Slothman

Wife built a similar one this summer; can't wait to get out on it!

Here are some progress pics.

NCbiker

Nice! Now you need to add it to your signature.

Slothman

Thanks! Was doing that as you typed

treebound 

Looks nice. I'm seriously considering a used one for sale locally. (But I doubt that the seller will go for my bike-for-bike trade offer.)

What are the build specs and frame size on your's? Looks like 26" wheels. How do you like those handlebars?

indyfabz

Cool. Now load it up and take it for a tour.

Slothman

You're right. It's a 56cm frame with 26" wheels. I've only been able to ride for a few minutes on the handlebars, but my initial impression is that they're going to be comfortable.

As far as specs:

Velo-Orange stem
Velo-Orange Grand Cru headset
plain silver spacers
no-name Trekking Handlebar from Velo-Orange
Dia Compe Guidonnet Brake Levers
Dia-Compe ENE Down Tube Shifters
Colored brake / shifter cable housings from Velo-Orange
Tektro CR720 Cantilever Brakes
Brooks B-17 saddle


drivetrain:
Sugino XD-350 crankset (48/36/26)
Shimano PD-m324 pedals
Shimano Deore front derailleur
Shimano Deore LX rear derailleur
Shimano HG-50 (I think) 11-34 cassette

Wheels:
Shimano Deore hubs
Wheelsmith spokes / nipples
Sun CR-18 rims
Michelin Country Rock 26 x 1.75 tires

acc:
Bontrager orange bottle holders
Orange Nashbar bar tape.
Fizik bar gel
=====

I think that's about it. Built to be affordable, tough, and comfortable. Next up: racks & panniers.

treebound 

Should be a nice riding bike for you. The one the local shop has is about the same size but has the 700c wheels on it, I believe the 56cm frame is right in the wheel size transition and is my frame size range.

People really seem to like their LHT's. I'm going to have to price out buying used versus building one up, versus getting something older.

ksisler

Did you forget about lighting?

AbundantChoice

That looks really nice! I just got a LHT myself about a month ago in that cream "truckaccino" color from a few years ago. It may not be the fastest thing out there, but it's crazy, crazy stable, and basically steers itself under load.

Singlespeed92

Nice!!! LHT's are on my wish list

indyfabz

It is pretty neat the way it does that. Many owner like myself think it rides better loaded than unloaded. I have taken mine down some steep, long, curvy descents and rides like it's on rails.

Excuse the pose:

Daspydyr 

I like it a ton! Good job. I really like the orange accents. My road bike is black with orange tossed in.

JEC7

Stop making me jealous!

Surly seems like such an awesome brand, but anything Surly is next to impossible to purchase in Australia without Bill Gates' bank account.

FunkyStickman

Welcome to the club! (the LHT builders club)

skilsaw

Looked at a new LHT today at the bike store. It was my size, and came fully dressed for touring.
I had to pinch myself and say "I've got two touring bikes already. It would be almost identical to my Cannondale t1." Then leave the store in a hurry.

Slothman

Ha! Nope, but I don't have racks yet either. Leaning towards Tubus because of the excellent reviews, but I like the versatility of the Surly front rack.

Slothman

Thanks! My wife belongs too. Here's hers:



The specs are very similar, 'cept for size. it's a 42cm / 26"wheel. Yeah, she has a crazy short standover height, which necessitated the size / spacer combo.

Slothman

Thanks all! I can't wait to to get 'em loaded up and on the road/trail! I haven't even been able to give mine a good ride yet. I'm eyeing Tuesday as my next chance due to weather and availability.

On the subject of Bike Envy:
Yeah, sorry. I've finally been able to succumb to mine, and this bike is the result. The envy was SUPER high after seeing my wife's put together ... luckily mine was already in the works.

Slothman

Yeah, I went with the 26" wheels only because we didn't have a choice for my wife's bike, and I wanted to be ... equal, and interchangeable if needed.

As far as the cost difference: From my experience, you should be able to save money by buying complete as opposed to building. We were able to get away with only spending about $50 more per bike, but we don't have racks yet (which our LBS had rear ones supplied). We were able to add in Brooks saddles and the handlebars that we wanted though. Plus our cost included pedals. Our wheels may have more spokes.

treebound 

I'm still coin flipping on the wheel size aspect. Looks like the local used one has sold, good deal for whoever got it.

For racks there are lots of options, Old Man Mountain brand seems to have a good following, as does the JANDD line, likewise the Tubus and others as well. The biggest issue seems to be strength and if your bag/pannier hooks fit the rack tubing thickness. I've got a rack at home with larger diameter tubing and some panniers I have do not fit due to the clips being too small to go over the rack tubing.

Post some pics once you've got the bikes racked out. Enjoy.

AbundantChoice

One minor benefit of the 26" wheels on the LHT is you can fit some seriously fat tires on there if you're in the mood. 2" Marathon Supremes? No problem!

I ended up going with that Topeak MTX rack system: the bags are expensive, but the ability to just click in and out the bag on and off that rail thing makes it pretty convenient.

treebound 

Keep an eye on your MTX rack bags, I've read reports here and elsewhere of some of them unclipping on their own and falling off the rack. Don't know if it is just a perfect bounce/road vibration that does it, but I would add a safety strap with a quick clip buckle on the front to help keep it attached if the clip does work itself unclipped. Maybe newer models have been updated to correct the issue.