2014 Novara Randonee vs. 2014 Surly Long Haul Trucker
 

Hey all, I'm going to be taking a cross-USA tour in April, and I know it's a little late, but I'm looking to buy a new bike for the trip. Right now I pretty much have it narrowed down to the 2014 LHT or the 2014 Randonee.

I plan on going solo, camping, cooking, the whole works, so a workhorse is important for me.

Here are the two bikes in question:

http://www.rei.com/product/816068/no...014#reviewsTab

vs

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker

Currently I'm leaning towards the Randonee but there may be some considerations I'm missing. Here's why the Randonee looks good to me:

- ~$300 ($430 w/REI member refund) less in price means I can get some other components, like nice fenders, Ortlieb handlebar bag, nicer shoes than I have
- Randonee gearing looks better out of the box for touring than the LHT, though I'm sure both are serviceable.
- Paint job on the Randonee looks better suited for "stealth" camping and also looks damn classy with the leather tape.

Pros for the LHT:

- Fantastic reputation, seems the "go-to" bike for loaded touring
- I have a Cross Check and LOVE it so I know Surly does good work (though this is also kind of a con--should I diversify my "stable"?)


I don't know much about component quality, haven't ridden high end enough stuff to know what I'm missing. Seems like the LHT component set is a little nicer on the stock bike than the Randonee? Are the wheels better on the stock LHT? If I went Randonee, could I use the price savings to upgrade a couple core components (maybe nicer derailleurs)

Are there other considerations I'm missing?

Thanks all, I've done some extensive googling but couldn't find a recent thread comparing these two specific bikes.

Both are very capable touring bikes. I like the Randonee myself.
One thing to consider is, if something goes wrong ( as any bike can break) on the bike, think about how many REI stores are along the way that you can go to for a replacement. REI's warranty is one of the best in the Biz.

Another very good reason to go with the Randonee.

perspiration, The Randonee is as strong a contender as any other and would be my choice of the two.

Brad

+1
The Randonee also comes with a rear rack. When I look at both bike frames closely, it is hard to to tell the difference. The Randonee and the Surly forks are almost identical as far as I can tell. I'm not sure it makes any difference; but I'd prefer the Rondanee's Reynolds 520 frame over the LHT's generic 4130 chome-moly frame.

I'm saying this even though I have LHT. I wanted to build up my bike, and got a good deal on the frame.

I have a Tortec Expedition rack that is super beefy but lightweight, and I'm going to stick with it over the stock Randonee rack...doubt they'll take off the cost of the rack though :)

Thanks for your advice so far everyone, I'm surprised I haven't seen this bike come up more often in comparisons.

Another vote for the Novara. And if you decide you are going to upgrade, you might do well to ask them before buying if they'd swap out the parts at a nicely discounted price. If you're buying a brand new bike from them, they might be willing to make you a good deal on the upgrades, and perhaps mount some fenders on there for you for a good price.

Yea, at Point-of-sale, ask them to make the parts changes you wish ,
stem saddle pedals lower granny gear . bigger cassette .. all of that ,
you will get a trade in on the new/old parts , because they were un used.
and likely a 10% break off the retail cost of all the new parts and accessories
you buy at the same time as your bike.



so much about gear and so little about the activity of going on the tour ..

I'm at the western end of a popular transcontinental route, summer I get work at the LBS,
boxing up the bikes people have ridden across the country .. for UPS to ship them back..


and there literally are all sorts ridden , it just has to be bearably comfortable to ride daily for a few months.

So .... both will do the job ..

a north -> south coast trip is popular as well , they cross the bridge on US101 and continue down the coast ..

maybe they stop in for a pint or 2.. 4 different micro-breweries, in a town of 10K .. Prost ! :beer:

The member rewards sale will be coming up in a few weeks. It usually has the bikes on sale or a coupon that will apply.

I have another thread with more details about the tour, this is one specific aspect (a big one, at that) I'm looking for advice on :) Seems like people have spoken! I know it's not good to get bogged down in bike purchases, "People have toured on penny farthings" is my mantra when I get too sucked into gear.

I have been touring on a Randonee for 6 years and highly recommend it. This summer is a short tour, and I feel comfortable enough that I will be riding the Randonee next March when I do the Southern Tier.

Go with whichever one fits best!

Matt

I ride with a friend thats has had a Randonee for 5-6 years. The only thing he has replaced are the tires. It;s been a great bike for many years.

Ekh.

I am thinking of the Randonee for myself. The tires they spec with reflective sidewalls
are not going to help for stealth camping though.

Randonee got me across the country, so I'm a bit biased.

Whichever one you get, make sure you get it fitted to you. If you wait for the REI 20% off sale, take a day off and go in on a weekday (NOT Saturday) so the staff will have time to pay attention to you. Also, ask the REI or bike shop to tension and stress-relieve the wheels; I believe both come machine built (meaning under-tensioned and likely to break spokes).

thats a good point.
I noticed the spokes were loose when I was at the store last week doing a touchy feely

+1.

OP: You can lower the LHT gearing cheaply by dropping the 26t small ring for a 24t or 22t. A 22x34 would give you a lower low gear than the stock Randonee lo gear. Pay attention to things like stem length and bar width on the sizes you would get. They can make a difference in comfort. For example, as a guy with broad shoulders, I like the 46cm bars my LHT came with. REI does not list those measurements for the different sizes.

Just wondering... Does anyone know who makes the Randonee for REI?

The Andel crank on the LHT, which replaced a similar but more expensive Sugino XD600, is a 110/74mm BCD crank. The smallest ring you can fit to a 74 BCD is 24t.

You'd have to change crankset to a MTB-std 104/64 BCD to get a 22t granny ring.

Depending on your weight and load the CrossCheck might suffice.

Taiwan would be my guess .. you could call REI & Ask.

as others have said... ride and see what you like...

I ended up on a disc trucker that I built up but only because I wanted to move from a 29er MTB to something a bit more street friendly for my 300# self with thoughts that I might tour down the road... I like it, it's comfy and rides nicely... but that might not work out for you.

anyway... if you are looking at REI you might check out the raleigh sojourn http://www.rei.com/product/866481/ra...ourn-bike-2014

the price looks good considering it has a brooks saddle, fenders and a rear rack... you'd still need to swap on a smaller ring on the crank (or swap for a MTB/Touring crankset)... you do take a little bit of a hit vs the trucker on component level but it looks to have a lot going for it

bike I looked at said China on the frame

Agreed, test ride both. get the one that feels best. but if both feel the same, save the money and get the REI bike.

Thanks for that clarification. I think my model has the Sugino as it's from '10 or '11.

They are mostly equivalent with each having their good points and bad points. The Randonee and LHT are outfitted with good components and aren't that different. To me, it would boil down to the crankset. The LHT's crank has a nice high gear but is limited in terms of low gear. It's also a square taper crank. The Randonee has a good low gear with an option to go even lower but it has a low high gear. It's also an external bearing bottom bracket which makes it easier to work on if you have to.

I find that being able to have as low a low gear as possible is more important than having a high gear with some caveats. You'll appreciate the low more often than a high gear. The rings, however, are replaceable so you could get the same or similar high gear with the Randonee much more cheaply than you could get a good low gear with the LHT. I'd give the advantage to the Randonee by a little bit...that's saying a lot given that I consider the LHT to be one of the best touring bikes around.

I do have one quibble and one kudos for the Randonee. It's nice to see a bike with non-Shimano parts. The X-7 Sram rear derailer is a good unit. I have several on mountain bikes and I feel they do as good a job as Shimano's stuff does. Kudos to REI for specing the Sram rear derailer.

My quibble is the choice of the LX front derailer. The LX is okay but Sram's front derailers are far better than Shimano's. They are a dream to set up and they shift very well. Shimano tends to oversculpt their derailers which results in rubbing issues. The LX is better than an XT or XTR but it can still be tedious to get it set up correctly without rubbing in certain combinations. The Sram fronts just don't have those issues.