Surly's LHT frame tubes
 

Does anyone know if Surly's LHT frame tubes and stays are heat treated?

I e-mailed them, but their answer was quite vague...

No. But, it's not needed for the Trucker. The Trucker uses thicker and heavier tubing. The ultra thin and ultra light steel tubing of other frames are heat treated. Surly has a philosophy of value for the customer. If they heat treated their frames, cost would go up. And I would imagine they would use thinner, lighter steel, but make the frame ride the same as now. So they just use thick steel, for longevity and value, and a plus with that is not having to heat treat. Surly are just simple, designed in US, made in Taiwan, frames that are tanks that just plain work.

What was their response?

The website tells you what kind of tubing they use.

Fully heat treated tubing is a rarity in steel bikes, the whole bike needs to be heat treated as a whole, or you get serious heat affected zones where the heat is used in joinery. Or you get some bike tubes that are designed for welding where the heat affected zones harden, which is OK, kinda random. Or you get 4130 type tubes as per LHT, and the tubing is semi hard.

Quality Al frames are fully heat treated.

@RatMudd
Their answer was:
"Zoslen,
Every tube on all of our bikes is made from 4130 and each one is completely designed by us.
Here’s a link about our steel from our website: Some Things About Our Steel | Spews | The Information Hole | Surly Bikes
Take care,"

@bikemig
Surly uses their own 4130 cromoly steel, but they don't refer if it is heat treated.

@MassiveD
I have contacted with a lot of manifacturers and most of them claimed that they don't heat treat their frames because they consider it is not necessary and the cost will go up.
But I know for example that Reynolds 725 or 853 tubes is 4130 cromoly fully heat treated, so why prefer something else if the cost is the same?

I 'd like to clarify I do believe that a sturdy frame like LHT's will not face any problems, it has proven it's durability, but this is not the point.

My point is that if their frames are not heat treated and they just use massive steel, maybe their prices should be much lower.

Are there other heat treated frames for the same price point? I thought most steel frames in the $4-600 range aren't heat treated. The frame rides great either way though.

aThe link Surly sent you is pretty informative. They don't use "massive steel." 4130 chromoly is good stuff. Their prices are their prices. If you want a cheaper steel frame, buy from an internet direct vendor like bikes direct or nashbar. Fuji has a pretty inexpensive touring bike as well. Part of what you are paying for is an assurance that the manufacturer--in this case Surly--is paying attention to the material being used and the manufacturing process. Personally I'll buy the Surly over a nashbar or bikes direct but you can find cheaper stuff if you look around.