8000+ miles, which Bike!?

[andym]

I love Surly, but that does not include their overweight racks. Go for a Tubus Cargo rear rack and one of their front racks. They are stiffer than anything else I know, and they last. Th eonly snag is that they are epoxy coated, and this will scratch, and then start to rust. Being the obsessive type I am I had mine chrome plated.

Which is where the Cosmo comes in - stainless steel so absolutely no rust (unlike chrome which can rust). The side rails add to the weight but IME beiing able to mount the panniers lower does help handling.

I don't think decent aluminium rear racks fail very often and when they do it not likely to be catastrophic and probably bodgable till you get a replacement. If You're on a budget I wouldn't compromise on the front rack and get something like the Tor Tec Expedition for the back.

Ah the voice of someon who has never had a rack fail on them.

A rear rack failing would probably fall within most people's definition of 'catastrophic' - one minute you're riding along and all is well and the next minute you're stuffed. You might ne able to bodge something if the rack failed in the right place but otherwise I'd be doubtful.

The rear rack is the one that carries most of the load so I would say it's the last place to compromise. I wouldn't compromise on the front rack either though. There are lots of other bits of equipment that aren't 'mission-critical' wher you can save money.

 

[hubbike]

racks and wheels are the most common breakages on a long tour. why skimp.

I've seen a alu rack fall to peices and bodging a repair isn't so easy (not many mechanics have TIG welders but almost every village can weld steel). If the aluminium bends then when you bend it back it will snap or significantly weaken the joint.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27474601@N07/4437621731

It could be catastrophic if part of the rack/pannier gets in the wheel and takes out spokes. you could be looking at a very buckled wheel and serious injury.

Steel is stronger, more flexible, easily repaired, and often there is little weight difference. I use Tubus racks. The strongest available.

 

[andym]

Chuffing heck the Surly racks are heavy though: 1.1 kgs for the rear rack and 1.3kg for the front.

http://www.surlybike...echnical_stuff/

and their recommended maximum weights (or at least for the rear) are actually less than for the Tubus equivalents- which may of course mean they are being cautious.

 

[del]

Thanks lads

Guess il start researching and investing in tubular steel racks, the tubus logo/cargo seems to be my best bet and £40 cheaper than surly racks so cheers for that

Every one keeps mentioning the wheels... I was hoping the ones the surly comes with would be good enough to manage the tour with perhaps a few spoke repairs, or am i being completely unrealistic.


Just a summary of my bike equipment so far...

Surly Long Haul Trucker, Tubus cargo rack, Tubus Ergo Rack, Brooks spring saddle, <--- Ive been told are pretty important for tours?

Next im wondering on weather its worth getting a dynamo hub charger or solar panels of some sort or not at all and just charge up at stops... what do you guys reckon, has anyone tried solar or dynamo charing...? Just saw a new thread has been started on this topic! so i will look there for answers!

 

[P.H]

Every one keeps mentioning the wheels... I was hoping the ones the surly comes with would be good enough to manage the tour with perhaps a few spoke repairs, or am i being completely unrealistic.

The components that make up the wheels will be more than adequate for your trip, a small upgrade to better brake blocks will prolong the life of the rims even further (Koolstop Salmon are often recommended). The one thing that may let you down is the quality of the wheel building, as I said when originally recommending the LHT wheels at this price point are often machine built. Find a local wheelbuilder with a good reputation and get them to slacken, re tension, stress relive and true the wheels and you'll be well set, cost is likely to be around £20 - £30.

Saddles are very personal, many tourers prefer Brooks but not the sprung model which is usually seen on very upright bikes. One of the downsides of leather saddles is they take a bit of time to mould to the rider and are not alway the comfiest until they have, how much riding are you going to get done before you go? It is the one thing I'd like to be sure of before I set off.

 

[andym]

Saddles are very personal, many tourers prefer Brooks but not the sprung model which is usually seen on very upright bikes. One of the downsides of leather saddles is they take a bit of time to mould to the rider and are not alway the comfiest until they have, how much riding are you going to get done before you go? It is the one thing I'd like to be sure of before I set off.

The sprung saddles also have their fans.

The break-in time for leather saddles depends a bit on which ones you choose. The b17s and the Team Pros use the least elastic leather while the Swifts and Swallows use more elastc leather. The downside of more elastic leather is of course that it stretches faster. My Swift is nearly halfway towards its limit after 3,500 kms. The stretch rate isn't uniform (it seems tp stretch more quickly initally) so it might last 8,000 miles.

Its worth noting that Brooks saddles come in different widths and lengths - IIRC the B17s are shorter and wider - so if you already have a saddle you get on with it might be worth looking for a Brooks with similar dimensions.

 

[del]

ah right... I guess i'll try out the standard saddle on it which im assuming is going to be pretty rubbish.

Well we are leaving late august so I should have a couple of months to get some high mileage days in. we'll be cycling the bikes back from Norwich to Essex so that will be a 100miler and give me a good idea of comfort of the bike/seat/setup.

Im hoping the padded shorts will make a big difference too.
Oh another thing im not sure about... the pedals... is it worth getting strapped saddles, or biking shoes?

Im inclined just to go with my normal footwear and normal pedals only because reviews of biking shoes (long term) haven't been to positive, and strapped pedals... well if your going to fall you dont want your foot strapped in so you cant stand on it.

 

[Yellow7]

Hi Del.

The padded cycling shorts are ok on short tours but not really healthy on long, hot tours. They give no room for ventilation and rashes can soon occur, the last thing you need on a long tour, a chap I rode some of Morroco / Western Sahara with had problems like this. Go for the brooks sprung saddle and kill 2 birds with one stone; no rashes and reduce the chance of broken spokes. (i've had none to date...rashes or broken spokes!)

As far as racks; Surly http://www.surlybike...rts/surly_rack/ a good compliment to the LHT?? Ok, there ferrous steel, not stainless, so have slight surface rust where the coating has worn from the pannier clips but hardly of much concern. The racks come with an almost meccano kit of screws and strap bars so will fit just about any frame.


Mark.

 

[hubbike]

+1 avoid padded shorts. on a longer tour they're of no use. cheap synthetic swim shorts are my weapon of choice. with a brooks, once your arse is used to the saddle its ventilation you need, not padding. also you look (and walk) like less of an idiot off the bike and they wash quicker. I'd recommend having some lightweight trekking trousers too. in long distance touring you adapt to the bike rather than the other way round.

 

[upsidedown]

Hi Del

Ref the wheels. If you go for the LHT and it comes with the Alex Adventurers that mine did you'll have no problems. I did well over 7000 miles on mine before the rims had gone, and that was through some pretty bleak rain, snow and ice. Never had one spoke go even with heavily loaded touring.

The Conti Contact tyres it came with were also brilliant.

cheers

paul

 

[del]

you guys are legends!

Ok so il definitely give the Brook spring saddle a go, £60 pounds isn't too bad considering it could make or break the journey!

thanks for the confidence about the wheels, i think il stick with them as they are and save money too!

Can i just ask, how much your load weighed on the bike ? did you have 30kg back and 10 front? etc.

Obviously i will aim to keep it as light as possible, but will the higher weights make a big difference to the effort you put in while cycling?

 

[andym]

There's nothing wrong with padded shorts - although chamois cream and washing them regularly obviously helps. Buy a good-quality pair of liner shorts - eg Ground. Effect Underdogs:

http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-UND-SHO.htm

and wear under normal shorts.

Brooks saddles come in different shapes and sizes: the springs won't help if say you buy a short wide saddle when you'd have felt more comfortable on a longer narrower saddle.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Hmmmm saddles........ Very much a personal choice. I use quite a 'race' style saddle for touring, I've tried types designed with touring in mind but just don't get on with them.

 

[yashicamat]

Quite late here, but I love my LHT (with a Brooks saddle, although I opted for a B17) - wouldn't swap it for anything and while I don't intend to setting off to Africa at any point in the near future, I feel confident the bike is pretty well set up to deal with any issues!

Really great bike for the money - solid as a rock.

 

[Blue Hills]

Hmmmm saddles........ Very much a personal choice. I use quite a 'race' style saddle for touring, I've tried types designed with touring in mind but just don't get on with them.

Agree. I'm no expert on touring at all but have a certain experience of saddles. My most comfortable saddle (ridden for 150 miles plus) is plastic and narrow. Guess it has something to do with individual shape and distance between sitbones. I'd agree with Dave - don't take it that one saddle is the best.