questions about buying or building a new bike

I have a road bike that has served me well for almost 10 years, but I'm not doing a ton of road riding anymore because I have kids now. I want a Surly Long Haul trucker or commute and long rides. Question: Does it make any sense just to buy the Surly Long Haul Trucker frame and some wheels and strip my road bike of it's components, seat, bars, etc to build a new bike? Is that even possible? How much would it to have someone rebuild a bike? Or should I just buy the Surly for $1300.

Another question I have is can I install a rear rack and also be able to put a Burley trailer on the bike? I can't find any info about having both a rear rack and trailer on a bike. 

Views: 1201

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on August 4, 2015 at 3:07am

Pony Shop in Evanston (close to the Chicago border) stocks them. Johnny Sprockets may stock some at their Broadway store as well. I'm not sure about the Andersonville location because they are a little smaller. You may want to call ahead.

Permalink Reply by mweerd on August 20, 2015 at 7:03am

All City Space Horse = yes! LHT is too heavy!

Surprised someone hasn't (or maybe they did?) mentioned the Soma Double Cross. If I were to build a new bike for commute/light tour/road/sport -> I'd go with the DC -> can fit so many different tires -> the disc version comes in a 66cm -> yum! 

Eric at Smart Bike parts is my go-to for ordering anything.

Bianchi Volpe is also a great choice - Boulevard Bikes seems to be the Bianchi empire - seen lots of their builds and they look great.

Permalink Reply by Ethan N-G on September 1, 2015 at 10:36pm
As a student I got a great deal on a Novara Randonee, which is the REI store brand. At the risk of recommending a major chain store, my budget for a touring bike was low. I waited until late in the season and had a coupon.

It was a really nice, thoughtfully speced bike. I would consider another if I decided I wanted to go back to a touring bike. As others have mentioned, I prefer a more cross like bike. I have since had a Cross Check and Salsa La Cruz that were more my style. If you switch from a road bike the transition to something like that might be pretty fluid.
Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on September 2, 2015 at 2:27am

Hi Kelly, Did you figure out what you wanted to do? I'd love to hear what you decided. Once you have it built up, please do share a pic. This brought about some great discussion about the choices for long rides, commutes, and pulling a trailer.

Permalink Reply by Kelly on September 2, 2015 at 9:00am

Nothing yet, Yasmeen. I'll let you know when I make the jump. Torn over going this route or investing in a longtail, something along the lines of an Edgerunner. I have a 6 month old daughter and soon I can have both kids on the bike. With limited funds, I'm still trying to figure out what's the best way to go! Still leaning towards a touring(ish) bike and a trailer (more versatility). Very interested in the All City Space Horse. Once I feel more committed, I'll probably head over to Johnny Sprockets and check a few bikes out.

Permalink Reply by Kelly on March 11, 2016 at 8:16am

Yasmeen, I ended up keeping my road bike and I got an Edgerunner for commuting. Very happy with the new bike!

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 11, 2016 at 8:38am

That's fantastic. That road bike will come in handy for nice solo rides. The Edgerunner looks great! Love the new profile picture with your kids. So glad to hear this all worked out for you. Yay bikes! :-)

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service