Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Surly LHT - groupset upgrade - help!

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Surly LHT - groupset upgrade - help!

Old 05-18-22, 12:59 PM
  #1  
Bes Boydie
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Surly LHT - groupset upgrade - help!

Hi - I have a Surly LHT with 26" wheels, flat bars and v brakes. I use it for commuting and general knocking-about, some hills (nothing mountainous) but very little 'proper' touring.

I'm very fond of the bike but in truth the groupset is horrible. So I'm looking to upgrade it and have about £750 ($900) max to spend. I'm a complete novice so does anyone have any recommendations?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thx
Bes Boydie is offline  
Old 05-18-22, 01:05 PM
  #2  
Koyote
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,764
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6881 Post(s)
Liked 10,871 Times in 4,636 Posts
You might want to tell us what groupset is on the bike, and why you find it "horrible." Then we can give recommendations.
Koyote is online now  
Likes For Koyote:
Old 05-18-22, 02:11 PM
  #3  
Bes Boydie
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hi Koyote,

it has a Deore LX rear derailleur, shimano v-brake shift/brake levers and the rest of the components are no-name.

It works perfectly ok but feels pretty cheap ‘n’ nasty. I also think I could probably get by with fewer gears (it has 9 x 3) for the type of cycling I do.
Bes Boydie is offline  
Old 05-18-22, 04:29 PM
  #4  
Koyote
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,764
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6881 Post(s)
Liked 10,871 Times in 4,636 Posts
Originally Posted by Bes Boydie
Hi Koyote,

it has a Deore LX rear derailleur, shimano v-brake shift/brake levers and the rest of the components are no-name.

It works perfectly ok but feels pretty cheap ‘n’ nasty. I also think I could probably get by with fewer gears (it has 9 x 3) for the type of cycling I do.
Thanks for the additional info. I don't know what "feels pretty cheap n nasty" means...Specifics would help. But if it's not shifting well, it might just need some basic maintenance: new chain, perhaps a cassette, and certainly shift cables and housings.

If you can describe specific problems (or nastiness), we may be able to give better recommendations.

Reducing the number of gears is a bit of work and expense- you'd need a crankset with fewer chainrings, perhaps a new front derailleur and bottom bracket, perhaps even a shifter. The extra gears aren't really hurting anything, so I'd recommend leaving it as-is.
Koyote is online now  
Likes For Koyote:
Old 05-18-22, 04:59 PM
  #5  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,051
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18318 Post(s)
Liked 15,277 Times in 7,225 Posts
Yeah. Why spend money to get rid of something that might prove useful down the road?
indyfabz is offline  
Likes For indyfabz:
Old 05-18-22, 05:54 PM
  #6  
LeeG
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,198
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 137 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 81 Times in 64 Posts
Sounds like you need to spend money. How about new wheels and tires? Maybe different bars? Replace the outer chainring with a chain guard and adjust the middle and inner chainrings with a new cassette and chain.
LeeG is offline  
Old 05-18-22, 06:14 PM
  #7  
Eds0123
Full Member
 
Eds0123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Spokane Area
Posts: 312

Bikes: 2021 Salsa Warbird, (Specially Love my) 2021 Salsa Cutthroat, 2012 Surly LHT, 2015 Surly Cross-Check, 2008 Giant OCR A1, 2005 Leader 735R, 2005 Gary Fisher Montare, 1991 Nishiki Pueblo,

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 84 Post(s)
Liked 56 Times in 37 Posts
Nothing against LHT, But better Save that money for your next bike, I think and in my experience it might be better to spend your money on a whole new package that works all together much better as designed and put together by experiencd designers, instead of patchwork upgrades that may or may not give you the results you are looking for

Last edited by Eds0123; 05-19-22 at 06:31 AM.
Eds0123 is offline  
Likes For Eds0123:
Old 05-18-22, 09:42 PM
  #8  
N2deep
Full Member
 
N2deep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 201
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times in 57 Posts
This past summer I built a gravel bike using a Straggler frame and an older Shimano 3 x 9 as new groupsets were in the stratosphere if available. The 3 x 9 groupset works flawlessly and parts are easily obtainable. You could upgrade your shifters if you have the old levers to a more modern set but your choices are limited buy bar and brake type. For example i wanted dropbars but finding modern shifters for a 3 x 9 with disk brakes is impossible so i chose a flatbar and mountain bike shifters, great combo.
N2deep is offline  
Old 05-18-22, 11:36 PM
  #9  
GamblerGORD53
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,456

Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1221 Post(s)
Liked 314 Times in 241 Posts
I would not switch away from a sensible square taper crank, if that's what it has.
The new CF/ alu laminate hollowtech crap is NOT made for touring.
GamblerGORD53 is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 12:32 AM
  #10  
Germany_chris
I’m a little Surly
 
Germany_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Near the district
Posts: 2,427

Bikes: Two Cross Checks, a Karate Monkey, a Disc Trucker, and a VO Randonneur

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 698 Post(s)
Liked 1,292 Times in 646 Posts
I run SRAM Rival on all my bikes, they all have different size cassettes one is 2x the rest are 1x but they all work great.
Germany_chris is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 01:56 AM
  #11  
Bes Boydie
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Food for thought! Thanks everyone. Much appreciated.
Bes Boydie is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 04:23 AM
  #12  
Paul Barnard
For The Fun of It
 
Paul Barnard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Louisissippi Coast
Posts: 5,843

Bikes: Lynskey GR300, Lynskey Backroad, Litespeed T6, Lynskey MT29, Burley Duet

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2131 Post(s)
Liked 1,639 Times in 822 Posts
Make sure you know what is cross compatible. There are a lot of different pieces and parts that won't play well together. Our mechanics sub-forum here is a great place to ask questions about what works together.
Paul Barnard is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 07:04 AM
  #13  
RH Clark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 902
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 522 Post(s)
Liked 449 Times in 246 Posts
I have a LHT with a 3X10 set up. It has 26" wheels, which I think are great, and cantilever breaks. I shift with microshift bar end shifters in friction mode. I wouldn't change a thing on that bike. I have other bikes set up differently for different purposes. I have an 18 lb steel and carbon Lemond on the other end of the spectrum and quite a few other bikes in between.
The best advice I can give it to not change anything other than to make sure everything works properly until you know exactly what you want and why. Ride a bunch of other bikes with different qualities until you know what you want to change and why it needs to be changed. For instance, I wouldn't want or need to try to turn my touring LHT into a racing bike like the Lemond or try to tour on the Lemond. The LHT to bikes what a camper van is to automobiles. Sometimes you need a van, and they are fun to go places in, but sometimes a Ferrari is what you want. Don't try to turn a Ferrari into a van, or a van into a Ferrari.
RH Clark is offline  
Likes For RH Clark:
Old 05-19-22, 10:27 AM
  #14  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by GamblerGORD53
I would not switch away from a sensible square taper crank, if that's what it has.
The new CF/ alu laminate hollowtech crap is NOT made for touring.
I can’t speak to the carbon fiber part but several thousand miles of touring, mountain biking, and commuting on aluminum Hollowtech II cranks says that you are wrong. It’s a robust and simple system.

In fact, the technology is ideal for touring. I had a chainwheel issue in Canada that required a change of the inner chain wheel. With the Hollowtech crank, the chainwheel change was trivial. The same couldn’t have been said of a square taper. I don’t carry crank pullers while on tour.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Likes For cyccommute:
Old 05-19-22, 10:40 AM
  #15  
sloppy12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 478
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 166 Post(s)
Liked 252 Times in 147 Posts
Originally Posted by Bes Boydie
Hi - I have a Surly LHT with 26" wheels, flat bars and v brakes. I use it for commuting and general knocking-about, some hills (nothing mountainous) but very little 'proper' touring.

I'm very fond of the bike but in truth the groupset is horrible. So I'm looking to upgrade it and have about £750 ($900) max to spend. I'm a complete novice so does anyone have any recommendations?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thx
I would say take the bike to a good shop for a complete tune up. spend the rest on beer or something.
Originally Posted by Bes Boydie
Hi Koyote,

it has a Deore LX rear derailleur, shimano v-brake shift/brake levers and the rest of the components are no-name.

It works perfectly ok but feels pretty cheap ‘n’ nasty. I also think I could probably get by with fewer gears (it has 9 x 3) for the type of cycling I do.
what you describe is a excellent "knock around" group set.
sloppy12 is offline  
Likes For sloppy12:
Old 05-19-22, 10:47 AM
  #16  
phughes
Senior Member
 
phughes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,055
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1018 Post(s)
Liked 1,246 Times in 719 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute
I can’t speak to the carbon fiber part but several thousand miles of touring, mountain biking, and commuting on aluminum Hollowtech II cranks says that you are wrong. It’s a robust and simple system.

In fact, the technology is ideal for touring. I had a chainwheel issue in Canada that required a change of the inner chain wheel. With the Hollowtech crank, the chainwheel change was trivial. The same couldn’t have been said of a square taper. I don’t carry crank pullers while on tour.
A lot of truth in that. Though I use square taper, and like the simplicity of it, Hollowtech does have some advantages, your example being one.
phughes is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 11:25 AM
  #17  
GamblerGORD53
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,456

Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1221 Post(s)
Liked 314 Times in 241 Posts
I have self extractors on my SS/ Rohloff crank. They will do for a 100 uses no problem, on several bikes if needed. I need to carry a 8 mm bolt key anyway.
They are strangely hard to get and seldom used, bizzare to me.
Go search for crank creaks/ broken on YT and BF, few will be sq taper.

Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 05-19-22 at 11:40 AM.
GamblerGORD53 is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 12:45 PM
  #18  
tyrion
Senior Member
 
tyrion's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 4,077

Bikes: Velo Orange Piolet

Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2228 Post(s)
Liked 2,011 Times in 972 Posts
Originally Posted by Bes Boydie
Hi Koyote,

it has a Deore LX rear derailleur, shimano v-brake shift/brake levers and the rest of the components are no-name.

It works perfectly ok but feels pretty cheap ‘n’ nasty. I also think I could probably get by with fewer gears (it has 9 x 3) for the type of cycling I do.
"shimano v-brake shift/brake levers"- are these drop bar integrated shift-brake levers? I don't think these will work well with longer v-brakes. Will work with short (85mm) v-brakes.

The cheap and nasty feel could be due to a worn chain or worn chainrings or cassette.
tyrion is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 12:52 PM
  #19  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,844

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2575 Post(s)
Liked 1,900 Times in 1,192 Posts
Originally Posted by tyrion
The cheap and nasty feel could be due to a worn chain or worn chainrings or cassette.
Or worn bar tape. A new roll of tape isn't pricey.
pdlamb is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 01:03 PM
  #20  
EviLDORK
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 49

Bikes: Surly Disc Trucker, Canondale Synapse, Canondale Touring 1, Salsa Mukluk, Masi Uno, Trek 850

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 15 Posts
A Surly Disc Trucker was my main means of transportation for many years, and I agree that the Microshift 3x9 shifters it comes with feel really cheap in addition to being rather high maintenance. I have yet to find a compatible replacement for them.

The main issue is that the Microshift shifters just don't maintain the cable tension well at all whether in indexed or friction mode. Compared to friction shifters made in the 1970s, the levers on these Microshift shifters need a lot more force when intentionally shifting gears yet they also get bumped out of position over rough pavement with far greater frequency.

Ideally, I'd find some 3x9 brifters from 20 years ago at an LBS in good condition, but I'm afraid my Surly is just going to rust in storage for the rest of my life.
EviLDORK is offline  
Old 05-19-22, 07:05 PM
  #21  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by GamblerGORD53
I have self extractors on my SS/ Rohloff crank. They will do for a 100 uses no problem, on several bikes if needed. I need to carry a 8 mm bolt key anyway.
The Hollowtech cranks need a 5mm to remove and slides out without the need for force required for square taper. An external bottom bracket bearing set can also be removed from the frame if needed with a adjustable pliers. You can’t do that with square taper bottom bracket.


Go search for crank creaks/ broken on YT and BF, few will be sq taper.
I was not born at night nor last night. In close to 50 years of bicycling (and doing my own mechanical work) I’ve had plenty of creaking square taper bottom brackets. Creaking is more a function of how the bottom bracket interacts with the frame than what kind of bottom bracket it is. You find creaking external bottom brackets in greater number now because they are used in greater number.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Likes For cyccommute:
Old 05-19-22, 07:29 PM
  #22  
veganbikes
Clark W. Griswold
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,274

Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4251 Post(s)
Liked 3,864 Times in 2,578 Posts
Get a Jagwire Pro or elite cable kit for both brakes and shifting, Then get some good stiff shoes with replaceable pads Kool-Stop Tectonics would be a good option as would the SwissStop pads as well. If your chain and cassette are worn replace those as well and clean your drivetrain before you add new parts and get all the grit and grime off of it. That will improve things quite a bit.

Deore LX is now SLX which is the mountain equivalent of 105 so it is decent quality stuff nothing super high end but nothing really that I would replace for no real reason. Upgrades are always fun, I love upgrading but SLX is solid stuff.
veganbikes is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.