Looking at bikes
I'm starting to look for a bike. It will need to be a do-all to fit a long list of uses and last for ten years.
Commuting to work, with a rack and pannier
20-50 mile solo rides
Two or three century rides per year
Short to medium distance triathlons, and maybe long distance
At least one multi-day supported tour
Fun rides with the family
Gravel, trails, and light single track
I am not going to use it for unsupported tours or races. It must have drop handlebars, and should fit medium tires with fenders. I'll have them on it most of the time. I'm leaning towards the Surly Long Haul Trucker (aka "LHT") touring bike. Using panniers with my size 49 feet doesn't really leave much else. I'd also like to try a Surly Cross Check, Specialized Tricross, and fifty other cyclocross bikes.
The LHT has a reputation for being slow and heavy but I think that is because of the way it's built and used. The front triangle is identical to the Cross Check (except the head tube is much longer) so I just don't see the difference. If it is slow it's because
1) heavy fat squishy tires
2) the stock stem is angled way up to make the position upright & in the wind
3) heavy racks, bags, & bottles bolted all over the place
4) heavy components
5) all those braze-ons all over the frame
1-3 account for most of the slowness. 4 & 5 don't account for much but the "real" roadies would discount this blog if I didn't mention them. The frame itself is only a couple of pounds heavier than a typical race frame, so it's not by itself going to magically be slow. It is definitely not the first choice for triathlons but it is really not too far off. Those races are time trials, long steady state rides without quick accelerations, so they really don't need super lightweight bikes. They do need aerodynamics, though, and so does any open road riding around here with a 15mph headwind. So if I get a light set of skinny tires, a lower stem, and maybe some clip-on aero bars I won't be as disadvantaged as most people think. We'll see what happens when I actually have the money in hand.
The LHT is not the perfect bike, though. It does have some things I'll have to study, especially the fully built LHT. (I suspect buying a frame and building it up will be out of my price range.) I'm not sure about the bar-end shifters. I haven't used them, but I prefer to be able to shift without moving my hands. The bottom bracket is a little low, but I raise the inside pedal on corners anyway. And I don't like the overall weight just for loading and unloading it in my truck.
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