Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
I get that so many loved the old LHT for its simplicity and how it represented an older style of bike. There are tons still around, so all those who already have one and aren't in the market for another, can rest assured there will be plenty available on the secondary market even though they arent wanting to buy one.
Basically- get over it because you aren't the consumer they are trying to sell to since they already sold to you.
The new DT is interesting. From what ive seen, some thoughts.
- TA instead of QR is a logical change, given its a 2021 bike. This is simply keeping up with what the rest of the industry was doing a couple years ago. Alignment is easy and interface is stiff.
- The Alivio/Sora drivetrain is underwhelming for the cost of the bike. Given the scarcity of 3x drivetrain options, I get it, but im not impressed at the price point.
- I've seen many cry about the chainstay length. The new bike has 450mm stays. Good lord, what are you expecting or needing? I have size 14 feet and that'll be enough clearance for me.
- Bar end shifter vs STI will forever be a debate amongst touring folk. If you need bar end shifters, just buy some and toss em on. Some 9sm Microshift bar ends plus Tektro brake levers will cost $100 total. You could ebay the Sora shifters for more than that and make money.
I'll separate these since they are my biggest take away...
- Thank goodness Surly finally changed the geometry of the bike. The low head tube on the old design made for some absurd looking bikes with 120mm of stem spacers. The new geometry increases the stack height which gets bars up higher(clearly so many LHT users needed this) without requiring gobs of spacers. The handlebar they spec also helps a lot. Surly did its homework, saw how their bike is commonly set up, and adjusted to make the new model fit users better.
oh how terrible of them!**
- The frameset is clearly a better choice for many who have strong preferences when it comes to how their touring bikenwill look/feel/operate. It costs a very reasonable $765 and I am confident I could take the $1000 difference between frameset and full build and make something specific to me for the same price or less that is of equal or higher spec.
The reason so many people had to use so many spacers to get the bars where they wanted them, was because they bought a frame that was too small. The LHT was an old style frame. That type of frame usually had very little seat post showing, a fistful or less. When sized that way, you don't need a lot of spacers to get the bars at seat level or slightly above. With the new Disc Trucker, you trade headset spacers for a ridiculously long seat post. To me, it looks ridiculous. That is only my personal preference though, and overall, I think the Disc Trucker is a fantastic bike, I just prefer the old style design, and fit.
I also like the longer chain stays. It isn't just about space for my feet, it is about high speed stability. My LHT is dead on stable downhill at 45 mph fully loaded. I did it every day while commuting in the Ozarks. Sometimes the load was ridiculous, as shown in the picture I have attached. The bike was stable at speed, even when badly loaded like in the picture. The added space for bags and feet are a huge plus as well. It is one of the reasons I went with the LHT in the first place. I knew I could mount a large back, and not have to move it back on the rack to keep from hitting it with my heels. Not having to place the bag farther back, helps the bike handle well and remain stable when loaded
The shortened the chainstays because some said the bike handled sluggishly. So you give up some stability for quicker handling, something I never felt I needed on a touring bike. On a touring bike, I want stability. Interestingly, the 56cm LHT with 26 inch wheels, handles nicely, as compared to the 56cm LHT with 700 wheels, which is more sluggish. I have 26 inch wheels on my 56cm LHT, and love the way it rides, and handles.
The new Disc Trucker, while great, is basically just another touring bike of the same design, a sloped top tube. It looks like a Trek, which looks like a Kona Sutra, which looks like, just about every other mainstream touring bike. It now looks like a too small frame, made to fit using a long seat post. It just doesn't look as nice, to me, as the old style LHT. Of course I grew up with the classic fit.
Now, the ridiculously long seat post has an advantage over my LHT, it is long enough to use a suspension seat post if desired. I don't have enough seat post showing to use one, though I don't want one. For someone who does, it is good for that. If I needed that, I would switch to a Brooks with springs, instead of my B17.
So now Surly has gone a bit more mainstream with their touring bike, which is okay, they made a very nice touring bike. I think they took what was out there, and improved on it. If I needed a new touring bike, I might consider it, but it isn't what I want. I would look for something more along the lines of my old LHT. If I found something like that, I would most likely buy it over the Disc Trucker. That is not definitive though, since I do like the Disc Trucker, I just like the old LHT more, right now.
