johnce

Man I really like the LHT,s but I saw the 62 cm with the 26" wheels the other night and that thing just looked odd to me.

Before ya smoke me on this one i'm sure it has a purpose and that everyone has an opinion I just thought it looked funny...

That is all.

JeanM

What if this is an occasion for us to learn to adapt? I mean, if it looks like a clown bicycle to us it could be only because we are accustomed to one look, not because it looks bad in itself. At the limit, it is our own lack of flexibility that is at fault.

It may just be that, if you look at these bikes for a while, and then consider the LHT 62x26, it will start to appear quite 'normal' to your eyes.

EKW in DC

I agree w/ johnce. I can certainly see the merits of the arguments in favor of 26" wheels, but I think the big frames w/ the 26" wheels look funny, too. I want to get the LHT in black, most likely the 56cm size, but w/ 700c wheels. I get frustrated when I try to cyber-daydream, b/c the only Blacktacular LHT pictured on their website is the 26" version, and the wheels just look too small...

johnce

You know, you make a valid point....maybe it'll just take some gettin' use to.

rhm

I post a lot in the Classic and Vintage forum, so I have an appreciation for classic lines &c, but I also post in the folding bikes forum, where I've learned the advantages of small wheels. On something like a touring bike, where utility trumps other concerns, I just can't see any need for wheels larger than 26" or, frankly, 20". For touring, especially, smaller wheels would allow a lower center of gravity, more space between the wheel and the seat, etc. The only reason I'd tour on a bike with wheels bigger than 20" is that I can't get one with small wheels!

JeanM

Consider also that there really isn't that much difference in diameter between 26" wheels with fat wheels, say 2.00", and 700c with skinny ones, say 28c. Also, even before the 26" were available for large bikes I already was finding that large bikes were strangely proportioned.

LHT in Madison

I used to think that any bike that had a top tube that was not horizontal looked funny. I worked in a bike shop in the 1970s and all bikes had a horizontal top tube unless they were ladies models. But, I eventually got used to non-horizontal top tubes once I started seeing a lot of compact frames. Things that you are not accustomed to seeing look odd and any bike with a really long head tube looks odd until you get used to it. Before I bought my Thorn Sherpa 610S frame and fork, I was concerned about how it would look with that steeply sloping top tube and really long head tube, but after riding it several hundred miles I decided that it looks just fine to me. And, when I am in the saddle, I really don't care what other people think it looks like.

Garthr

Cyclist are no different than everyone else. We're all judgmental, narrow minded and more or less ..... dumb.

26" wheels serve their purpose. So do 20" or 24" . Check out these Bike Friday bikes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_Friday https://community.bikefriday.com/2010 Lon Haldeman rides a Bike Friday bike. Who's Lon Haldeman? Google him. Ultra Marathon Cycling pioneer and all around strongman of cycling. These "odd" bikes ride like a regular bike, yet pack in a suitcase.

The point is of course, don't knock it until you've tried it.

BengeBoy 

As you go from 700c to 26, and then move into big frames, thing can start to look "odd" indeed.

A Rodriguez touring bike in 700c:




Same bike w/26-inch wheels; appears to be a bit bigger:




Now even larger frame, w/26-inch wheels:




They make very nice bikes, by the way -- I also chat w/their owners when I see them and invariably they have good things to say.

stevage

>Man I really like the LHT,s but I saw the 62 cm with the 26" wheels the other night and that thing just looked odd to me.


Anyone got a photo of it?

azesty

From the Surly page.

z

akohekohe

Small wheels are better for touring even if they look funny ... https://www.flickr.com/photos/moulton...n/photostream/

Garthr

62cm. 26" wheels LHT from Hiawatha Cyclery on Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiawath...ry/4349848937/

escii_35

My Rod on Tour.

Rod Cycle (compact touring frame SNS 26in wheels) vs the 25 in C-dale 700c wheels

+ Mexico No Habla 700c
+ Easier to stuff in various cars, cases, and flys free on SWA.
+ Trail Capable
+ Converts to Dad size with ease
+ Coversation Starter
+ DT shifter mount points just in case.

+/- Flexier. But c-dale t-series bikes are just stupid stiff

- Classic geometry 25 inchers are much more comphy. I call it a 9 hour bike vs a 14 hour bike.

BengeBoy 

Nice bike! I saw one Rodriguez 26-incher on the way to work yesterday, two today. Owners always are very happy with them.

iforgotmename

I have a 56 /26 LHT and it doesn't look odd in my opinion. I had it powdercoated twice...long story. This is the first color, too bad it pretty much fell off
...

Kimmitt 

Yeah, this is one of those "looks funny until you get used to it" things.

badamsjr

Are you saying my ride looks funny?

Standalone 

the high stem adds to the oddness of the look. horses for courses, and all that, though.

I ride a 66cm bike, though, so imagine a custom one of those puppies with some 26" wheels!

EKW in DC

Thanks for posting that. Very nice bike! That doesn't look bad at all. Maybe the image on the Surly site is one of the bigger framesets w/ the 26" wheels, or maybe it just looks funny on the website, since it's w/o fenders, racks, etc., and the more I ride w/ my rack and fenders, the more I come to think that bikes w/o those two items look odd generally, regardless of size of wheels.

You helped change my mind, at least on the 56/26 LHTs... Great, now when I finally am able to pull the trigger on one, I'm gonna have to try to decide between a 700 and a 26! And here I thought I had it all figured out...

vik 

You want freak show!... Here is my 20" wheel Bike Friday New World Tourist...58cm TT and tiny wheels....great touring bike!...

...vs. my 58cm 700c LHT.



I happily ride both bikes...no big deal really.

Garthr

I'm thinking those Bike Friday Bikes are fun to ride ! They even make ones for us tall people with long TT's. I'd spec it with Albatross bars. For touring though .... I don't know if the chainstays are long enough for size 15 feet and 185mm cranks and bags.

LeeG

my $.02 is to not bother with rear panniers for 20" folders and configure the lowest mounted rear rack so that all the gear piles up vertically to the seat tube then put panniers on the front and a duffle on the front of the steerer tube. I don't think it makes sense to hang weight far aft if the chainstays aren't long enough. It takes some searching around but you can put together a rear rack that sits a couple inches above the tire with room for a fender and that way all the gear is between your heel strike radius.

LeeG

my $.02 is to not bother with rear panniers for 20" folders and configure the lowest mounted rear rack so that all the gear piles up vertically to the seat tube then put panniers on the front and a duffle on the front of the steerer tube. I don't think it makes sense to hang weight far aft if the chainstays aren't long enough. It takes some searching around but you can put together a rear rack that sits a couple inches above the tire with room for a fender and that way all the gear is between your heel strike radius.

Sixty Fiver

My Twenty and I are going to be putting down 500 km over the next week... am working on designing a mini velo with 45cm rear stays (minimal) and a seperable frame instead of a folding one to make it a very portable travel bike with full on touring capabilities.

My old Twenty has 37cm rear stays and my touring bags do not cause issues as they sit back just far anough and are angled so heel strikes are not an issue... the space between the rack and fender is where I stow my squall gear and pump. It rides as nice as my full sized touring bike which has 26 inch wheels and if I had mounted the front rack could carry the same gear. The advantages to smaller wheels are many... a 36 spoke 406 is as strong as a 48 spoke 622 and modern 20 inch wheels and tyres impart a great ride quality and are capable of great speed.

Bike Friday has done an amazing design job as they have built a great riding bike that also folds whereas may folders are designed with a focus on foldability without as much attention to how they ride.

If I did not have the ability to design and resources to build a compact tourer I'd consider buying a BF... packability and rideability is more important to me than a quick fold.