Long Haul Trucker Cassette Question

[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.

[Catrin]

Checking the specs of the LHT, I find the following:

Front Derailleur Shimano Tiagra, FD-4403 triple
Rear Derailleur Shimano XT, RD-M761 SGS long cage
Cassette Shimano Deore, CS-HG53. 9-speed. 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34t
Crankset Andel, Forged arms, Silver. Aluminum rings, 110mm BCD, 48-36-26t

I understand from Catriona that this is a mountain bike rear cassette. Is this a full mountain bike setup, or something else? I hope my question is clear, this is new enough to me that it is hard to know how to word my question

I live in Indiana. Central Indiana is FLAT with the occasional bump they call a hill. However, there are places I really want to ride in southern Indiana that DO have hills, and of course there is also East Tennessee I already have a bike suited to Central Indiana, Stella is great for flat roads!

I am quite sure that the as-of-yet-unnamed LHT will also get to go on flat roads just for the sheer fun of long rides on a steel steed... so I just want to understand what the stock gearing is so I can make an informed decision on whether to keep the stock components or not.

Surly Pacer, thanks for your kind words (and everyone else). I made a good purchase with Stella, she is a great bike. I want, however, to understand more about what I am buying this time

[eofelis]

I think the LHT set up you described will be just fine for the riding you will be doing. You can always change things out in the future.

Personally, I think the complete LHT is the best deal out there for a complete touring bike. It has the nicest set up. I got my LHT frame before they offered a complete bike, but if I was shopping for a touring bike right now I'd get a complete LHT, no contest.

[Ritamarie]

So, Catrin... I'm wondering why the LHT over the CC?

I had originally called the LBS because I wanted to try the LHT but ended up with a Cross Check. What they told me is that the LHT is ideal for touring especially if you are going to load it down front and back. The CC can do lighter touring and will certainly handle rear panniers (not front panniers), but be more versatile for other things, a better all-rounder. When we tour, we always stay in hotels, so rear panniers are plenty. The CC is certainly a more solid bike than I've toured on before.

I'm sure others can comment on the comparison of the two better than I, but something to consider.

[KnottedYet]

That is a lovely range of gears. Good for going up hills with a loaded bike, and good for cruising at a nice pace with an unloaded bike on the flat.

It's easier to change chainrings and cassettes than you might think. I've done it on two of my bikes, it's no big deal and if you can't do the wrenching yourself it's not too expensive, either.

Take the stock (it's a very nice range) and ride it lots. Maybe you'll even ride the drivetrain to bits like Bikerhen did with her Surly LHT. (she did several thousand miles on it before that happened). You'll get a feel for how you like to ride, and maybe you'll want to tweak your gearing a bit a while later. It's simple to do. (cost me about $20 to pop a smaller chainring on my Surly CC, and that includes the cost of the ring)