If you’ve ever dreamed of setting off on a bike trip with all of your camping gear then you’ve been bitten by the touring bug. While you can do this on almost any bike, a specialty touring bike like the Surly long Haul Trucker (LHT) makes everything so much easier. You don’t go to the Indy 500 in a pick up truck and you would help your friend move in your 2 seater sports coupe. Bikes are the same way.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is special purpose touring bike that will also do able duty as a commuter and grocery getter. Built from tough cromoly steel, the frame and fork are designed to take a beating. This is the kind of toughness you need if you get many miles from civilization. Quality steel is the best option for a touring bike as it has the properties of high fatigue resistance, impact resistance and great ride quality. As is the case with all Surly frames the welds are very clean and the finish is very durable. The color options aren’t fancy but that’s not what they are going for. Surly is all about function over fashion. Depending on your taste, the clean, utilitarian look is very attractive in it’s own right. The LHT is at home crossing Canada or getting lost on the back roads of a third world country.

The geometry is optimized to be a stable ride with a heavy load. Long chain stays increase stability and give you more heal clearance if you are running extra large panniers. Laid back geometry and a long headtube create a fit that is comfortable for all day riding, day after day. There is a lot of tire clearance so you can bigger tires for more grip and comfort if you are on rough dirt roads and trails. It has cantilever mounts so you can run either cantilever brakes or v-brakes but be sure to mate the brake with the right brake lever.

Beyond the geometry and construction, what makes the Long Haul Trucker stand out is the details:

It’s has front and rear braze-ons for racks and fenders.
3 Water bottle cage mounts.
Beefy drop-outs to resist wheel twist and bent derailleur hangers.
Standard sizing for all parts such as seatpost, bottom bracket and headset.
A spare spoke holder on the non-drive side chainstay.
Studs on the frame so you can run downtube shifters, barcons or integrated shifter brake levers.
When it comes to the actual ride, the Long Haul Trucker likes to hold a straight line. It turns when you want it to but it doesn’t require a lot of attention to keep it tracking straight. You would think it would be hard to handle a bike with 60 lbs of gear on it but the LHT handles beautifully full loaded. The ride quality is very smooth even over the roughest road. But on the downside, this stability comes at a price. Even unloaded, this isn’t a fast bike. It wasn’t designed to be but if you hop on it after riding your road bike it will feel like a bus. It covers the miles efficiently enough but doesn’t feel fast.

My only complaint about the Long Haul Trucker is the lack of disc brake option. While not something you would want when touring in less developed countries due to the availability of parts it would be a nice option for touring in North America and Europe.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is available as a complete bike or frameset to be built how ever you like. All sizes are now available with 26″ wheel option. 56 cm frames and above are also available to fit 700c wheels. The option for matching wheel sizes at different frame sizes is of appeal to people like a married couple for touring together. While the frame sizes may be different, having the same wheel size means you only have to carry one sized inner tube or spare tire.

If you want a great performing touring bike at a reasonable price, the Surly Long Haul Trucker is one of the best options. Built from the ground up for the job, the LHT is a beast of burden that won’t let you down.

By Winston Endall

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Riding a bicycle for any purpose is a good idea. Whether you are riding for sport or exercise, for leisure or as a means of transportation, riding gets you where you want to and helps you get a cardio work out doing what you enjoy. When buying a bike, the activity you have in mind for the bike will help you make a great choice. There are several types of bike to consider and they include:

• City Bikes
• Road Bikes
• Mountain Bikes
• Touring Bikes
• Folding Bikes

City Bikes
City bikes are designed for city dwellers. They are designed for those who are always in competition with other users for the right of way on the road. It is common knowledge that cities are dominated by automobiles. Of course, there are some cities where bicycle riders are given equal privileges on the road. However, if you are planning to use your bicycle to get to work or travel around in a city, you should accept the fact that automobiles shall rule the roads.

City bicycles are designed specifically for traveling within the city. These light weight bicycles come with different types of gears and safety options. The light weight of the bicycle and the multiple gears ensures that the riders can make good speed on the road. As long as you were fast enough, you will not find it difficult to drive on the busy roads. It is only when you become very slow and plod along that others find you to be a nuisance on the road. The safety features attached to these bikes ensure that your bike is never stolen.

Road Bikes
Road bikes are suitable for those who use bicycles for exercise and fitness. Of course, if you are a bicycle racer who takes part in professional races, you will have to go in for a completely different range of bicycles. The unique characteristic of these bikes is that they are very light and very fast. The bikes are designed for expert raiders, people who know how to handle bikes and tend to be pricey.

Mountain Bikes
If you love biking your way to the top of a hill, through the woods or forest trail then this is the perfect bike for you. These heavy duty bikes are designed to withstand the rough and difficult terrain of the mountains and the forests. If you love hiking, you can bring your mountain bike along to travel longer distances with ease.

Touring Bikes
If you love to travel and if you love to travel long distances on your bike, then the touring bicycle is for you. As the very phrase suggests, this bicycle is designed for long distance transportation. This bicycle has adequate space for a luggage as well. These low maintenance bikes will run for long distances without any maintenance hassles.

Folding Bikes
These bikes are designed for those who love biking but simply not have space to store them. On the road there is plenty of space on the road, however, there are no guarantees that there will be adequate space in your home or at your destination. With a cycle than can be folded, it will occupy less space and is perfect for those who want to travel to work on their bikes but cannot do so due to lack of space to park the bike.

Traditional Bikes
If your activities do not fit into any of these categories mentioned above, then you should opt for the traditional bicycle which is a regular bike designed for daily use. It is not as light as road bikes which are for racing not as sturdy as the mountain bikes that take a lot of punishment with a smile.

By Jessica Potisto

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