Taking a rest day and thought I’d share some details on The Tank.
I bought it used from Handlebars in Kenmore, NY which is the best bike shop I know of. It’s a Surly Long Haul Trucker - the classic tourer from a few years back. They still make the same basic bike except with disc brakes now. It has some modifications from the previous owner, and some from me.
None of this is strictly necessary to go camping on a bike, but I thought I’d share.
62cm LHT with all the strength and functionality you could ask for. The 3x9 drivetrain uses mountain bike components which are rugged and give super low gearing for steep hills.
Rear Surly rack has a platform unnecessarily wide for just panniers, but is perfect if you strap a sleeping pad to the top. Heavy but sturdy. Also, redundant rear lights. The dynamo light is steady state, but the top blinks.
Abus folding lock. In-between a u-lock and cable in both security and weight, buts beats both in compactness. The holder is meant to attach to water bottle mounts, but fits perfectly p-clipped to the rack.
Original drop bars swapped for swept ones and some generic ergo-grips. I never loved the drops for casual riding, but that’s what most cyclists use. After I read Fred Birchmore’s book about his round-the-world trip I realized that if swept-back bars didn’t hold him back I’d be just fine.
I used a Paul Components mount to relocate the bar-end shifter to the bar. The front shifter is used less so I put that on the downtube. Indexing broke a year ago, so I’ve been riding in friction mode which works pretty well after you get used to it.
Cantilever brakes have a reputation for being weak, but the key is to position the straddle cable as low as practicable; that gives the best mechanical advantage. Their big advantage is the ability to clear wide tires and fenders.
36-spoke wheels front and back. The front is a mavic, but the rear is better because it has my name. Neither have ever gone out of true. Continental Contact 37mm tires have never gotten a puncture (knock on wood)
Two regular bottle cages and one Blackburn Cargo cage to strap in a big bottle. Wide, flat, grippy pedals allow trail-running shoes or sandals depending on mood.
