Surly Long Haul Trucker - A "Do It All Well" Bike | Touring Bikes | Surly Bikes
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- Опубліковано 2 бер 2022
- Feb 16, 2022
I review the bike I have been riding for about 7 years now - The Surly "Long Haul Trucker". It's a strong, steel framed touring bike made for long distance, loaded touring but I've been using it as a typical day riding bike.
It's good for riding on virtually every road or trail surface except for heavy duty mountain bike trails, deep sand, mud and snow or very large cobbles and boulders. It can take from narrow to wide tires and carry heavy loads of packs. It has wide gearing that make it good for long flat rides or for traversing hilly or mountainous terrain and easy to repair or replace componentry.
There are bikes that do specific types of riding better but this bike can do almost every type of riding well.
My so cycled 4000 kms all through south-east asia on this bike. Great bike -- the frame is easily repaired in a pinch (welding).
I also have an older LHT. Best and most versatile bicycle I've ever owned. I'd call it an "all-road" bike. Mine has 26" wheels. I can "underbike" with 1.5 tires for a mix of pavement and light gravel or use 1.75s for rougher gravel. I don't ride single track.
I would never, ever opt for a bike with disc brakes, Sram drivetrain or thru axles on a go-anywhere bike. I want a bike I can fix in the dark in a hailstorm with basic tools if need be. Most of the new BS on "go anywhere" bikes is is marketing hype and "solutions looking for problems"! If I needed a new bike and could not get another LHT, I'd shell out for a Rivendell.
Hi Fellow LHT owner (Don). Good to hear from another LHT happy owner. I agree that this is a great “all-road” bike. I also prefer the simple aspects of the bike (brakes, shifters etc.). As I look around for a possibly faster, road oriented bike, I don’t really see much that inspires me. I prefer the old frame style and feel too cramped on these compact frames. Maybe it’s just me.
I have a 52 LHT 26” with 2.0 Big Apples on it. I call my Surly Atlantis.
Very good review, I think you've captured all the points that make the LHT great. I'm a Southern Ontario rider too. I picked up a LHT in the winter of 2021 (Hoopdriver Bikes, Toronto) and just love it. Glad I got it when I did because as you've said, Surly has discontinued it.
Let's get the obvious out of the way - YES it's heavy. But so what, it's a touring bike. It's built to carry lots of weight over great distances. I always say, it's not a thoroughbred, it's a pack mule LOL. I too hope to do some touring in the future but it's great as a day-tripper and all-rounder. Commuter, grocery-getter, gravel bike, light trails, it'll do it all. Mine's a 26" wheel version. the only thing I've changed was upgraded the saddle to a Brooks Flyer and dropped the drop bars for Jones H bars and Ergon grips. I've added Surly racks front and rear and bags by Arkel. I too usually run clip-in pedals in the warmer months and flats by Velo Orange in the colder months to accommodate bigger cold weather foot wear.
Happy trails sir, keep the rubber side down.
Great bike we love ours !!
Great job
2015 Surly cross check set up as close to your lht as I could. Great bikes. I am 76 years old and rode 1400 miles on my Surly in town last year, hoping for more this year. Excellent video and excellent education; thanx!
Wow! Sounds like you’re doing great with that mileage. I really enjoy my SLHT. Thanks for watching!
Great review, thanks for sharing!…I have a Straggler, the sport version of this and absolutely love it!…Surly for the WIN!😎
Thanks! I’ve never ridden any other Surly model but would like to get another bike that might be more sprightly.
Very informative thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Very good review. Much appreciated
Thanks!
Used to dislike riding clipless. Now, I love it. I use SPD clipless pedals for all my bikes (mtb, road, gravel/touring). Easier to walk in mtb clipless shoes. Oh, and I love Surly bikes! Recently picked up a Kmonk. #steelisreal
I have a 2010 LHT. Love that old girl. Pretty much my go to bike.
Nice to hear. They are pretty solid, long lasting bikes. Here’s to many more great rides! 🎉
Great review of a very versatile bike. Glad it has served you so well.
I bet you are itching to ride as soon as possible!
Thanks and yes I’m looking forward to getting out on my bike. But March is looking cold so far for the next couple weeks
The good thing about the lht is the size can vary to cover such a wide range of rider,I am 6ft1" and ride a lht size 54cm 26" wheels and find it so comfortable. I originally bought the basic frame with some components but no seatpost or saddle or wheels to fix up for sale as it was in a right mess with a bent derailleur hanger and sad paintwork, but fixed all that and stripped it all down and cleaned all the components and polished up the frame fitted a seatpost and saddle from the parts bin and picked up a set of 26"wheels and marathon tyres then took it out for a test run and decided to keep it.
Thanks Jim, My bike is probably too large for me but at the time the bike seller thought it was okay. I’m 6’1” too but my bike is a 60cm. I have 33” inseam approx. I have good leg extension without the saddle being too high. Most bike shops I go into today think I’m probably in the 56-58cm range so hard to know. I find that the modern, sloped frames seem so small and their saddles are always quite extended to fit my leg length so not sure how to really size myself. I’d really like to try a smaller frame for a period of time to test it out but hard to do that. Sounds like you did a nice job on your LHT custom build. 👍
@@hervedelnorte7928 Thanks for the reply Herve. The set up I have on the bike is, from the pedal to the top of the saddle [Brooks b17] in the centre is 90cm with the pedal in a straight line with the downtube to the centre of the saddle. The reach is 80cm from the back of the saddle to the front of the bars. The saddle to the bar top highest part of the bars is exactly level. [Truck Stop Bars]. By the way my leg measurement is the same as yours I also have a short torso. I hope this info might help if you decide to try a smaller frame. I suppose the 56cm might be more suited to my size but as long as the bike is comfortable then it will do me fine
@@jimjohnstone8665 Thanks for the details on your setup Jim. I’ll have to try a smaller frame sometime.
Loved the review, thank you! I got 54" Long Haul Trucker /w/ 26" wheels in 2007, as a gift from the company I worked for at the time. I have ridden it steadily on about 80% of my rides, but as I got older, my back hurt more, so last fall I installed a Surly Truck Stop Handlebar to help with that. I have other bikes with disc brakes, and after riding them for a while, it became obvious how crappy the canti's really were. So another upgrade, to change the brakes from cantilevers to v-brakes. Except for the handlebar tape, I saved money by doing all the work myself, and had the shop look everything over and adjust the brakes, when they finished the handlebar wrap. The handlebars are now right where I want them; like the bike was made for me. Braking is also vastly improved, especially under a load. The bike was close to perfect, now, except for weight, it is perfect.
Thanks for your bike mods overview. Sounds interesting. I’ll have to check out those bars.
trucker will be my next bike in the near future
Good for you. I hope you enjoy it!
Hey good treatise of the Surly LHT. I have one as well and really enjoy it. Bought it back in "ott 7" so it's 15 years old now. Last year just to change things up I installed a Jones loop bar on it with microshift thumbie shifters and added fatter tires. It's like a jeep now, a lot of fun. Like you I also have times when I do want to ride faster so I do have a go-fast bike (with me on it more like go semi-fast). Enjoyed your video.
Thanks JAG, Your mods to the bike sound interesting. I'm tempted to try fatter tires too but will wait to see if I get a more road directed bike like you have.
Same here Jag. Changed to a Jones Bar along with "thumbies" and "canti-levers" by Paul Component Eng. The MS thumb shifters work beautifully up top. Added some Ergon grips and the cockpit is just magical for me as far as comfort goes.
Nice video! The LHT is such a supremely versatile bike. Too bad they were discontinued, but should plentiful on the used market in a lot of places. I've had mine since 2008 and love it. I have mine set up more like a hybrid. Just recently swapped out the dropbars for bullmoose bars, which look awesome and are very comfortable. I also put on Bruce Gordon Rock n Road tires, which are brilliant on/off-road tires. 48mm fit in the front, but only 43mm in the back. I wish it would fit full size 29er tires, maybe like 2.1" or 2.2". But the BGs are still really good. Happy Truckin'!
Thanks! Yes a good all round bike. Yours sounds nicely set up. I’ve been thinking of getting another seat but never seem to get around to it. Sadly I have never used it for actual touring.
Cool, I have the same year and color LHT :)
Nice!
Excellent review. Well organized.
I own a 60cm 2019 LHT which is too big according to sizing guides, but that honestly feels custom made for me. Love, love the stability and road feel. First Surly and I’m hooked. Can only imagine what a Pacer/Midnight Special/ECR feels like.
The weight and rear end of the bike begins to appear sluggish at times, especially toward the end of an aggressive/longer ride.
But the rest of the time it’s a dreamy feel.
I got some light, tubeless wheels and splurged on Schwalbe’s G One Speed 38mm tires and enjoy every second of my rides.
Thanks Jovenguardian! I saw a used Pacer a few months ago. Didn’t know that Surly made such a bike. I should have bought it probably. May look for quicker gravel type bike.
@@hervedelnorte7928 They pitch the Straggler as a gravel bike, FYI.
@@hervedelnorte7928 they pitch the straggler as a gravel bike, FYI.
Absolutely love my Surly Long Haul Trucker.........."fatties fit fine"
Happy to hear from another satisfied Surly owner. Do you tour or just ride it on its own?
@@hervedelnorte7928 I ride for enjoyment and I commute to and from work when I can. Hoping to do some overnights this year!!!! I have all the gear, just need to come up with a plan.
Great vid, dude. I wish Surly bikes had front shocks on the forks.
Thanks Bud! Yes shocks would be kinda nice for extra comfort. But more weight too.
Good 🎉
👍
I would think that LHT would be good enough on the road for exercise. Just get a second wheelset with faster rolling, wider tires. You don't even need to size down the width to 28s.
A very nice review of a classic bike. A shame that Surly discontinued it. I hope you get the chance to ride it soon :)
Thanks Jay,
Surly still has it showing on its website both the long haul trucker and the disc trucker so not sure if it’s discontinued or not. I don’t think I’ll be out riding anytime soon. It’s -23 C this morning and the long-term outlook for March looks cold so far.
The Long Haul Trucker was discontinued last year but the Disc Trucker is still being made. It's possible there are still a few NOS LHT models available though. I love the LHT but the only thing I don't like is that you can't fit anything wider than 42mm tyres with mudguards.
@@Biking360 thanks. Yeah I’ve actually been thinking of getting some sort of gravel bike. One that would take good size tires but also be fast if I bought a second wheel set for road riding. Of course not much available now in larger size frames due to Covid. There is a specialized diverge elite E5 nearby in a 58 cm which I may go look at. Also some Kona sutra models nearby.
@@hervedelnorte7928 I bought a Surly ECR for use with wider tyres. I've just bought some new tyres for it and will try it out when I get back from this tour. Previously it had 3" Maxxis Chronicles on it which were just too much!
@@Biking360 I think I would be looking for more of a fast gravel type bike with road tires but can also fit wider tires (35-45) for trails. I would want the frame type/geometry to be something more speedy than the LHT but maybe I’m fooling myself that it would be much different than the LHT. 🤓
I had a 2008 Surly LHT it sucked and I sold it on 12-2020 and I now have a Soma Saga Disc touring bike
Why did the LHT suck?
I bought a fat bike. Now I bike all year. No prob.
I meet a fair number of people on the trails in winter with fat tire bikes. They do look fun but just not sure I could keep my feet warm.
Speed metre
surly is silly to discontinue the series
Yes I would have to agree.