Steel Is Real
This is a Surley Long Haul Trucker (LHT). It is probably the most iconic of distance touring bicycles, capable of everything from bike packing with 26″ mtb wheels to high speed 700c’s. Our customer had us convert it early this Summer.
He has ridden this bike thousands of miles on epic adventures with his friends. Its components are all premium and not available on factory e-bikes. Adding a torque sensing mid-drive gives him the range he needs and will allow him to remain in the saddle, climbing those hills, for decades to come.
Like a lot of us, our friend isn’t finding it any easier to climb over that top tube. Dean Wright of Wright’s cyclery is making this iconic frame into a low step Mixte (second photo)! As I understand it, Dean will be able to powder coat it in the original color and replace the original stickers.
That’s just another advantage to steel frames. They fell out of favor in the late 80’s when lightweight aluminum made the scene. As folks learned of aluminum’s brittleness and stiff, buzzy ride, butted steel, formerly only seen on expensive bikes, came back into favor. In the meantime, more forgiving butted and hydroformed aluminum and carbon fiber came on line. Still, nothing rides or responds quite like steel. It naturally absorbs vibrations and road irregularities. It’s one of the reasons 90’s era bikes, with butted steel frames, are such popular conversions.
Carbon fiber can be lighter and formed more aero, but it’s just too expensive for custom builds like this LHT. It”s not affordable to build custom bikes perfectly fitted to the cyclist in carbon fiber. That’s where frame builders like Dean come in. It’s expensive, but not bad for a once in a lifetime, perfectly fit and fitted bicycle. At some point, every cyclist should really treat themselves to a custom bike all theor own.
Perhaps you have an iconic bike just packed with memories. We can extend its usefulness, adding a torque sensing mid-drive. Dean might be able modify yours or build you a new frame, custom built just for you! Want to learn more? Let’s get together and talk.