Long Haul Trucker, or ???

[weisan]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I'd rather walk than ride a LHT.

What if you are being chased by these pals and the only thing available to you is a LHT other than running as fast as you can?

[Smitty2k1]

Soma Fog Cutter has option of steel or carbon fork and is in stock, decent alternative to the Midnight Special: https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/pro...lean-blue-5616

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by weisan

What if you are being chased by these pals and the only thing available to you is a LHT other than running as fast as you can?

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Greenpea

I'll toss the Specialized Sequoia in the ring. Super stable and more rack mounts than I care to count. Clearance for 50mm Gravel King but the 42mm it comes with are really decent. It'll handle double track with ease and cruise on a rail trail all day long.

My mechanic crushes the gravel on one of these in steel.

[benb]

Originally Posted by woolly

I have a 56cm Long Haul Trucker (rim brake) frameset that I need to part with. It's a nice sage green & in good condition. I just have too many bikes & partially completed projects, and while it's technically in the ballpark fit-wise for me, I always found myself wishing it was just a tad smaller. I agree that they chose an odd size for the jump from 26" to 700c wheels. Some folks look down on Surly's in general, but I do think this model in particular is quite good for it's intended use.

Let me know if there's any interest & I'd be happy to see if we can work out a deal. It's been sitting in a box "ready for sale" for well over a year now, yet I haven't actively tried to sell it - that tells me I really don't *want* to get rid of it, even though I really *should*.

All City has/had this same odd ball sizing too.. my 58cm Space Horse is really too big for me. There's no 56 though, IIRC it's a 55. The 55 would likely be too small. And I run a more aggressive looking fit than what All City would advertise, I've probably got about 6cm of saddle to bar drop.

I have a zero-setback post on mine and a 90mm stem. It works fine, but a 56 or 57 would look a lot better. The 72.5 degree seat tube doesn't help here either. The zero-setback post is only needed with certain saddles that don't have great adjustment range.

[Spaghetti Legs]

For short to medium distance coffee rides, I’d think options are wide and variable. I have a New Albion Privateer for my single speed city bike with front basket, rear rack, fenders, dynamo lights. My wife does her short city commute on mid level 80’s steel Ross frame that she absolutely loves.

[TunaAndBikes]

Kona Roves comes to mind for a fun, relaxed do-it-all bike

[whateveronfire]

I owned a Salsa Casseroll and a Marrakesh both of which are marketed as more lively than the LHT. I love the way steel rides, but the "touring" bikes from QBP are--from my experience at least--not great daily bikes. My brother has a Vaya and it's a tank, but rides WAY better than either of the other Salsas.

Any of their "faster" bikes are a better choice. They'll still handle a load (so overbuilt).

FWIW, I've also owned a couple of Somas and I'd give them both a big "meh."

[tkbike]

Not sure how relevant this is, but my wife has a soma saga with 25000+ miles on it, 20000 loaded touring and 5000 shopping, commuting and brewery runs! For a $300 frame it’s a great deal. I also have a newer saga with about 10000 miles on it and a soma dcd with about 15000 miles which has been welded 3 times.
For us weight is irrelevant, wife 5’10” 120 and me 6’2” 155...but we never ride unladen!

[weisan]

Originally Posted by tkbike

Not sure how relevant this is, but my wife has a soma saga with 25000+ miles on it, 20000 loaded touring and 5000 shopping, commuting and brewery runs! For a $300 frame it’s a great deal. I also have a newer saga with about 10000 miles on it and a soma dcd with about 15000 miles which has been welded 3 times.
For us weight is irrelevant, wife 5’10” 120 and me 6’2” 155...but we never ride unladen!

That's incredible. Well done.

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by tkbike

Not sure how relevant this is, but my wife has a soma saga with 25000+ miles on it, 20000 loaded touring and 5000 shopping, commuting and brewery runs! For a $300 frame it’s a great deal. I also have a newer saga with about 10000 miles on it and a soma dcd with about 15000 miles which has been welded 3 times.
For us weight is irrelevant, wife 5’10” 120 and me 6’2” 155...but we never ride unladen!

It looks like Soma retired the Saga recently. Is there word on what they are going to replace it with?

[tkbike]

Originally Posted by tctyres

It looks like Soma retired the Saga recently. Is there word on what they are going to replace it with?

That kind of sucks, I know a ton of tourers still riding them! Budget steel touring bikes are disappearing fast!
My dcd is set up for loaded touring but not an optimal choice. I think the lht may be the last budget steel choice.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Eli Bingham

Black Mountain Cycles Road Plus would be an extremely excellent choice for this use case, and at (nearly) Surly prices. When I owned a 56cm (equivalent in Mike Varley sizing to a 58 or a 60), it weighed about 26 pounds fully built with fenders and rack and very little carbon.

If I may play matchmaker, maybe she would fit on the 56 BMC Road+ that commandcomm is selling in the classifieds?

[J.Higgins]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I'd rather walk than ride a LHT.

I've had a 26"-wheeled LHT, on which I rode from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Myrtle Beach, SC. I've also had an ECR, Troll, and a Disc Trucker with 700c wheels on it. All of which I've had the opportunity to take on tour.

Remove the ECR from this comparison, because the trip I took on it was 325 miles of dirt roads and bumpy-assed, unrepaired, and under-maintained New England back road.

That leaves the Troll and the two truckers.

The Troll and LHT both rolled on 26", so they make for a decent comparison. The Troll only outshined the LHT because the trip I took on the LHT was fully-loaded, and the Troll trip was done on pavement, but with a lighter loadout.

With all of this premise behind us, I can truthfully claim that the Disc Trucker in 700c is a completely different animal than the 26" LHT. It rolls easier, glides longer, and takes way less effort to keep forward motion in your life.

Make no mistake that these bikes are stout. They are designed for loaded travel on roads that are less than savory for any road bike. If I were to get a Surly for just bombing around and fun every day riding, I'd probably go with a Straggler or Midnight Special.

[Smitty2k1]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

If I may play matchmaker, maybe she would fit on the 56 BMC Road+ that commandcomm is selling in the classifieds?

That's a size too big at least. I'm 5'9" with loooong legs on the size 50. I would like a 53 though for the bigger triangle and a shorter stem

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