Messages

1

Gear Talk / Surly Long Haul Trucker

« on: May 25, 2005, 04:43:12 pm »

thanks for the replies.  Since i posted this message my budget kept getting smaller, so i ended up getting an old bianchi mountain bike for $200 that had been fitted with 8spd deore components.  i plan on adding butterfly bars and friction thumbshifters.  and of course i'll need racks and fenders....and....this gets really pricy, but the whole thing should end up under $450.

2

Gear Talk / Surly Long Haul Trucker

« on: January 11, 2005, 08:11:12 pm »

Hi,
I've done some long tours in the past using an old road bike with some rough mods for touring, but i had problems with the hubs, gearing, and brakes.  I'm interested in building my own touring bike, but I realized that all the good touring frames are outrageously expensive.  I've come across a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame that seems pretty good and in my price range.  Has anyone used this framset for loaded touring?  It will be my only bike, so I'll be riding it quite a bit unloaded also.  I'm thinking of using the following cmponents:
xt hubs with 36h 700c rims
xt cassette
105 crankset and BB
shimano deraileurs xt, 105
dura-ace 9speet bar-end shifters
any suggestions for:
some sort of good touring saddle, post?
good, inexpensive headset?
brakes? cantilever? v style?
handlebar?  I like drop-bars, but I like the idea of mustache bars too.  I'd really like something inbetween a drop bar and a mustache bar: more drop than a mustache but not as much as a normal drop.  kind of like a drop bar with the drops bent outward 4 or 5 inches. Does anyone know of something like this?
Thank you for any advice or positive/negative comments on the Surly Long Haul Trucker.

3

Routes / saddles for touring

« on: September 05, 2007, 11:59:09 am »

I got a terry liberator y saddle for my trip around lake superior because of the good reviews, and my butt hurt every day for three weeks. I tried moving it around and changing my handle bar height, but nothing worked. No matter how I sat on it I was in pain.

4

General Discussion / Knee injury

« on: January 11, 2005, 08:47:08 pm »

Hi,
I have also struggled with various knee injuries.  Most of them heal themselves with lots of time.  I also injured my knee this summer by pushing myself too hard at the begining of a tour.  pedaling with extra weight on the bike is much harder on the knees, especially when pedaling against the wind.  Anyway, my knee is just starting to feel better when i get on the bike.  My other knee is permanently injured and makes a cracking noise when i climb stairs.  If I ride slowly and build up extra muscle I can still tour and have fun.
Give your knee more time and see a doctor if you can.  You might need surgery to repair tendons or ligaments.

5

International / Biking in Japan

« on: January 11, 2005, 08:55:56 pm »

Hi,
It's been a whole year since this thread was posted, but I just found it.  Have you gone to Japan yet?  I grew up in Japan and Did lots of touring all over, especially in Hokkaido.  If anyone wants any info or wants to chat about touring in Japan you can e-mail me at debubowman@yahoo.com
David