it would accommodate a spare spoke of each size. In practice, I currently have only one spoke in mine, a front wheel spoke. The spoke holder is made for what I'm sure is a standard range of 700c spoke lengths, but the spokes used on my fat, IGH hub are too short for the holder. I just taped a couple of spares to one leg of my rear rack. So, yes, the spoke holder may be something of a gimmick, but it's also perfectly functional for a certain length of spoke, but you won't be learning that on the road. You'll learn it when you pack. What you'll learn on the road is whether or not you remembered to pack spare spokes.

It may be, as Stannian says, that many wheelsets are made using only 2 spoke sets, but if you're not using a pre-made wheel set, you could easily end up with three spoke lengths.

And as Werkin points out, we're talking disc breaks, and disc front hubs are dished. This has potential for you two have 2 spoke lengths in the front, and two different spoke lengths in the rear, so you still could potentially run out of room on your spoke holder. But I imagine that for most riders it is sufficient, but it's such an inconsequential piece of the bike, it hardly matters. It doesn't suit my spoke needs, but I lost no sleep over it.

Also I've heard it suggested that moving the spoke holder to the drive side would let your spare spokes double as chainstay protector and would make it easier to mount a rear-mounted kickstand. The disc-trucker might address the first issue, but it looks like the disc brake mounting assembly will still interfere with some kickstands.

Very true, my mistake. I forgot that the entire reason for this thread was disc brakes...

Not an LHT, but my bike has 2 different length rear spokes too. In a pinch one size will easily suffice for both. I wouldn't build a wheel that way, but for a roadside repair as long as a few threads engage or and at the other extreme it doesn't poke through and damage the tube it will work fine.

Nice to see that they spec'd the levers with the most uncomfortable hoods...

"I could do without the pump peg, chain hanger, spoke holder and decals."

+1

"Not an LHT, but my bike has 2 different length rear spokes too. In a pinch one size will easily suffice for both. I wouldn't build a wheel that way, but for a roadside repair as long as a few threads engage or and at the other extreme it doesn't poke through and damage the tube it will work fine."

I've been saying these things are silly for a long time. Touring bikes have bags, I put my stuff in bags, I don't see any benefit to the spoke holder. And now the much vaunted chain slap reason is gone. I like my bikes clean. But whatever makes people happy...

MY question though is that there are a lot of different hub sizes. Someone mentioned Rohloff on this thing, that has a very large flange, then you have large flange hubs, and small ones, and all the different rim depths. Since I don't like these things I also don't have any experience with them. Do they actually fit the wide range of potential spoke lengths? I know my panniers do.

When will the Disc Trucker be available for sail?

They aren't so bad, although it is interesting to note they use long pull levers and brakes instead of the (most obvious choice to me) short pull. Makes it a bit harder for people who want to do an STI retrofit.

The specs don't indicate whether they're coming with the road or mtb BB7s, but looking at the detail photo, it appears that they went with the longer-pull mtb version. That's too bad, because, as you mentioned, it prevents you from running STI levers.

I have RL520 levers on my commuter, and the shape of the hoods is extremely uncomfortable. The old R200 were much better, comfort-wise. And if you're running the road BB7s, you can use practically any lever.

changing calipers is pretty cheap ,
at point of purchase, the shop will give you a decent trade in ,as they know they're new., having just removed then from the carton.

Until the gig of product manager comes Up at QBP ,and replaced by this committee,
or bare frame and, retail buy of all the parts , the stuff the Taipei factory puts in the box,
is what comes out of it when the box is opened at the LBS

Not sure if they even float

I find that I spend far more time futzing with my cantilever brakes than any of my disc brakes. The Magura Marta hydraulic discs on my mountain bike have been particularly trouble-free, but my Avid BB7s aren't too far behind...

The spokes for my Nuvinci hub are too short. Realistically, looking at how they the spoke holder is designed, it would probably take a relatively narrow range of spoke. That said, I still like the idea of the spoke holder. Sure, you could throw them in a pannier, but they're an awkward shape and easily bent. I taped mine to a leg of my rack. I suppose I could also drop them down the seat post if I was so inclined. I've been known to stash zip ties in my handlebars as well. Having these odds and ends stashed on my bike can be very handy, and knowing that they're there means never having to worry about packing them. It also means that should you ever actually need them, on tour or not, they'll be easily found and never left behind. By no means is the spoke holder an essential part of the bike, but it's a nice touch with no real drawbacks (other than some kickstand issues, and we know how Surly feels about kickstands), so I certainly wouldn't say that they should be removed.

Talked with QBP, their distributor, a couple days ago. March, 2012.