Surly Love

[Catrin]

Oh, yeah! Love that self-enforced waiting period! I made myself wait a week and take my Surly CC for a second test ride before I bought her.

That was one heck of a tough week... whew!

hehehe, such is the way of things - and I am waiting for 3 weeks I know me when I really really want something. The choice isn't for/against the LHT, but between standard/custom - so that requires a longer self-enforced waiting time

[Cataboo]

$640 for an upgraded drive train might be worth it - I'm not sure whether handbuilt wheels'll make a difference, but maybe you can ask them to spec stock wheels vs. the built ones. That may cut down the difference.

If you tell us what upgrades there are to the drivetrain/shifters, we could probably tell you whether it's worth it or not... If the upgrades result in a considerably lighter bike, they might definitely be worth it..

Do you need another crank length than stock anyways? If so, that's an upgrade you'd've had to do... Youd have probably had to switch out the handlebars and saddle from stock to match your shoulders, maybe even the stem...

Upgrading bikes if you're doing it by yourself one by one can be not so expensive... however, if you need to have a bike shop do the work, it does add up.

[Catrin]

$640 for an upgraded drive train might be worth it - I'm not sure whether handbuilt wheels'll make a difference, but maybe you can ask them to spec stock wheels vs. the built ones. That may cut down the difference.

If you tell us what upgrades there are to the drivetrain/shifters, we could probably tell you whether it's worth it or not... If the upgrades result in a considerably lighter bike, they might definitely be worth it..

Do you need another crank length than stock anyways? If so, that's an upgrade you'd've had to do... Youd have probably had to switch out the handlebars and saddle from stock to match your shoulders, maybe even the stem...

Upgrading bikes if you're doing it by yourself one by one can be not so expensive... however, if you need to have a bike shop do the work, it does add up.

I have someone checking out the differences between the two specs for me - and I do not at this time have the mechanical skill, space, or tools to do the upgrades myself. The handlebars, stem, and saddle have to be upgraded anyway for fit and/or weight. When I have a better understanding on what is actually ON the list (right not it is a list of parts - some of which I can figure out - some are not) and how they differ from the stock build I will post it here. Thanks for the suggestion!

I've checked with my builder to see what difference the price would be if we used machine-made wheels with XT hubs rather than hand-made wheels. He is going to get back with me after doing some research. Apparently he cannot get the same wheel that Surly uses in the complete build, that is only available with the full Surly package.

As agonizing as all of this is (I want my new bike NOW), this is still a lot of fun

[Catrin]

I went to one of our LBS today to check out the Long Haul Trucker in person. Ok, so it was a size 54cm, all I COULD do was to look at it, and try to imagine it much smaller but it was fun. It was the tan color, and while I would take that if I've no choice, I do hope that I can get either the blue or sage green,

A beautiful bike is about more than color though, and I was itching to get on it and test it out...take it home and call it mine, LOL. I do think that I will be happy with whichever build I wind up purchasing on March 17th

[Cataboo]

I checked to make sure that the front rack that I bought for my surly pacer works today. So, the surly's gonna double for my touring bike until I build up something else at some point.

But the wheels I got for my surly pacer are these ones:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-Mavic-A7...item58864d405a

XT hubs, 36 spokes, mavic a719 rim.

That seller fairly frequently has them on ebay, and sometimes has them on auction - I waited for auctions & lucked out and got one set for about $90 shipped after I damaged the rims on the first set I bought dropping down into a parallel grate in the road - I think that set was like $160 shipped in auction.

I don't know if the long haul trucker in your size has 26 inch wheels or 700c.

But depending on what they're quoting for handbuilt wheels vs stock wheels, that seller might be an option.

[Catrin]

I don't know if the long haul trucker in your size has 26 inch wheels or 700c.

But depending on what they're quoting for handbuilt wheels vs stock wheels, that seller might be an option.

Thanks for the link - the two small LHT sizes takes 26-inch wheels.

Another option for me might be to just take the complete Surly build and just upgrade bars and saddle for now. That would still be more than the $1004 + tax (spring sale), but rather less than the +$1,600 Thankfully there is time to consider all of my options

Does anyone know the difference between these two cranksets?

Andel, Forged arms, Silver. Aluminum rings, 110mm BCD, 48-36-26t (Surly build)
and
Shimano Sora FC3403 50-39-30t 9-Speed 170mm 2-Piece Crankset (custom build)

Also

Front Derailleur Shimano Tiagra, FD-4403 triple (Surly build)
and
Tiagra FD4503 9spd Trpl 31.8/28.6mm Front Der (custom build)

[OakLeaf]

Can you use 170 mm cranks, or are you going to have to swap them out for shorter ones regardless? What does your fitter say about that?