Whilst I may potentially be doing my trip through Europe on another bike, given that I do like the look and have heard good stories about the Surly Long Haul Trucker, I have to weigh the costs involved in purchasing one, as opposed to utilising my Surly Troll....
I mean I purchased the Troll, being a Hard Tail Mountain Bike with 26" wheels, primarily for The Andes Trail, and as a consequence, it's wheel dimensions may not be entirely appropriate / necessary for a trip through Europe, though it does do the job.... It's just a little slower / harder work, than when dealing with a bike with 'standard" road size wheels.
That said, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you what the Troll currently looks like, though it would possibly have a few modifications, such as adding mudguards, swapping the front forks to fixed so that I can add panniers, etc.....
I mean I purchased the Troll, being a Hard Tail Mountain Bike with 26" wheels, primarily for The Andes Trail, and as a consequence, it's wheel dimensions may not be entirely appropriate / necessary for a trip through Europe, though it does do the job.... It's just a little slower / harder work, than when dealing with a bike with 'standard" road size wheels.
That said, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you what the Troll currently looks like, though it would possibly have a few modifications, such as adding mudguards, swapping the front forks to fixed so that I can add panniers, etc.....
A great bike that's given me an appreciation of what riding a Mountain Bike is all about.
The handlebars as seen from when in the saddle.
The Go Pro Hero 3+ Camera on the front which I have used to record certain "rides", etc.
The Cycliq Fly6 Rear Light Camera under the saddle
Being able to shift cameras between bikes is fairly easy, with the rear Fly6 Camera simply requiring me to undo / reattach the velcro strap on the seat post, whilst the Go Pro camera on the front isn't all that much harder.
I do have to change things around as far as the Go Pro camera set up is concerned if I want to utilise my Ortlieb Handlebar Bag, something which was very handy on the Andes Trail but hasn't seen a great deal of use here in OZ.
Finally in closing, I just thought I'd give you a bit of an update as to the number of kilometres ridden during March (900 kilometres) and the total achieved (1950 kilometres) in the year to date, which gives me an average of 150 per week, since the beginning of the year, something which pleases me no end.
I do have to change things around as far as the Go Pro camera set up is concerned if I want to utilise my Ortlieb Handlebar Bag, something which was very handy on the Andes Trail but hasn't seen a great deal of use here in OZ.
Finally in closing, I just thought I'd give you a bit of an update as to the number of kilometres ridden during March (900 kilometres) and the total achieved (1950 kilometres) in the year to date, which gives me an average of 150 per week, since the beginning of the year, something which pleases me no end.
I'm alaways amazed at the different kinds of bikes there are available these days and how much people spend on them. I'm sure you will pick the right one for your needs.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to spend a week or so, on the Surly, with loaded panniers in its current format, to see just how viable it is to ride some 5000 odd kilometres through Europe that way.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a massive ride, do you have extra padding on your seat also?
DeleteInterestingly enough a firmer saddle which limits 'bounce' is actually better for riding faster and further without causing discomfort
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