The Mid-Life Crisis Bike

Some people get red sports cars, I got a blue Surly Long Haul Trucker. Here is a bit about my bike and a few pictures. (you can click on any picture to get a giant version)

The LHT is designed for Touring. It has a long wheelbase and a relatively laid back geometry. The frame is made from steel which is strong, flexible and (important if you are on a world tour in the middle of the Yukon) repairable by any welder. The back wheel sits on long chainstay's, resulting in more room for panniers behind your feet. The Framebuilder has also added lots of connection points for the racks and water bottles you'd want on a long tour.



I had a local shop build this bike from the frame up in order to get a few specializations I was interested in. One thing they did for me was to build the wheels by hand. This allowed me to get very sturdy rims and to build wheels with more spokes (36) than the norm. The result of this was to create very strong wheels. With the weight of gear added to my weight, broken spokes become a common occurrence.

Speaking of broken spokes... one of the cool little add-ons to the frame are these little Spare Spoke Holders built into the chainstay:

The label "Fatties Fit Fine" is referring to the spacing for large tires, not to the rider.



The other thing I did with the wheels, was to have the shop use a Shimano Generator hub in the front wheel. This little gadget will convert my motion into 3 Watts of electricity to power lights. There is almost no noticeable friction from the hub. The little grey block on the right is where the wires will connect (I still need to get the light)



The gear shifters for this bike are ingenious, they are built into the brake levers.
To shift one direction you push the small black levers toward the wheel, to shift the other way you push the whole silver lever in. It takes a little getting used to, but is is amazingly convenient when riding.




For riding the long haul, I added a Brooks Leather Saddle with springs. This has been a great addition, it was really comfortable from the first ride. As I've gotten the saddle broken it it has improved (though there is an annoying squeak I need to take care of).




I gave up trying to fit my size 13s into those stupid little toe clips and I refused to have to wear special shoes everytime I ride (I use this bike to ride to work almost every day). I added these monster platforms. They have lots of little grabbers on the decks and my feet stick in these almost as well as if I had toe clips.





Lastly, I added a rear cassette with 10 gears. The result of this is a really smooth progression of gears. As you climb a hill you can drop down just enough to keep your legs working.