Surly Long Haul Trucker Frame and Forks

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threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
I'm toying with the idea of building up a commuter/light tourer type bike as my next fettlling project.
Looking around the Surly LHT seems have everything you need with regards to clearance, bosses, eyelets and the like. Are there any alternatives to consider for around the £300 mark? Thanks.

:biggrin:
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
the LHT lacks the necessary for disc brakes and, following the approval of their use in CX, that may be the way forward for all bar racers. Their Karate Monkey frameset does tick this box but not sure of the suitability for commuting/touring.

Maybe something from On-One as an alternative?
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
The LHT builds up into a very nice bike - it's more of a full on touring frame though, so you may need to think about that.

(Tons of braze ons, for about anything you could want to chuck on it, low bb, canti/v brake fittings, &c). The ability to put big tyres on it (I have 42x700c on mine) is really nice, and gives the bike some off road capability. It also has pretty much horizontal top tube geometry - I find that really comfy, but some people feel too stretched out on it.

Cotic's Roadrat is a similar price if you fancied fitting discs, or a more modern "compact" geometry;

http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat

Surly's other bikes/frames in the same niche are the Crosscheck & Pacer, both nice & slightly different in focus to the LHT. (Pacer is their take on a road bike, Cross Check a cross bike (higher BB is the main difference there).

Planet X offer a 'cross frame (aluminum) the Uncle John; http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRPXUJ/planet-x-uncle-john-frame and a steel tourer type frame, the Kaffenback http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRPXK/planet-x-kaffenback-frame & both would be in your budget.

Edit: Kinesis' frames would be worth a look too, slightly out of budget, I think, but a Racelight or Cross Light could fit the bill.
 

e-rider

crappy member
Location
South West
Disc brakes are not for road bikes or hybrids IMO.
Surly frames are good value for money but the LHT has very relaxed angles - too much IMO. However, I'm sure you could do a lot worse so it might be worth it.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
tundragumski said:
Disc brakes are not for road bikes or hybrids IMO.
Ah, sure, get away with yourself :biggrin:
Tis what they said about gears and derailleurs once upon a time.

Who doesn't like stopping when the need arises? and on a commute sharp brakes can make a huge difference. My ideal set up would be drops, discs, and additional cross top levers.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
Disc brakes may see accelerated development following the ruling. The road version of the Avid BB7 seems highly rated and it's hard to find a poor review. Except for those that have failed to set them up correctly. It's also manual rather than hydraulic, for those concerned by fluids etc.

The overwhelming positive is that you don't wear away rims and the brakes operate better in adverse conditions. For commuting and touring these seem big plus points.
 
I've been toying with the idea of buying a frame and building it up myself as well, the bikes use would be for some touring and just general cycling locally and i fancy the Thorn Sterling

As for disc brakes ... when i switched from my MTB with hydraulic disc's to my Ridgeback Panorama i noticed a huge difference in stopping power

Simon
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
tundragumski said:
Surly frames are good value for money but the LHT has very relaxed angles - too much IMO. However, I'm sure you could do a lot worse so it might be worth it.
Bloody comfy though. It rolls along something lovely on those chubby tyres.

In seriousness, to the op, the frames are similar in aim (do lots of things, some better than others) so it's probably time to think about what you want the bike for. If you're erring towards B&B touring & tarmac commuting, something more like an Audax bike would be just the ticket.

Looking for a bit of off road capability? Look for the option to fit bigger tyres, and maybe discs & a higher bb on the built up bike.

Think you might want to do a bigger, self sufficient tour, or lug serious load? Think about something closer to the traditional tourer.
 

style over speed

riding a f**king bike
threebikesmcginty said:
I'm toying with the idea of building up a commuter/light tourer type bike as my next fettlling project.
Looking around the Surly LHT seems have everything you need with regards to clearance, bosses, eyelets and the like. Are there any alternatives to consider for around the £300 mark? Thanks.

:angry:

if its light touring the salsa cassoroll or the crosscheck might be better.

I have two LHTs and love them, but wouldn't possibly describe them as light tourer/commuters. I've one set up with drops and lots of gears and its an incredibly comfortable tourer, and the other is a kind of heavy duty utilty/shopping/commuting bike;

attachment.php


On big apple tyres the ride is fantastic and they just roll along with a lovely, comfy ride :thumbsdown:
 

upsidedown

Waiting for the great leap forward
Location
The middle bit
style over speed said:
if its light touring the salsa cassoroll or the crosscheck might be better.

I have two LHTs and love them, but wouldn't possibly describe them as light tourer/commuters. I've one set up with drops and lots of gears and its an incredibly comfortable tourer, and the other is a kind of heavy duty utilty/shopping/commuting bike;

attachment.php


On big apple tyres the ride is fantastic and they just roll along with a lovely, comfy ride :biggrin:

Sorry to hijack, but what bars and front rack are they ? Been wondering what to do with my Truckaccino LHT when i get it's replacement, and i think you've just shown me the light !
 

style over speed

riding a f**king bike
upsidedown said:
Sorry to hijack, but what bars and front rack are they ? Been wondering what to do with my Truckaccino LHT when i get it's replacement, and i think you've just shown me the light !

can't take any credit; I was inspired by this long haul trucker, my front rack is a Gamoh rack from here link, theres better pictures of it here: rivendell

the handle bars are north road style touring bars, they're fairly compact... I'd like to try some albatross bars next.
 
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