Treeslungsveins

Sorry short hello, but quick question.
I want a combo road bike /touring bike that can take big fat tires for roads in south America. I know the best approach is to figure out what path I'll take and then get a bike on to Those terms but for now I'll assume I'd need big tires. I'm fine with the ride quality of my- might as well be mint overhauled fancied up 84 schwinn voyageur but they don't make fat tires for those schwinn specific wheels anymore I don't think, otherwise I'd still use that. Anyway I want a surly pacer but will it not be up for loaded rugged conditions touring. I know it can handle big wheels but not like the LHT I fathom? I just don't know.

MY QUESTIONS ARE:

Will the long haul trucker with proper road tires be just as good as my schwinn at being a road bike? If not I won't get the LHT.

I really want the pacer but will it be rugged enough for loaded somewhat off road touring?

abdon 

Get the Cross Check. A tad less clearance all around (heel/toe clearance) but a tad lighter and more 'roady'.

I have one, it can carry a mean load with panniers, and it can fit pretty fat tires.

VT_Speed_TR

What kind of roads will you be riding? If they are real beat/not improved much, I think the Surly Troll would be better or a LHT. I would think you'd want 1.75 or 2 inch tires to better handle the poor conditions. If you know that the roads will be paved nicely and you won't be off exploring the side roads, then think more like the Cross Check.

FunkyStickman

All the LHT frames 54c and smaller only come in 26" wheel versions, so I'm guessing you're tall enough to use a 56c or bigger. I'd second the CrossCheck as a semi-fast tourer; it has everything a touring bike needs except lowrider mounts on the fork, and I think the newer models have those now too.

Stannian

Quick story that may possibly help:

I just frame swapped parts on my bike to a new True Temper Steel frame earlier this week. After work on Sunday, I still decided to do the 60 miler with a friend on my trusty LHT just because it is so much more comfortable for long rides. I knew I could sit on it all day, and that was more important than going faster up hills. We also brought a 6 pack of beer. We ended with a 15 mph average over rollers with some hills.

The only time I will ride my new road bike, similar build to the Pacer, will be on group rides at a faster pace, and that will only be a few times a year. The majority of the time I ride alone, and the LHT is much nicer for that.

Bekologist

long haul trucker with 26" wheels. do it. all sizes available in 26" ; wait till mid summer and you can get a LHT frameset with SNS couplers...... the LHT Deluxe.

LeeG

You need to make the decision what's important to you, a touring bike for carrying loads or a multi-purpose road bike that can carry fatter tires. One is not the other.
A Cross-Check or the Voyager is not a tourer for carrying heavy loads through regions where 700c rims and tires are rare. The 700c LHT does not handle like a road bike. The 26" wheeled LHT with smaller tires is quicker handling than the 700c LHT but it is also not a road bike. If you're a light person you could use the Cross-Check for carrying a full touring load on very strong wheels but your tires will still not be as big as on the 26" LHT.
I've got a 56cm Cross-Check and a 56cm LHT with 26" wheels, believe it or not they handle similarly regarding maneuverability, the 700c LHT feels like a Continental Trailways bus. Where the Cross-check and 26" wheeled LHT part is load carrying. I can put a case of beer on the rear rack of the LHT and it won't shimmy, the Cross Check with two six packs on the rear will. It would be silly to tour into South America with a bike that handled like a road bike unloaded but was compromised loaded down. Get a road bike if you want a road bike, get a touring bike if you're doing the epic tour.

fietsbob

For South America, 26" wheels is the prudent choice, better to find tire spares.

how about ..
Hire a Colorado Built frame set, made exactly what you want..
custom to the customer, You.

there are several There, where you live . Local phone calls.

You don't need an Asian factory, exporting thru Minnesota based contract designer-
distributor .

A tour rugged bike for the tour, buy a sport bike when you return from the trip.

pasopia

Get an LHT with 26" wheels and 2" tires for South America.

The road conditions can be terrible, and many of the best routes are dirt. Depends on the country, but most small villages have dirt roads, even if the main road is paved. You'll want big tires for control and comfort.

Also it is extremely difficult to find 700c wheels, tires, etc. 26" is the standard. Even in big cities, you will find it nearly impossible to get a replacement touring tire for a 700c bike. If you can find 700c it will be a small racing tire which won't work well for touring.

I just finished a 7 month tour through Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia, and this was my experience. Tourists I met on the road with 700c wheels reported the same problem.

GeoKrpan

But 700c/29er wheels/tires ride so much better.

Karate Monkey.


With these bars, WTB dirt drops.

oneredstar

Go for the Cross Check if your looking for something on the fast side. But there would be no way I would be looking for speed down in South America. As a few other people have said already, 26" is the way to go. The roads are going to be unpredictable.

CCrew

Salsa Fargo or Vaya if you decide you can use 700c.

That said, Isn't the Surly Troll pretty much the hybrid of the Pacer/LHT?

Fueled by Boh

no, the surly troll is more accurately described as a hybrid of the 1x1 and the lht

Bekologist

why a dirt bike, guys, instead of a 26" touring bike with lots of drop, a low BB and long wheelbase, for SA touring???

Bruce gordon is it the R&R or the BLT with 26", rodriguez adventure bikes, Surly 26" LHT, Rivendell Atlantis, form a selection of good bikes to choose from for SA trips.

IF I were the OP, i'd wait for the LHT deluxe.

Lasse

I just built my Surly LHT up: 26" wheels, 62cm. For now, it's set up for road riding with a pair of 2" slick Schwalbe Kojaks. When off-road is on the menu, I'll just put some serious off-road tires on it. Nice and versatile.

slims_s

I second this (i live in Buenos Aires). The only 700c tires that you will be able to get are 700x23 racing slicks (or a really cheap wider tire, on which i wouldn't tour)

charliedid

LHT Deluxe!? Tell me more please...

FunkyStickman

It has the S&S frame couplers that let you break it apart for shipping/transport.

And now that I go back and read your question again, I'd recommend 26" wheels for South America, too. Just less headaches that way. You're not going to be breaking any speed records, so get tires that will get you there and back comfortably.

charliedid

Thanks...I am not the OP but I agree with your suggestion.

aroundoz

I think what you want would be too much of a compromise on either end. Like wanting a vehicle half way between an F150 and a mustang. If you are touring in SA, you want 26" wheels and don't worry about wanting it to being a good road bike as well. Maybe just make your Voyager your dedicated road bike.

Check out SJS Cycles/Thorn as well https://www.thorncycles.co.uk/models.html. They specialize in expedition touring bikes.

But if wheel size was not an issue (for component replacement), I agree with abdon, the Cross Check would be my first choice. Handles a load well and rolls much better than an LHT IMHO. I have owned both.

surreal

20 posts in, and no one mentioned that the OP's voyageur does NOT take Schwinn-specific proprietary rims; it rolls on 27"s (iso 630). While 27" tires are readily available, they don't come in fat varieties. However, for a fraction of the cost of a new surly complete, one can buy a beefy 700c wheelset, and once the proper measurements are taken, a set of either mid- or long-reach calipers as well as the fattest tires that'll fit under fenders on a 80s Schwinn voyageur. The rest of the savings can go to racks, bags, and other gear...

That being said, if you're touring in south or central america, you'll want 26" wheels. I'd suggest a converted late 80s steel mountain bike,or an LHT.

hth
=rob