Review: Surly Long Haul Trucker

[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!

[eofelis]

Surlypacer,

I have been thinking about using Pauls Thumbies and inline brake levers. Is this something you would recommend? Can you tell us more about why you did this and the advantages?

Thanks,

-Sue

I really like the set up I have, even though my bars a bit crowded now. I had downtube shifters, I like the simplicity of them, but I felt unsteady reaching down to shift on a loaded bike. The Pauls thumbies were expensive, $50, but I really wanted to try them.

I'll go take some pictures of my set up:






My bf put them on the bike for me. He had to stagger them on the bars to make them fit the right way for me. The left shifter is moved inboard and angled down to make room for the cable of the right shifter. He cleverly put noodles from V-brakes on the cables to bend them and set the cables where he wanted them.

I really like the inline brake levers too. These are just sale-table Specialized levers. They work the V-brakes well. I have the same exact model levers on my Pacer and they work the road caliper brakes well too. On longs descents where I like to go slow, it's nice to have the 'cross levers. My hands get tired always pulling the aerolevers.

I can have my hands up on the flat part of the bars and brake and shift. Sometimes the loaded bike can get squirrely, especially if it's windy, and it's nice to be able to keep me hands on the bars at all times. I get a bit wobbly on climbs and now I can shift down on climbs with out reaching down and upsetting my balance even more.

I feel that this set up enhances my comfort and safety on the bike.

I saw a set up like mine on a blue LHT someone posted to crazyguyonabike. I don't recall who it was.

[eofelis]

Sorry about the late reply, I did not see your post until today. I think the LHT is great for short and long rides. It is my only bike. Check out the Surly users group and you will see post after post of great rides with the LHT.

The Cross Check is a bit more nimble but depending upon how small you are, it may not work. When I began looking, I wanted a Cross Check but the smallest frame was simply too large for me. I am 5'3".

-Sue

I love the CC too, but the 72cm standover on the 42cm model was just too tall for me. The Pacer and the LHT have a 70cm standover. My bf has a CC as his tourer and it's a neato-bike.

[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...

[KnottedYet]

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

Nahhhh, you'd have no problem! Your first 3 fingers and thumb maintain their grip on the drop, and you shift with the heel of your hand and pinky.

[pakinmd]

I have been riding my LHT for about 1 1/2 years now and I really love it. I rarely ride the carbon bike (Trek Pilot 5.2) much anymore. I just built out a Rawland Sogn, to use as a commuter. It has 650 B wheels which seem to be both faster and more able to handle rough stuff than the 26" wheels on my Surly. It's shod with Grand Bois Hetres (650B 42) and I took it on a 34 mile dirt / gravel ride. I still love the Surly, but I love the Sogn even more - a true all-rounder. For pics, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/pakinmd/RawlandSogn# BTW - I got used to bar end shifters, and really like them.

[Cataboo]

I have been riding my LHT for about 1 1/2 years now and I really love it. I rarely ride the carbon bike (Trek Pilot 5.2) much anymore. I just built out a Rawland Sogn, to use as a commuter. It has 650 B wheels which seem to be both faster and more able to handle rough stuff than the 26" wheels on my Surly. It's shod with Grand Bois Hetres (650B 42) and I took it on a 34 mile dirt / gravel ride. I still love the Surly, but I love the Sogn even more - a true all-rounder. For pics, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/pakinmd/RawlandSogn# BTW - I got used to bar end shifters, and really like them.

That looks great... I really like that the xs & s uses a 73 degree seat angle.

[twin]

I am posting the newest version of my LHT and my twins LHT. Someone asked me to post them and its finally done and it took long enough. My LHT has been changed due to a partial shoulder replacement and I have ridden short rides and it is fun. Short because I do not have doctors permission yet. lol