Best mail order source for Surly Long Haul Trucker?

I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

On Sep 29, 9:31 am, wrote:
I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

As far as I know, nobody has it in stock at the moment. They get a
batch built, they hit QBP's system, and they're sold out within a few
days, then it's a couple months until the next batch. I've heard
reports of some hitting bike shops this week, but none of the usual
web sites that tie directly into QBP's stock (Jensonusa.com,
AEbike.com, harriscyclery.com, ebikestop.com) list it as available, so
it may have sold out already.

Bare frames are widely available, though.

I'd suggest checking the dealer list on Surly's site. Call around and
see if a local bike shop (even if it's not local to you) has one they
can ship you. http://www.freerangecycles.com/ is a shop that was
building up LHTs from the frameset long before the complete bike came
out, and I'm guessing they could hook you up whether the complete is
sold out or not. A custom config like that would likely cost more,
though.

I'm more concerned about the sizes you mention. I assume 5'1" is a
typo and you mean 5'10 or 11". At that height, you should be looking
more at a 58, not a 54. At least in my opinion. I'm 6' even, and my
LHT is a 60cm. You might want to check out the LHT owner's group at
http://groups.google.com/group/SurlyLHT Many, many threads discussing
sizing, and that may give you more insight.

Good luck!

On Sep 29, 11:31 am, wrote:
I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

I've had good luck with bikemannetwork when it comes to QBP stuff.
They're up in Maine, so not the guys you want shipping to Oregon or
something.

As far as size goes, I bet you're closer to a 56 than a 54cm at that
height and inseam. I know guys your height that ride 58s, FWIW.

Don't forget to order pedals, and if you're nervous about the stock
stem, get a cheap adjustable one to play with.

I'm 5'10'' or 11', 31" inseam, and ride a 56cm Ritchey touring frame
from 1980. I can stand over it, but it's snug. It's the way touring
bikes were set up, but the seatpost looks short compared to
contemporary set ups.

I don't think I could ride a 58cm, but the Surley may have sloping top
tube or non-700c wheels, so maybe my advise is out of date...

JG

try 'universal cycles' and graze thru while there eg 'pedals'

In article
,
wrote:

I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

You should get a 56 cm at least,
measured from center of bottom bracket spindle
to middle of the top tube at the seat tube.
Be sure to fit the top tube length properly;
and you cannot do this unless the saddle is
positioned fore and aft for ideal weight
distribution over the pedals.

--
Michael Press

wrote:
I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

54 cm will most likely be too small.

Good luck actually buying a Surly LHT. Huge shortage, as there are no
alternatives for a bicycle like that, in that price range.

On Sep 30, 12:15 am, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,

wrote:
I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

You should get a 56 cm at least,
measured from center of bottom bracket spindle
to middle of the top tube at the seat tube.
Be sure to fit the top tube length properly;
and you cannot do this unless the saddle is
positioned fore and aft for ideal weight
distribution over the pedals.

--
Michael Press

right. length defines how your knees travel over and down into the
power stroke while reducing inside thigh contact onto the saddle.
correct knee glide reduces compressive knee malfunction, essential to
LHT.

On Sep 30, 3:38 am, SMS wrote:
wrote:
I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?

54 cm will most likely be too small.

Good luck actually buying a Surly LHT. Huge shortage, as there are no
alternatives for a bicycle like that, in that price range.

The Cross Check Complete is in stock, and a great alternative unless
you're heavy touring. It might even be better if ya want slightly
sprightlier handling. Same price.

In article ,
wrote:

I live in small town with no local bike shop nor one
for hrs away.

I'm 5' 1 or 11 inches and 32" inseam..... age 49

I want to buy a Surly LHT....... I "think" 56 cm will
work but not sure. What you advise? maybe 54 cm?

Bottom line..... where is the best mail order source to
order one from and have shipped to my house?


FWIW, trying to fit someone over the 'net isn't the wisest practice.
Having said that, I will provide my data for your reference.

I'm 176cm (5'9") tall with a 81cm (32") PBH*, and I ride my 54cm LHT
comfortably, meaning with a Brooks saddle I have a fistful of seatpost
showing, and I don't need to use an odd-sized stem nor lots of spacers
under than stem. I could probably ride a 56cm, but the standover height
will get uncomfortably close to my PBH. This was a consideration for me
because I use the bike for commuting and errand running, with a lot of
stop-n-go and traffic negotiation. I would have less of an issue with
the standover clearance if I were to buy the bike for touring.

Here are a few more notes for your consideration:

1. The 56cm is the smallest 700c LHT. The 54cm and smaller ones all use
26" (ISO 559mm) wheels. That may be a consideration because 26" wheels
are typically stronger than 700c wheels, although the selection of 26"
narrow road-going tires is quite limited. Regardless, all LHT have
135mm wide rear hub spacing. At least for me, it was easier and cheaper
to source a 26" wheel with 135mm hubs, than a 700c wheel with 135mm hubs.

2. Because of the wheel size difference, the effective gearing is also a
bit different. That may be a consideration if you're reusing some
drivetrain parts. I use Continental's Sport Contact 26"x1.6 tires with
a Campy road triple 53/40/30 and a 12-32 cogset. I have not run out of
gears yet, despite some heavy loads, strong headwinds, and hilly
terrain. The bike is slightly but noticeably slower than my 700c road
bike though.

3. If you have the skills and inclination, buying the frame/fork and
building up the bike isn't a bad way to go. I got a frame/fork, and
cobbled my bike together over a couple of months of eBay dealings. For
about the same price as Surly is charging for their LHT bike, I got a
LHT with the parts I wanted. Having stated that, if the Surly build is
acceptable to you, it is quite the value for money.

Pikachu

* PBH is similar but may not be the same as inseam; see rivbike.com for
details.