Travis Poppe's Personal Homepage

Surly Long Haul Trucker Complete Bike

After commuting and recreating on a relatively inexpensive upright comfort bicycle for a little over a year, doing several long-distance (30-50mi) rides on it, I decided bicycling was definitely my "thing" and sealed my commitment to it by purchasing a higher end road/touring bicycle. I purchased this bike with the future in mind, hoping to get many years of use out of it. I fully expect it to take the place of my old bicycle for commuting and recreation during at least three seasons; I will still ride my upright commuter in the winter. I do not intend to abandon my old bike, but it will become more of a fallback bike, used in less than ideal weather conditions and quick trips to the grocery store, or in any other circumstance where it seems more appropriate to use it.

Since I bought my first bicycle, an upright comfort bicycle, I had pondered eventually graduating to a road bike. Somewhat ignorant at the time, I had no idea as to the specifics of this. I eventually decided on a touring bike, being particularly interested in touring and having found touring bikes to be perfect for commuting, as they are designed for long, comfortable rides while carrying a considerable amount of luggage (think groceries, or anything else a bicycle commuter might want to carry).

To help explain my decision, I would like to clarify the difference between a touring bike and other road bicycles. To the uninitiated, "road bike" may seem to be synonymous with "road racing bike." For many, images of lightweight, skinny-tired racing bicycles are conjured when one is mentioned. However, not all road bikes are created equal, and there are several key differences between road racing bikes and road touring bikes worth mentioning. While road racers may be great for racing, many of these bikes lack one or more of the following things:

• Mounting points (eyelets) for front/rear racks and fenders;
• Clearance for wider tires that are suitable for diverse terrain;
• Clearance for fenders;
• Chainstay length that provides heel clearance for rear panniers;
• Sturdy frame/wheels suitable for carrying a lot of excess weight;
• Better handling while loaded with heavy items, such as groceries or camping gear;
• Wider range of gears/different gear combinations; and
• Mounts for up to three water bottle cages.

Because I view transportation as being the single most important factor to consider when choosing a bicycle, I naturally wanted to get a road bike suitable for that purpose. Not just transportation, mind you, since all bikes are good for that; rather, all of the things that go with making a bicycle an effective alternative mode of transport. Road racing bikes might excel in getting you to work at warp 9, but they often lack many of the things I consider to be necessary of a commuter bicycle. All that being said, road racing bikes are used for commuting by many, and the points I mentioned above may be irrelevant to some people or solved in a number of ways.

Bicycle & Current Parts (Items "permanently" attached to, or generally associated with, this specific bike)