Review: Surly Long Haul Trucker

[shorty]

Just had a 42 surly cross check built up - what a fantastic bike - just thought I would join the surly love in!

[KnottedYet]

Love my 52cm Surly Cross Check.

[Zen]

I have been thinking for some time now that I bought the wrong bike.
the Pilot fits great and is a nice bike for someone who wants to go fast but that's definitely not me.
One of the guys in my bike club has a Jamis Aurora I admire, I think I'll have a look at the LHT even though I don't have any money. maybe I can get one on a contingency basis.

[KnottedYet]

I used to be wild for the Jamis Aurora.

But for a hundred more there is the Surly Cross Check.

And a few hundred more is the Surly Long Haul Trucker.

check the component packages. The Surly frames are gorgeous, but the components are different. (bar end shifters on the Surly completes, for example)

I love the bar end shifters, and the brake levers on the CC are just so incredibly comfortable.

[eofelis]

I have a 42cm LHT in the sage green, which I like. I also have a 42cm Pacer. They are both sweet rides!

[TxDoc]

I love the bar end shifters, and the brake levers on the CC are just so incredibly comfortable.

Does that mean bar end shifter on the Surly? So on a bike that is not a time trial bike? I only have bar end shifter on the TT bike and I did not even know that they were normally used elsewhere...

Where do you put your bar end shifters then - at the end of regular road handlebars? And if so, what is the advantage over integrated brake levers/shifters or downtube shifters? Do you have a picture so I can see how they work?
Thanks!

[KnottedYet]

Does that mean bar end shifter on the Surly? So on a bike that is not a time trial bike? I only have bar end shifter on the TT bike and I did not even know that they were normally used elsewhere...

Where do you put your bar end shifters then - at the end of regular road handlebars? And if so, what is the advantage over integrated brake levers/shifters or downtube shifters? Do you have a picture so I can see how they work?
Thanks!

Isn't it cool the way technology for one style of bike can so easily swoop over onto another style of bike? That's one of the things I love about bikes; you can mix and match to your heart's content!

Bar-end shifters were a great advance after crotch-skewering stem mounted shifters came along, but they really got swept under the rug by brifters. The advantage over downtube shifters is that the lever is right there at the end of the bar and you don't have to let go of the bar to shift. I like them more than brifters because they are friendlier to my weak hands. They also mesh nicely with any brand of derailleur, and they are a gazillion dollars cheaper than brifters. And very easy to fix yourself.

I keep mine on friction mode on my Surly, I like the finesse given by friction. She now has a Campy front der and a Shimano rear der, no compatibility issues. My Giant with downtube shifters is kept on index mode, cuz there ain't NO finesse in Knot flailing around with one hand. My Waterford has Campy brifters, which I like quite a lot, but even though they are smallish Athenas they can be a bit awkward for my weenie hands. (She has two different brands of derailleur, too... I like to mix and match, and the Campy Athenas let me do that just fine.)

If you look at the Surly website you can see the barcons pretty well on some of the bike pictures. http://surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html and http://surlybikes.com/lht_comp.html are pretty good pictures. My CC has moustache bars now, and the brake levers and barcons switched over seamlessly. I don't have a picture of that, sorry.

[TxDoc]

If you look at the Surly website you can see the barcons pretty well on some of the bike pictures. http://surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html and http://surlybikes.com/lht_comp.html are pretty good pictures.

They look cool - although I'm quite sure that if I were to try those I'd fall on my face right away...

[Yen]

I have been thinking for some time now that I bought the wrong bike.
the Pilot fits great and is a nice bike for someone who wants to go fast but that's definitely not me.
.....

It's not me either. I bought a Roubaix Expert and, while it's a beautiful, fast, light bike, it's too fast/light for me. I feel like I'm riding a crystal vase on wheels. Riding over gravel trails is like using the fine china in the brick patio. Today I put a deposit on a Surly LHT, size 54cm (I'm a little over 5'8"). Now I'm trying to figure out which parts to swap for what (saddle and bars, pedals, etc.).

[divingbiker]

It's not me either. I bought a Roubaix Expert and, while it's a beautiful, fast, light bike, it's too fast/light for me. I feel like I'm riding a crystal vase on wheels. Riding over gravel trails is like using the fine china in the brick patio. Today I put a deposit on a Surly LHT, size 54cm (I'm a little over 5'8"). Now I'm trying to figure out which parts to swap for what (saddle and bars, pedals, etc.).

Wow, Yen, what a journey you've had finding a bike that works for you. I love your analogies. What are you going to do with the Roubaix?

I'll be curious to see how you like the LHT. Hope things are good over on the BF50+. I haven't been there in a while.

[elk]

yeah...I have an Aurora. I liked the Surly too, but the Aurora just fit me better.


don't forget the Trek 520. Sweet bike if the reach isn't too much...it has a long wheel base for loaded touring and thus a longer reach.

I DO love my Jamis....

[Clare]

I don't post often,....well hardly at all,...but I like to read this forum for the great information and wisdom that comes from the awesome people on this site...

anyways...I Love my Long Haul Trucker!!!! I have a bike addiction problem. I have five bikes. Two of which I don't ride, one to eventually sell....( an extra small specialize sequoia espert) and a 1990's trek mountain bike. I also ride a specialize Ruby Expert and a Specialize full supension mtn bike. Now, the Ruby is light and so quick and responsive...BUT the LHT is so steady and COMFORTABLE. I am slower on the LHT but i feel, oh so much better riding my Surly Q (her name) than I do riding my Ruby. I think that maybe I should sell the Ruby, too.

So..just another good word for the Surly...this bike is one comfortable ride!

[pakinmd]

First of, I'm not female - I hope my thought are welcome here.
Zen wrote that she has a Pilot and wanted is looking at a "touring" style bike. I too have a Pilot, my first really nice bike - I love it. However, when I got my Surly LHT, it became my daily ride. I use it for commuting (16 miles into Washington DC) club rides, shopping, day tours, and I hope to do my first solo tour from Maryland to North Carolina with it. The LHT is ALOT heavier than the Trek, but what the hey - with a low gear of 46 gear inches, I might be able to ride it up a wall if I could just stay on. It was built up by my LBS, from a pretty "black cherry pearl" frame.
It is certainly not my fast bike, but the ride is stable, gentle but responsive. I am a heavy guy at 240 lbs but w/ short legs (29" inseam) so I have the 54 cm with 26" wheels. I had the wheels built up as 36 spokes with XT hubs, and I use a Brooks Flyer (springs). I also added shiny chromed steel fenders.
The Aurora is also a nice steel bike - I can't think you'll be unhappy with either so long as it fits.
Paul

[Yen]

Wow, Yen, what a journey you've had finding a bike that works for you. I love your analogies. What are you going to do with the Roubaix?

I'll be curious to see how you like the LHT. Hope things are good over on the BF50+. I haven't been there in a while.

Wow, you have an excellent memory! Yes, it's been a journey. I plan to keep the Roubaix. It's a very nice bike, but I wouldn't consider it an all-purpose bike for me. For someone else I'm sure.... just not for me.

[Beane]

My husband was recently looking for a 'cross bike and considered the surly cross check, but in the end he decided to go with a used gunnar. The main reason is that the surlys are made from straight gauge chinese steel instead of reynolds 853 or true temper ox platinum. Another very competitively priced option is the Soma doublecross, which is made from Tange prestige tubing. The main issue with straight gauge compared to butted is that it is not as strong or light. Just something to think about.