First ride on the Surly LHT- anniversary celebration ride

[azfiddle]

So I gave in to temptation Sunday and bought a 2010 Surly LHT on Sunday at the Tucson bike swap meet. The man I purchased it from bought it from the original owner, who really didn't ride it. The bar end shifters were apparently chewed on by her dog, but otherwise, it's in near pristine condition. I traded my Nishiki mixte and $700 for it... The guy said it was 46 cm but the frame says 26-42 - does that mean it's actually 42 cm?

After riding it around the neighborhood I raised the seatpost, and took off the awful saddle and put on my really worn Jett saddle (I need to find another one!), and pushed it forward as far as it will go. I was having trouble shifting into the smallest chain ring, and took the bike over to the closest shop. It's a Performance Bikes shop, but we are very friendly with the assistant manager, a really sweet guy originally from Brazil. He took a look and adjusted the derailleurs, moved the hoods more where I wanted them and got rid of a noise in the hub. He figured out a way to bend the spot on the fender that was rubbing on the lowest gear. He spent about 45 minutes on it (the shop was pretty quiet) and wouldn't take any $$ for it. I asked him "beer or cookies?". He's opting for cookies.

So for her maiden voyage, my husband and I took our bikes to Saguaro NP to ride the 8 mile loop under the full moon for our anniversary (29 years!). It's my first experience with bar end shifters and I kept saying to myself - up is easier for the (rear) and down is easier for the front. The hill on the back side of the loop gets up over 9% but it was super easy with the granny gears. Slow though- like 4 mph in the lowest gear. We rode slowly and just enjoyed being together. We stopped a lot and listened for owls (Elf Owl and Great Horned) and spotted a Lesser Nighthawk but no Poorwills. A moth that was attracted to my husband's front light got scooped up by a bat. The moon was gorgeous, but we didn't stay out to watch the eclipse There was literally no one else out there- the ranger locked the gate and did his final check as we were just going in to the park. (Pedestrians and bikes are allowed in after the gates lock). It was a really sweet first ride.

I felt pretty comfortable on it but I still feel stretched out. I'm going to try to turn the seat post around to get closer to the bars (I did that on the Ruby as well). I might need to raise the saddle just a bit more. The bars are 40 cm wide, but I'm used to 38 cm on my other bike and I notice the difference, but I think I can live with it for now. So with just those few tweaks I'm hoping I will feel completely comfortable on it and we hope to take a one night overnight this weekend. It's hard to figure out where we can go because my husband has to work on Saturday until 3, and we have to be home by 4 on Sunday. So that means not much more than 40 miles each way.

I'll post a pic later.

[colorisnt]

That's a great way to celebrate. I brought the new ride out for my BF's birthday ride and it worked well. There's nothing better in my opinion than spending time with him out on the road or trail. We've had so many fun times out this year already and it's just beginning!

I hope you figure the seat out. I need to adjust mine before our ride tonight because it's too far up. I need to push it back.

We're also having the same issue with mileage this weekend. The BF just changed jobs and may have to work on Saturday, which means we may not have much time for our "long" ride. And then, there's easter.

[Pax]

Sounds like a beauty of a ride! Happy anniversary!

[rebeccaC]

congrats on the bike and anniversary!!!!!! Surly refers to a 42 as a 26 42 so it would seem to be a 42. Sounds like a great maiden voyage in a great area!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Wow, very cool! I remember looking into LHTs awhile back, and the 42cm was quite large, I thought, and I normally ride a 46-47 cm frame, so good thing it wasn't a 46 cm if indeed you're about my size.

How fun to ride the Saguaro NP loop under the full moon. I bet that was glorious!

And congratulations on your anniversary -- we're coming up on our 29th next month.

[azfiddle]

Emily, I think it definitely feels bigger than my 44 cm Ruby. I think I can make it work though, by turning the seat post around to get closer.

It was lovely up there at at SNP. We try to do a moonlight ride 3 or 4 times a year, when it's warm enough.

[Boudicca]

Awesome!

(And I am jealous of moonlight rides. Never tried that one.)

[Catrin]

I lOVED my LHT, congratulations on the maiden voyage!

[hulagirl]

Funny you post this…my husband wants to get rid of his LHT! :-)

He calls it the "Caddy" as it has a long, low, stretched out feel to it. It's a heavy beast of a touring bike and once it's going, it's like riding a stretch limo. Hope you get it to work!