Touring frame choice

[ricksavery]

After a bit of research i have narrowed my choice of new frame to
(hopefully) two. Either the Surley Long Haul Trucker or the Thorn Club Tour
(this is where the hopefully bit comes in as I'm not sure yet if they sell
this as a frame only. Anyone got any opinions / experience with either/both
of these two ?
I am tending towards the Surley, but I'd hate to buy one and then find
everyone says the Thorn is better !

 

[Pottsy]

I've got a Surly LHT and I used to have a Thorn Nomad. Both are excellent choices in my opinion and you can't really go far wrong.

The Thorn was good for the range of sizes and fittings (like longer or shorter top tube sizes) and it's worth visiting them to exploit this fully like I did. I could also have it built however I liked it, whichever components. The problem is that I think Thorns look quite, er, agricultural. Functionally great but not pretty.

The LHT I built myself so I also had whichever components I wanted. It fits well but there is less choice in sizes. The ride is a bit spritelier than the Nomad (but I can't comment on the Club Tour). It looks great in the flesh, lovely Truckachino colour.

Overall I'd go for the LHT, but like I said to start, both great bikes.

 

[numbnuts]

I've got the Thorn Club Tour lovely bike and I've done 20,000 miles and still smiling , the paint job (powder coating) is as bright now as it was brand new plus you can have short, medium or long top tubes so the size fits you better. As I have a damaged spine I went for a large frame with a short top tube fits me perfectly.

 

[oxford_guy]

Have you consider a Hewitt Cheviot or Cheviot SE? I have a Cheviot SE tourer and its got a lovely frame, Reynolds 725 main tubes, Reynolds 531 forks and polished stainless steel dropouts front and rear, plus all the braze-ons you could ever want....

 

[John the Monkey]

I built up an LHT this summer, and did a little tour of Belgium & France on it - it's now my commuting bike (first two days, and some more stuff about the bike are in my blog - see the "words" link in my sig).

It's cheaper than the Thorn (mine was £375, £350 for frameset, and the LBS prepped the BB shell and headtube & installed a headset for the extra £25) assuming I remember the prices correctly. I think it's a bit heavier than the Thorn too. What made my mind up in the end was being able to go and see the Surly (I have a dealer nearby) whereas I'd have had to buy the Thorn unseen.

 

[style over speed]

Another vote for the LHT, I liked mine so much (a green one) I bought a second one (cream coloured) that I fitted with north road bars and use as a commuter, its rather like this one:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2008/06/30/gallery-alans-surly-long-haul-trucker/

Also they've both got Big Apple tyres which gives an amazing ride, smooth and easy rolling.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I can recommend Dave Yates without reservation if you want a bespoke frame. He will build to your spec and makes the most comfy frames I have ridden. Fairly long wait list though.

 

[ricksavery]

Huge appreciation to everyone who has replied. I posted a similar question on the uk.rec.cycling newsgroup and nada, not a sausage.
Thanks for taking the time to respond in this forum.
numbnuts - intrigued by the different top tubes available on the Thorn Club Tour. I am 5'11" and have a 31 1/2" inside leg, which means I have a long torso to leg ratio. Normally take a 22" frame, but wonder whether a longer top tube would help reduce the scrunched-up feeling.
Thanks to Gerry Attrick and oxford_guy, but a bespoke frame is unfortunately out of my price range at the moment, or I would have gone down this road like a shot. Maybe in the future ...
Showing my ignorance here but John the Monkey mentioned the Surly needing the BB shell and headtube prepped. I have no idea what this means I'm afraid. Could you explain please so I know what to ask for if I order one?
If I haven't mentioned your moniker, no offence intended. I just had some specific comments. Thanks again to everyone. Great forum, and really helpful to a new guy.
I love the names BTW, I shall have to change mine!
Rick

 

[John the Monkey]

Showing my ignorance here but John the Monkey mentioned the Surly needing the BB shell and headtube prepped. I have no idea what this means I'm afraid. Could you explain please so I know what to ask for if I order one?

Not at all.

The headtube (the one that the fork steerer goes through) has to have parallell faces (the top and bottom surfaces) that are free of paint for the headset to fit properly. The bottom bracket shell (the short tube at the bottom of the frame that you fit your bottom bracket and cranks to) needs to have parallell left and right surfaces free of paint *if* you're fitting an external bearing crankset. (I didn't, I fitted a square taper in the end, although I was undecided when I ordered the frame).

The frame prep tools are expensive, as are the headset fitting tools, so its a good idea to get the shop to do these jobs for you. You can get away without doing the BB shell if you're fitting a square taper bottom bracket.

(Some argue that you can get away without BB facing in any case, as modern frames are manufactured precisely enough that scraping the paint off is all that's needed. As my Surly dealer (Sideways Cycles in Alsager) were prepared to do the work as part of supplying the frame, I couldn't see a downside to it).

 

[oxford_guy]

But wonder whether a longer top tube would help reduce the scrunched-up feeling.

Maybe, though I think the main reason they do long top tube versions of the frames is for those who want flat bars

Thanks to Gerry Attrick and oxford_guy, but a bespoke frame is unfortunately out of my price range at the moment, or I would have gone down this road like a shot. Maybe in the future ...

Just to clarify the Hewitt Cheviot frame I got was *not* bespoke (though you can get a bespoke version), its "off the peg", the prices for the frame only are £399 (Cheviot) and £599 (Cheviot SE)

The *build* I had was just a slight modification (mostly due to the Schmidt hub Dynamo and B&M lights) of the standard Cheviot SE spec...

 

[numbnuts]

numbnuts - intrigued by the different top tubes available on the Thorn Club Tour. I am 5'11" and have a 31 1/2" inside leg, which means I have a long torso to leg ratio. Normally take a 22" frame, but wonder whether a longer top tube would help reduce the scrunched-up feeling.

I’m 6 foot with a 32 inch leg and I have a long torso like yourself, but as I stated I have a damaged spine and I didn’t want a flat out riding position, I phoned Robin Thorn and gave him all my measurements leg, stand over arm ect and he came up with the large frame and short top tube, riding on the hoods gives me a lean of about 45 degrees from my waist and I find it very comfortable. It sounds like you could do with a large frame and long toptube, but I would phone up and ask him, or have a look on their web page and jot down the toptube measurements and then go to LBS and see how they compare with other bikes for size

 

[ricksavery]

Sorry oxford guy, my bad use of the word bespoke! Actually i didn't realise that they were off the peg, but looking again at the website I see what you mean.
They are good, but if I'm honest I'm kind of smitten by the LHT :-)

 

[ricksavery]

John the Monkey - my bike maintenance experience has been with frames from bikes already made-up and with threaded forks, so it just didn't occur to me the work needed to get a new frame ready to fit-out. I originally looked at the LHT at wiggle and at Triton cycles, and whilst I am waiting for Triton to give me a price for the extra work, I can't imagine wiggle doing it -it's not really what they are set up for.
Considering the extra money for getting this work done at a separate LBS plus the price of a headset and fitting, it might be better to get the frame from somewhere like Sideways cycles, as you did. It seems a reasonable price even considering the carriage to London.
I am not sure what a BB with an external bearing is so presumably I've never used one :-) and was intending to fit the one from my existing, but now broken, frame. it is a normal sealed square-taper type, so i presume from what you say that this should present no problems. Could you recommend a suitable headset (and/or adjustable stem), or would any really be suitable? I thought I was quite capable at bike maintenance, but after this I realise I don't know squat! All this modern equipment ! Probably because most of my bikes have been quite old or I have had them for a while. Sorry to pester you for information, but very gratefully received, as is everybody's

 

[ricksavery]

numbnuts - I don't really want a flat out riding position either, but the frame for the Club Tour will cost me £450 - admittedly this includes headset and seatpost, but this might be a bit rich for me. Also I love the look of the LHT

Apologies for all these long postings, but it's really good to get constructive advice. I don't know how to send these messages to individuals, so i have sent them to the thread with names at the top. Hope this is OK

 

[ricksavery]

Incidentally (blimey! he's off again) when it comes to choosing a stem and cutting the steerer tube, would it be better to leave it long until I have sorted out a comfortable height for the stem, then cut it (maybe the cap in the tube would be useless then) and use spacers, or cut it to the correct length for an adjustable stem without spacers ? Hope that make sense ?