Surly Long Haul Trucker?

whitepomfret

Hi! Thanks for all your input. They've been v helpful.

I just saw a LHT frame & fork set today for about USD360, my first time here in Singapore. Chromoly bikes are not easy to come by here. It's practically all gone alu and carbon, if it ain't an el-cheapo steel from Carrefour (WalMart equivalent).

I've been looking round for a tourer/commuter for quite a while. Been riding my Trek 7300FX as a daily workhorse, and then stumbled across a German Hercules (circa 'mid-70s?) in Perth in excellent condition and brought it back. It rides beautifully even at strolling pace, but the chainstays are short. Much like a city commuter with a very upright riding position, rather than a tourer. An nice vintage, but my search for a smooth steel feel with a touring posture still goes on.

So my discovery today's been really exciting. :-D Judging by this thread and others on the web, the LT seems to fit the bill. To save some cash, I'm considering transferring as much of the components from my Trek over. This will give me a comfy frame worthy of upgrading as the years go by. The components are Deore RD, Nexave FD, and crank/chainring set, Deore rear hub, with 11-32 8-cassette, Alex 32 rims 35 x 700C, Bontrager riser crowbar with I think, Doeore shifters. Generic brake handles with XT V-brakes, fenders, and of course, my comfy Brooks B17 Champion ;-)].

The chap selling the Surly LHT is not my LBS (who's a Trek, Marin, Lemond agent). They're located out of my usual way; I've read about them but this is my first time visiting them. They are steel bike enthusiasts; the only ones in Singapore with guts enough to focus, I reckon. They said that they would be able to put it all together for me with the Surly Nice fore'n'aft racks for no more than US$520. They seem honest. It's just that I'm not sure if that's all I need to spend.

I'd appreciate opinions and insight from anyone with experience in shifting components from an alu bike to a steel.

Thanks heaps!

daveornee

Is the Long Haul Trucker frame size that fits you best sized for 700C wheels?
I don't see any issues with transferring any of the components you have. Check the wear of the cassette (& chain rings) as you will be needing a new chain to handle the longer chain stays. Get the best housings and cables that they have as the rest of the bicycle will give you lots of km and years of good riding.
Let us know how it turns out for you.

__________________
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

whitepomfret

Thanks for the advice on the chain and cables, Dave. I didn't think of them.

The size is probably right ... though I might be cutting it close. According to the surly site, the S/O height for a 60cm frame is 849.7mm. Barefoot, I've just cleared it at about 860mm. :-P Yes it might be a slightly larger frame, as my trek's a 58cm hybrid. It should fit me a bit more comfortably ... I think!

The cassette's OK (approx 1000kms on them), I reckon the chain rings probably need to be changed (just over 4000kms). Of course the chains need to be changed to a longer length (they're abt 1000km old only).

How different will average cables and housing be from better ones? I've never really thought about that. My stock cables have always served me well. No seizings and interrupted operations. But I can see the value in doing it right first time in a transfer.

Cheers!
theo

coppershark

Crikey, S/O height is 849.7mm. This is metric conversion gone feral! What's wrong with 850mm?

0.3mm is bee's dick* stuff.

Mike

* bee's dick = an old Australian measure equal to very small, i.e a chippy may say that the piece of wood that he has just cut is a bee's dick too long!

Mike