Description The Long Haul Trucker is built, as you might expect, as a touring bike. But it does a lot of other stuff good too, like commuting, day trips, double centuries, and of course beer runs. We set it up wi...
Bike Setup: Stock. I use eggbeater pedals, and am replacing the saddle soon with a fizik arione, or san marco rolls.
Summary: (price included fitting)I decided to go on a bike tour. It has been a dream of mine for a while. I couldnt come to a decision on a bike-this site helped me so much.
I was going to go with the Trek 520, but then I did a little research on the surly, and I figured that it was pretty much the same bike and I went with the long haul. I am was, and still am happy with my choice.
I toured from seattle to san francisco. I traveled on average 8 hours a day.
Now it is my main mode of transportation.
drop by myspace.com/bpk to ask me any questions you have, I'll be glad to answer them.
Strengths: Looks great, feels great. Sturdy. Steel.
cheaper than competetion.
Weaknesses: Saddle.-get a new one..you have to.(and always use a chamois creame of some kind)
all the accessories you have to buy for the bike(but if you go on tour, you should expect that.)
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Bike Setup: LX/XT mountain bike drivetrain, mavic crossride rear wheel, bontrager somthhingorother front wheel, Brooks b17 (Best saddle in the universe) SKS P65's, Continental City Contacts (Awesome commuter tires) Raceface evolve seatpost, deus stem, Jandd Expedition Rack
Summary: I've been commuting on this bike for about a year. Went with the 54cm frame, I'm about 5'8, the fit is good. This is one solid bike. I love the long wheelbase, it's like driving a cadillac. An extremely stable bike, and I like that at 4:30 in the morning on my way to work when I haven't quite woken up yet. A bike that rides like this conserves so much energy on long rides because it just about steers istelf. It handles the turns just fine, you just have to put a little more effort into turning than a race bike. I've yet to strike a pedal around a corner yet as well, which is surprising because I like to accelerate out of corners. I built this bike as a commuter, mainly because of the low price for the frame, and I could use everything from an old mountain bike I had. I have another Surly, an Instigator, and after having that bike, I knew I couldn't go wrong with another Surly. There's really something about the geometry of their bikes I can't describe. They just ride right. I have it set up right now with some trekking bars from Harris Cyclery, but I'm going to put some drop bars on it soon. I like the trekking bars well enough, but they don't quite suit my city riding style. I like to be out on the sides of the bars for leverage, while having the brakes close at hand. You can't do that with the trekking bars. The trekking bars I think are more suited to actual touring, not commuting. I have standard mountain bike gearing right now, and well, I never use the small ring. Maybe if I were fully loaded I'd need to go there. I sometimes run out of gears going down steeper hills, but never on the flats. Maybe someday I'll go for some bigger rings on the front, but really it's not much of an issue. I absolutely love the versatility of this bike. If there's something made to bolt to a bike, this bike will accept it without compromise with all the braze-ons. (well maybe with exception to disc brakes). Just makes for a bike you can keep for a long time. The tire clearance is awesome, and makes fitting full fenders a snap. This bike can handle everything from beer runs to wandering fire roads. It's smooth and stable, and offers a better pedaling position than a mountain bike can on the road. I've loaded it up with 30 or so lbs of groceries, and hardly knew they were there. The heel clearance is also really nice that the long chainstays afford. I guess what it all boils down to is I really like the bike.
Strengths: Versatility, Comfortable, Smooth and Stable, Cheap!
Weaknesses: Where's the effin disc brake mounts?
The black cherry powdercoat chips quite easily, but just the outer layer.
Similar Products Used: I can't affort the similar products! And can't see dropping more coin in the name of vanity.
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: I bought this bike to replace my roadized mountain bike for around town riding and commuting. It’s actually a 2008 (not an option on the review page), although I don't think Surly has official model years. I got the complete bike rather than build a frameset, which works fine for me and saves $. So far, it's been an excellent ride. I'm not a bicycle sophisticate or a racer. Although it is supposed to be heavy and sluggish when unladden, it is much lighter and faster than my mountain bike, so I'm a happy camper. Much better riding position than the mountain bike and I like the drop bars better than I thought I would. Though the fork doesn't suck up bumps in the road as well as the suspension fork on the mountain bike (duh), overall the ride is smoother. It tows my trailer loaded with kids and other stuff like a champ (I suppose a bike named the "trucker" ought to). It looks great and is fun to ride.
Strengths: The Harley Road King of bicycles, which is to say that it is super comfy, can carry lots of weight, has traditional style, classic good looks, simple and reliable technology, and is built for distance riding, but is just as great around town. The frame awesome and I'm a steel believer now - the hype is true; the ride is great. The components are awesome - Surly speced the LHT much better than other manufacturers' tourers and even their own Cross Check. I love the crowned,lugged fork - don't know if it works any better or worse than a unicrown, but it looks much classier. Same with the canti brakes vs. V-brakes.
Weaknesses: Not wild about the bar end shifters, but if I never warm to them, then I suppose its easy to replace them with thumbies or DT shifters. Also like a Harley, this bike just begs to be accessorized and customized - I could easily drop five Benjamins outfitting this sucker with cool stuff. I may never actually be "done" trying different seats, handlebars, bags, baskets, etc. I'll love it, but my wallet (and wife) won't.
Similar Products Used: Test rode a Raleigh Sojourn, which I did like, but the Surly felt better and, to my eyes, looks better even though the Sojourn has all that Brooks goodness right out the box (maybe esthetics aren't a big deal to most people, but if I'm dropping a G on a bike, I might as well like to look at it.) Also, the Sojourn had lesser spec all around, except for the disc brakes, which I prefer not to fuss with. I also looked at Surly's Cross Check, which I'm sure I would have been very happy with as well. But, the LHT's more relaxed riding position, longer chainstay, and better drivetrain components sold me on it.
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Bike Setup: Campy Comp Triple w/ Corus shifters
Thomson post/stem
FSA Wing Pro bar
Brooks Flyer saddle & leather bar tape
Sun RynoLite 29er rims|centaur hubs|dt competition spokes (36 cross 3)
Continental Top Touring 700x32
Jandd rack
p-bike cascadia fenders
Summary: This bike is awesome. It is very stable when loaded descending. It is a comfortable ride even on rough roads (sprung saddle doesn't hurt this). It isn't very zippy but for long distances or short commutes were the goal is just to get there it is a joy to ride.
Strengths: Stability
Comfort
Upright riding position
Weaknesses: More torsional flex than I am use to when rocking the bike out of the saddle with loaded panniers.
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Bike Setup: I've set this bike up as a poor man's Rivendell Atlantis - Nitto Noodle bars, Nitto stem and seatpost, Sugino triple crank, bar end shifters, fenders, racks, Brooks B-17, et al. Mercy - what was I thinking prior to this?!?
Summary: Being in my 40s, overweight and out of shape, I explored the option of cycling as my exercise of choice, primarily for aerobic workouts while I experienced the freedom of cycling. After several bikes of different types, I've settled on the Surly LHT as my steed of choice. It's steel, and folks, steel is REAL. Nothing I've owned or ridden compares to the plush, smooth ride of this bike. It's hard to believe the difference in ride quality between this and aluminum or even carbon fiber. Mind you, this is NOT a go-fast bike - this is a bike you ride to enjoy scenery and comfort. It'll provide you with a sturdy and steady ride.
5 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
