Jonahhobbes

Have a new LHT lovely ride, very comfy but why the crappy brakes, the Tektro Oryx cantilevers? All the stopping power of a wet cabbage! I'm not looking forward to loading up the trucker and then having to stop quickly, (not got around to buying the panniers yet).

Also the WTB Slickasaurus tires? Zero flat resistance to glass or in fact anything. If I'm out for a ride above say 40miles I am pretty much assured a flat. Not what I'm looking for in a touring bike, ok they are stock and will soon be replaced but please!

About the rim brakes any recommendations of brake pads? OK Kool-stop, but which ones? It's been a few years since I last bought any rim brake pads, since my other bikes have disc, and the old MTB is not ridden very often.

Discs would have been really nice on this bike.

I've posted it here as I'm using it for back up commutes at present and am hoping to tour with it sometime this year.

TurbineBlade

I don't like the tektro oryx cantilevers either....read the cantilever brake thread over in mechanics right now. A lot of people claim that, when set up properly, they work great.

Since all you do is install the brake posts, align the pads with the spacers to set them close to the rims, the link wire, and the cables -- I don't see what I am missing, but some people argue otherwise.

I installed v-brakes and couldn't be happier.

I've never had issues with flat tires, almost regardless of the tires I am using. Many people who constantly get flats either have terrible roads, ride too far toward the gutters, ride with incorrect tire pressure, or have a pump with incorrect psi read-out IME.

All in all I love my LHT .

exile

Can't help you with brakes. For me the Oryx work fine but I have yet to load mine up. I would definetely look into new pads when I do get around to some kind of tour am loaded up.

As far as tires I didn't like the Slickasauras'. They rolled pretty well but flats like you mentioned were unbeleivable. I replaced mine I believe in August or September after riding close to a full year on the WTB's. I now have Panaracer RiBMo's. A little harsher ride but zero flats so far.

JoeyBike

The Long Haul Trucker is available only as a frame set. Surly has what is known as a "sample build" so you can get some idea what a base level LHT will cost ya. You are the first person I have heard of that bought the bike that way. The whole point of Surly is so you can get a personalized, custom machine (componentry) at a very reasonable price.

Why you ask? 'Cause you missed the point.

kk4df

When I got my LHT, I had the bike shop swap out the tires for Schwalbe Marathons and the brake pads to Kool Stop salmon pads. I still had to play a bit with the toe-in adjustment on the pads, but it stops fairly well if adjusted properly.

DogBoy

I can't tell the date of posts anymore, so this may be an old post. If not, the LHT is now sold as a complete bike through many retailers. If you go to the surly website you can see that there are complete bike options for both the LHT and the cross-check. My LBS stocks both, but a frame would be a special order.

HardyWeinberg

I am confident I have my cantis set up as best they can be, and I am happy enough with them (no squeal, enough stop I don't mind toting my 5 yr old in traffic) but I cannot endo no matter how light I get my rear end.

To set them up at their best, can't just read Sheldon's site, really need to internalize it. Drop the straddle cable as low as you can, spread the arms as wide as you can (put the thick spacer for the pad post on the inside). I also put the spring in the upper of the 3 holes. I have a light mounted at my fork crown so can't lower the straddle cable below that.

All that said, I would think hard about swapping them out for V-brakes. Love the tektro dropbar v levers.

ps-> the tektro 720s do that adjustment for you (drop cable, spread arms) if you want to change the arms but not the levers.

Pigtire

I use the Tektro Oryx on my LHT and I have no issues with it. I'm even using the stock pads and use my bike for offroad rides, FYI. Have your LBS or yourself adjust the brakes( or change pads) and you should be good to go.

grolby

Geez, have you been living under a rock, or what? The LHT has been available as a complete bike since the 2007 model year, and they've been selling like hotcakes ever since.

Anyway, Kool Stop salmon pads and a careful set up should go a long way toward improving your braking. Tektro Oryx are nothing special, and will work fine if set up correctly with good pads. Canti brakes reward careful set up, and really punish poor set up (which is what you are likely to get, stock). It's annoying, but that's the way it is.

As for the tires, the problem is almost certainly with your local roads or some element of your riding or maintenance habits, as noted by gene2308 above.

cyccommute 

If the bike uses this kind of link wire



You might be better off ditching it for a more traditional cable and straddle carrier like this



I've never been satisfied with the fixed link wire. The straddle cable allows for more adjustment and a more positive brake feel.

Kool Stop dual compound MTB brake pads are very good as replacement pads. I use them on just about everything.

As for discs on a touring bike, discs cause some problems. Mounting racks is more difficult because of the caliper. Both wheels have dish to them that they don't have with rim brakes. The rear spokes are at a steeper angle on the non-drive side and the front is somewhat weakened by the added dish. The front wheel would probably be more impacted by the dish than the rear since you have to take up a lot of room in a 100mm space for the disc.

Plus touring cyclists are traditionalists. They don't accept change that easily

Jonahhobbes

Thanks guys, I'll check out the mechanics forum, also our roads here in New Zealand rare atrocious for glass, I'm pretty limited as to what to replace the tires with over here, but will hunt around.

Hehe cyccommute, point taken.


All in all I prefer the LHT to the wife's Fargo, nicer ride, very happy with the bike.



edit: Just got the LHT out to go to work and it's got a flat front tire, I think that makes around 10 since getting the bike 3 months ago.

MerckxMad

Do yourself a favor and ditch the Oryx "speed modulators" for Tektro CR720 brakes. They will actually stop your bike without squeal for the price of Coolstop pads alone. You need wide profile cantis with lots of mechanical advantage. An adjustable yoke and a long straddle cable are your friends.

neil

Is the cause of each flat the same, if so, what is it? I assume that you've been checking the inside of the tire after each flat? If you don't check properly, there could be a dent on the rim, a piece of gravel inside the tire, or poorly placed rim tape causing the problem.

Jonahhobbes

Nah it's not a newb error, I mostly commute on my Salsa with Conti Top Contacts, (the only decent tires I can source over here), and have had no flats in a couple of thousand kms. It's just terrible New Zealand roads which are well known for the huge amounts of glass lying around.

I have checked though.

JoeyBike

Because your LBS is lazy. In the 2009 Surly dealer catalog, the Pre-built bike fine print says "Bike Pictured may differ from actual build". Duh. So why would you take what you get when you could ask for anything you want?

Surly has been offering "Sample builds" for a long time. They just changed the nomenclature to "Pre Built" since everyone looks at bikes on the web in this electronic age. Does your LHT match EXACTLY to the Pre-built version on their web site bolt for bolt? I would be very surprised if it does.

Powerarranger

When I bought my '09 LHT last summer, I had the LBS switch out the stock brakes for Deore V-brakes with Cane Creek levers. Much gooder. Also came with Conti Contact tires - I wasn't too sure about those (almost swapped to the Schwalbes) but they've performed very well and just got my first flat this weekend (1,000+ miles).

YMMV, I guess.

Bioflamingo

I test rode an LHT last summer with stock brakes. Don't remember the brand but they must have been those because they felt about like what I'd imagine a wet cabbage to feel like. Decided not to buy the bike for that reason, and purchased a vintage touring bike for half the price instead. I'm a huge fan of cantilevers, and I put them on most of my bikes, but those were just plain horrible. I've had better luck with the nashbar brakes than those.

d18rc

My LHT came with Conti Contact tires and I quickly put on Kool Stop salmon pads.
It's been trouble free for 1880 commuting miles in 2009.

Roy Curry

Greg_R

I weigh 275lbs and haul up to 25lbs to and from work (bag, computer, clothes, lock, etc.). I have not had a problem with the stopping power of the Oryx brakes but they did require adjustment. The Koolstop dual compound MTB seem to be the favorite options on the LHT forum. My LHT came with Conti Contacts and I have pleased with the tires so far.

electrik

Dear surly,

DISC TABS, it is 2010 this year we have options!!

Put the rear tab on the chainstay not the seatstay!

Amani576

Mine did.
-Gene-

kludger

I also had no luck with the LHT stock tekro oryx "compact" canti brakes, they squealed really badly no matter how many times I tried to adjust them and the 3 times I took them into the LBS where even extreme toe adjustments didn't last for long before the squeal would return. I finally got tired of them and swapped them out with the Tekro CR-720s "classic" cantilevers which were relatively inexpensive and I haven't had any problems with the brakes since... The oryx and the saddle are the only things that I've replaced on my LHT, awesome bike.

Jonahhobbes

We sourced our bikes through a touring holiday company, they only sell complete bikes here and are the only place in the country you can get Salsa and Surly's to my knowledge. I bought my Salsa from them a 18months ago and they are a sound operation. The tires and brakes are only niggles I'll iron out. Just annoyed at the rubbishness of the tires more than anything. Soon as I have time I'll replace the brakes.

KLW2

Nice users group for LHT and Crosscheck owners...here is some info discussed on brakes.....

JoeyBike

Ahhhh. A mail order bike. You are lucky to only have small issues I guess. I had no indication that you were not in the US/Canada where virtually every single reputable bike shop can get Surly products. Makes more sense now. Good luck!