Surly Love

[Catrin]

My SO and a friend of mine both just got the tan colored LHTs. The color is called Truckaccino. It's quite beautiful! My SO trimmed his bike out in black components and it looks fantasic with the tan color. I was kinda envious. My LHT is the old sage green color.

+1 on avoiding the carbon handlebars!

It is good to hear that the color looks better in person than online - when it comes to the images I like the green better. My fitter (who is also building my bike) and I decided to get the 46cm frame rather than the 42 and right now that is only available in the new Truckaccino color. If this is what I wind up with I will probably trim it in dark green

+1 on the non carbon handle bars. if you're fully loaded and touring..even if you use the kick stand you'd be surprised how fast a bike can topple over.

I don't see me doing fully loaded touring this year - I need to gain experience and bike-handling skills before I do that - but all the advice on the bars is appreciated. As I said earlier, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind until it was brought up here. Aluminum bars would still need replacing after a damaging fall/crash - but at least they do bend where carbon breaks.

I won't be getting a kickstand right away - I've noted Surly's strongly worded warning on their site about being careful with how they are attached to the LHT frame. I figure I don't need the kickstand until I put a rack on the bike and start carrying things other than me