3rd Times the Charm

So in what has apparently become a tradition of me being the worlds most indecisive person ever I changed my mind again about what I wanted.

This latest change came from a few different places though. When I had decided on getting the Kona Ute it was because I was trying to get an all around bike. As I talked about in my last post there turned out to be a few inherent problems with that. So after returning that bike I set about converting my existing bike into a do it all bike. In the back of my mind I knew this wasn't a perfect solution but it seemed like the best one available at the time.

One thing that I have been ignoring for awhile is that I am not a bike racer. Okay I realize that is obvious to everyone who has seen me (unless the race is all downhill, then I will win!), but it didn't stop me from riding a race bike. Race bikes are great for racing, they are fast and light...problem is I am neither of those things. And of course I had the problem that started this whole journey in the first place which was the lack of being able to really carry much of anything on said bike.

In addition to everything I have mentioned in this blog before one thing that I have been thinking of for a long while is wanting to at some point do some bike touring. I have spent a lot of time lately reading journals at www.crazyguyonabike.com which has reinforced this desire.

Another site that I keep an obsessive eye on is craigslist, usually just looking at things that I can't afford. I have no clue why I do this, but I do. Well a bit over a week ago this neuroses paid off. Enter my new do everything bike, and this time I really mean do everything as this will basically replace my other bike, a 2009 Surly Long Haul Trucker.

My Orbea is meant for racing with tight geometry, high saddle, low bars, short wheelbase, aluminum and carbon construction, low spoke count wheels, etc etc, the LHT is pretty much the polar opposite of that. The frame and fork are both steel, it has 36 spoke wheels, braze-ons for racks and fenders, a low BB and long chain stays for stability. It is the Cadillac to Orbea's Porsche.

This year a stock LHT will run you $1250ish from your local bike shop assuming they are on the fair side of the pricing game, which is a price I was considering paying as it was really not far off of the price of the Kona that got this whole thing started, but the craigslist luck gods shined on me and I happened upon a post for a 2009 for $400 that was posted minutes before I saw it. I jumped on it and met with the seller the next morning.

After outfitting the bike with the racks and bags it deserves I was still hundreds less than just the stock bike would have been had I bought it new.

So far I have taken a small grocery run, commuted from work, and gone on a park ride with my daughter and I can honestly say I LOVE this bike. I wish that I would have gotten something like this long ago. I will never win any races on the Surly, but lets face it I wasn't winning any anyways so i might as well be as comfortable as possible while I ride. The LHT puts me in a more upright position while still giving me the "road bike" feel that I am used to and like. It has a much lower gear range which is great for me being able to ride with confidence up grades that would have destroyed me on the Orbea (such as the road I took home by mistake that gained 475ft in 1.3 miles). Sure it is heavy and slow, but so am I (and in reality its not that slow, if my legs and lungs were up to the task the gear range would allow me 23mph+, but that's not really the goal).

Anyway enough rambling from me, here are a few photos:

Commuter Mode, with a single Ortlieb Back Roller Classic pannier.

Touring Mode, with a complete set of Ortlieb Back and Front Roller Classics. (Hopefully I will get to put these to good use soon-ish)

Bike Train Mode, with Kai on her Trail-a-Bike. She had a blast, and so did I.

While we were at the bike store picking up the racks and bags for the Surly we wound up buying a seat and helmet for Levi as well. It will be a couple of months before he can use them but we wanted to get Terra use to the feeling of having the seat on her bike before riding with him in it.

So there you have the latest in the ongoing bike saga, and this time I promise, no more changes. This set up is the one for me, it just took some experimentation to find it.