Long Haul Trucker Cassette Question

[Catrin]

Checking out the specs for the Long Haul Trucker, the following is noted for the cassette:

Shimano Deore, CS-HG53. 9-speed. 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34t

Is this closer to road or mountain gearing? I don't yet understand the differences. My 7.6, of course, has road gearing. I think I would prefer disk brakes, but that isn't a deal breaker I DO like that they they include small hand brake levers on my size!

[Cataboo]

That's closer to mountain gearing.. Or rather, that is a mountain bike rear cassette... So it will be easier to get up hills. they do that with"touring bikes" because you're likely to be carrying weight on the bike and you need some smaller gears to be able to deal with that.

People that live in very hilly or mountainous areas sometimes put a mountain bike rear cassette on a bike as well.

If you look you at your trek and you count the teeth of the largest cog in the back, that'll tell you what size cassette you have - you probably have something like an 11-25 cassette. So the smallest gear you can get into on the back is a 25 tooth cog. The largest cogs they make for road bikes is 27 or 28 teeth (depending shimano or sram... there is a company that makes bigger cogs for road bikes, but then you usually have to change your rear derailleur to a mountain bike one and it's a third party company)

[Tuckervill]

I think this is a good one

[Chicken Little]

i think this is a good one

haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[bikerHen]

I think this is a good one

I have to admit that I just love some of those songs. Wolf Creek Pass is just about the funniest song ever! Convoy is a close second!

. . . back to the LHT, the 11-34 rear cassette is perfectly suited for touring. It will get you up and down a mountain pass in style. Definitly mountain gearing but that's what you want when your pedaling yourself and your gear over a 6000' mountain pass! bikerHen

[Catrin]

I have to admit that I just love some of those songs. Wolf Creek Pass is just about the funniest song ever! Convoy is a close second!

. . . back to the LHT, the 11-34 rear cassette is perfectly suited for touring. It will get you up and down a mountain pass in style. Definitly mountain gearing but that's what you want when your pedaling yourself and your gear over a 6000' mountain pass! bikerHen

Thanks - that is what I wanted to know! It also tells me that this would be the bike to take when I go to East Tennessee to visit my family - not my Trek 7.6

[eofelis]

I have full XT mtn bike gearing with an 11-34 cassette on my LHT. I live in Colorado. We have a few hills here. If you are going to do any climbing at all on a loaded bike, I recommend a mtn bike crankset with a 22-tooth chainring. I have used my lowest gears (22-34) many, many times, and not just on Red Mountain Pass (~11,000ft). My loaded bike weighs 75-80lbs. (I only weigh 110lbs.)

Some friends of ours just got complete LHT bikes and the Boy is helping them build them up. Then the Boy decided he wanted a complete LHT, so he ordered one. He swapped out a lot of parts and now has a full XT mtn bike set up on his too.

Happy to answer any LHT questions you have. Got 4 of them on hand here!


FWIW, I will be riding Wolf Creek Pass this June in the Bicycle Tour of Colorado (7 day road bike supported tour). We'll be riding it from Pagosa Springs. I've driven it in my car. It's a freakin' wall! gah. I have an 11-34 cassette on my road bike too! My low gear on it is a 30-34.