Long Haul Trucker
 

Can this be a decent commuter

It can. I hear it rides better if you put the load on the front.

Absolutely. Especially if you’re planning on packing lots of stuff. It’s long, stout, and stable. Handling is neutral to slow-ish and front loads are handled easily. LHT’s touring cred is legendary. Fenders? Sure. Fat tires? Of course. Most people buying and riding LHTs know exactly what they want and they find it in the LHT. One minor quibble... a challenge to mount a kick stand. Go to Surly Bikes and dig around for their position on kick stands. Undoubtedly someone will chime in with a complaint about how much it weighs, but nobody buys a LHT because they want a featherweight.


-Kedosto

I commute on my LHT 4 or 5 days a week - https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...18a3723917.jpg
My LHT set up as a commuter

You know, I like everything I read about that bike, but when I look at the funky shifters I cringe.

Am I normal and those who like them weird, or is there something I'm just missing?

You're not *required* to use bar-ends...

And some people love bar end shifters and do not like the integral brake shifter things. I do not understand why you cringe, if you do not like them then install what you want.

Long Haul tucker
 

Absolutely. If you're anticipating pressing heaps of stuff. It's long, heavy, and stable. Taking care of is nonpartisan to slow-ish and front burdens are dealt with effectively. LHT's visiting cred is unbelievable. Bumpers? Sure. Fat tires? Obviously. A great many people purchasing and riding LHTs know precisely what they need and they discover it in the LHT. One minor bandy... a test to mount a kick stand. Go to Surly Bikes and burrow around for their situation on kick stands. Without a doubt somebody will toll in with a protest about the amount it gauges, however, no one purchases on the grounds that they need a featherweight.

Sweet bottle!

OP, rather than the LHT, maybe the Cross Check (Straggler, same bike in a disc). The CC is not super light either but the weight weenies can moan all they like, it is a great, do everything bicycle and I mean everything. Touring, gravel, cycle cross, winter road practice and just plain out road, single speed, fixie, fitness, commuting, even single track, racks, skinny tires, fat tires, even big tires, fenders are all within it's credentials and like any jack of all trades, it is not the best at any single thing but few bikes can do all of them as well as the CC.

Purchase a CC using the top tube C/C length to gauge the frame size. The cycle cross high bottom bracket and low top tube (for stand over on uneven surfaces) fools people, for example, a 54cm frame by Surly measurements is actually a 56cm for fit.

Yes, but any touring bike would make a decent commuter. They make a better commuter than "commuter" bikes and are far better than most fast road bikes. They are built to carry stuff and have places to hang said stuff. I wouldn't use a LHT because I don't (and won't) have steel in my garage but that's me. Look at an older Cannondale Touring as well (T1, T800, T600, etc). Much lighter with the same geometry.

Don't bother with the current "touring" bike from Cannondale. It's a platypus. It looks a bit like a duck but isn't a duck and doesn't do what a duck should do.

Are they still making a 'touring' bike? I know they have a line of 'allroad' or gravel bikes, but I can't find anything mentioning touring on their website.

Ok, I genuinely LOL'd. I've never been a fan of C'dale but I tried to take a look at their touring monstrosity and couldn't find it anywhere on their US website. Is it dead in the US market?


-Kedosto

Edited to add: Wilfred clearly has the faster fingers.

https://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bi...3-65f7997ff007

1x drivetrain. 28h wheels. aluminum fork.

Cdale didnt have a touring bike for the first half of this decade, then a few years ago came out with a couple models that had 2x drivetrains with very limited gearing(34-32 for example). Ultegra STI, etc etc. Overall, this is what im guessing cycco meant.

Dont pretend that you have experience with low trail vs high trail when it comes to a loaded front end. Low trail is perfectly fine for commuting.

For the largest size, the LHT has 68mm of trail. That isnt low. Surly's Pack Rat, an advertised low trail road bike, has 51mm of trail(and even that isnt shockingly low).

The one they offer now is their "fast" touring bike.

I have followed the links, but if I navigate away from that touring bike it is impossible to find my way back. What bike category is it under?

Not important - I am not planning to buy one (currently lusting after a Trek 920), but I find it funny.

Yea, it gets lost in it's own little category that doesn't appear in the pull down menu. Apparently it's not a priority for Cannondale anymore.

IKR. I commute/run errands, etc., on mine all the time. More "fake news" from him.

My good friend/neighbor/co-worker is a year-round commuter on his LHT (we're in Minnesota). He's riding 7-8 miles each way. He's been using it for over 15 years and still loving it.

Looks like knobby tires too. Does bikepacking = touring now?

Those certainly can be interchangeable in certain situations, but even if its marketed as a bikepacking bike- I would spend $1950 to buy something different to carry gear over gravel roads and double track.

The term originated to describe a subset of touring. Off road, minimalist, UL touring, often with frame bags instead of the usual racks and panniers. Think backpacking, but riding instead of walking. Unfortunately, some people use the term to refer to traditional (paved) road touring. That can sometimes cause confusion when questions are posed.

I know what bikepacking is. What I'm inferring is that it might be the only segment of that general market of interest to Cannondale now. ;)

Seems that way. My original touring bike was a '98 Cannondale T 700. Aside from the wheels, I really like that bike. Quite light for it's XL size. Its in my basement slowly returning to bauxite. Keep meaning to put it out on the curb for the junk guys who comb the 'hood before trash pickup.