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Thread: Surly Love

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet View Post
    Now I'm really confused. I thought you were getting the LHT? That comes in a dark cream or a blue frame. http://surlybikes.com/frames/long_haul_trucker_frame/

    Not olive nor brown.

    The Cross Check comes in brown, and yeah that's not my favorite color. http://surlybikes.com/frames/cross_check_frame/ Though I've seen a few brown CC in town, and they look fine.

    Which bike are you having built?
    The complete, standard Surly LHT package comes in either blue or a tan (looks brownish to me). Just to order a frame for building up, however, my is is currently only available in an olive green or the same tan/cream you mentioned. That may change by March 18 when I place my order.

    I was surprised about the olive as well, and I like the color - it is a very earthy dark green that looks great. I might like that better than the blue for this particular bike. Time will tell what is available in my size when we place the order.

    I've attached an image of the "olivine" LHT frame - I can't seem to post an actual image properly.

    I followed your link, and the LHT tan is better than the CC brown
    Last edited by Catrin; 10-17-2010 at 03:56 PM.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
    For some reason the idea of the bar end shifters do have me nervous (my trainer wants me to stick with trigger-shifters if possible). I am assuming that I can, basically, just move my hand down the bar until I get to the shifter? I hope that made sense
    .
    You can always powder coat a frame if you don't like the color. You can also dress up brown with some bright accessories - flashy tires, handlebar tape, whatever.

    Trigger shifters are going to be hard on a long haul trucker because there's only a few handlebars that you really can use them on... flat bars, flat bars with risers, soma sparrows, and trekking/butterfly bars. All of which have somewhat limited hand positions and you're probably not going to want in the long run for a long tour. You can put the bar end shifters on pauls thumbies like surly pacer showed if you want to have a more trigger shifter like setup.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catriona View Post
    You can always powder coat a frame if you don't like the color. You can also dress up brown with some bright accessories - flashy tires, handlebar tape, whatever.

    Trigger shifters are going to be hard on a long haul trucker because there's only a few handlebars that you really can use them on... flat bars, flat bars with risers, soma sparrows, and trekking/butterfly bars. All of which have somewhat limited hand positions and you're probably not going to want in the long run for a long tour. You can put the bar end shifters on pauls thumbies like surly pacer showed if you want to have a more trigger shifter like setup.
    Cool, thanks for all of the information I knew that there was some reason not to head that route but it is nice to see it spelled out. I did ask the guy who is putting my kit together if trigger shifters are an option - but I told him to leave the bar-end shifters in my kit.

    Now that I saw the CC brown frame, all of a sudden the tan/cream LHT looks much better
    Last edited by Catrin; 02-24-2010 at 08:19 AM.

  4. #19
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    Okay, I am really, really, really hesitant to say this, and I extra hate to be the first one to say it after I've let a day go by hoping someone else would.

    But I just don't think carbon handlebars are a good idea for a non-racer.

    If the only bars that really fit you don't come in alloy, well, then, by all means go for it.

    But. Not only because you're a new rider, because anyone can tip over. Carbon tends to be fragile, and unlike a frame, in a crash or even a low-speed tip-over, handlebars tend to take the uncushioned brunt of it. Break your handlebars and you may be able to limp the bike home very carefully with one brake, or it may be completely unrideable. Break them on a tour and you're SOL.

    JMO. And let me reiterate that I do not believe that crashing or even tipping over is inevitable, and I strongly object to people who say that it is (because I think that puts an idea into people's heads that make them not work as hard to avoid crashing). That's why I hated to be the one to say it. But if you crash or tip over, you want to minimize the damage to your bike as well as your body. I wouldn't have them on my bike, and that's the reason.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  5. #20
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    I personally like the brown CC frame. It's kind of a chocolate peanut butter. Then again, I love brown. I think dark green accents would look really nice on a tan LHT. Regardless of color, it's a good-looking bike. Congrats!

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
    Okay, I am really, really, really hesitant to say this, and I extra hate to be the first one to say it after I've let a day go by hoping someone else would.

    But I just don't think carbon handlebars are a good idea for a non-racer.

    If the only bars that really fit you don't come in alloy, well, then, by all means go for it.

    But. Not only because you're a new rider, because anyone can tip over. Carbon tends to be fragile, and unlike a frame, in a crash or even a low-speed tip-over, handlebars tend to take the uncushioned brunt of it. Break your handlebars and you may be able to limp the bike home very carefully with one brake, or it may be completely unrideable. Break them on a tour and you're SOL.

    JMO. And let me reiterate that I do not believe that crashing or even tipping over is inevitable, and I strongly object to people who say that it is (because I think that puts an idea into people's heads that make them not work as hard to avoid crashing). That's why I hated to be the one to say it. But if you crash or tip over, you want to minimize the damage to your bike as well as your body. I wouldn't have them on my bike, and that's the reason.
    I was contemplating saying something... but, I use carbon handlebars on 2 of my bikes and I'm definitely not a racer. However, I don't have them on what's probably the closest thing to my touring rig (my commuter, surly pacer). They make a huge difference in my ability to ride without wrist pain/numbness for longer distances which is something I really don't do with my surly anyways.

    My surly has a tendancy to topple over a lot because it hates me and 'cause there's often weight in the panniers that pulls it over.

    I haven't really crashed either of the bikes with carbon handlebars on them - one of the bikes is carbon and has carbon wheels, so the handlebars are the least of my worries in a crash for that matter... But, the bikes have toppled over before and I haven't had the handlebars break.

    So it's a non-standard choice for a touring bike - but I'm not sure how much actual touring Catrin is planning yet?

  7. #22
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    Oak Leaf - thanks for speaking up. I spoke to my LBS on this and we decided to go with aluminim for now. He said that it would have to be a pretty hard hit to damage it, but carbon would break where aluminum would bend. I had not even thought about that - but I do know someone who will look over the final specs for me before I commit myself.

  8. #23
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    I hesitated to say anything about the carbon bars... but I'm glad Oakleaf brought it up.

    (I'm quite a "steel is real" kind of gal, and hesitate to push my bias onto a new rider)
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

  9. #24
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    +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 have had issues with that, but my bike doesn't have as long of a wheel base etc. like a LHT is. Those things are amazing touring machines for sure.

    Congrats on the new bike!

  10. #25
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    Jul 2005
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    western Colorado
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    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!
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  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by surlypacer View Post
    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

    Quote Originally Posted by radicalrye View Post
    +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

  12. #27
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    Catrin,

    Glad you've found your bike and it sounds great. How exciting!
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  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
    I figure I don't need the kickstand until I put a rack on the bike and start carrying things other than me
    I have a rack and carry quite a lot of things other than myself, and I don't use a kickstand. None of my bikes have kickstands.

    One of my bikes fell over its one-legged kickstand in a very un-pretty way. I took it off and will not put one on a bike again.

    If you really want a kickstand look into the two-legged ones.
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet View Post
    I have a rack and carry quite a lot of things other than myself, and I don't use a kickstand. None of my bikes have kickstands.

    One of my bikes fell over its one-legged kickstand in a very un-pretty way. I took it off and will not put one on a bike again.

    If you really want a kickstand look into the two-legged ones.
    This is good to know, I DID note that the Surly site was very strong in their recommendation to not use one on the LHT in particular due to the possibility of ruining the frame. Apparently there is a kind that is positioned more to the rear, though of course only useful if you only load on the rear.

    I did put one on my 7.6, I have regretted that since but the LBS talked me out of removing it the other day - they just sawed off part of the length. Time will tell if it stays...

  15. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
    Apparently there is a kind that is positioned more to the rear, though of course only useful if you only load on the rear.
    A kickstand isn't necessary to load a bike.
    The location of the stand isn't really about the load.

    A loaded bike is even more likely to topple, and while you are loading it the bike wiggles and is even MORE likely to topple.

    Try learning to manage the bike without a kickstand at first. It will give you a feel for the balance points and inertia of the bike, which will help you decide later about kickstands.
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

 

 

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