Cycling UK Forum

I am about to pull the trigger for a Surly Long Haul Trucker. With my frame size (56cm) I am able to choose between 700c and 26 wheels. I will be using it primarily for commuting and for short and long-range touring - mostly on paved roads.

I like the stability and inertia of 700c wheels. From my own research, there seems to be an agreement in that 700c allow to maintain speed better. Larger wheels have more mass which means they have more inertia; once you get them rolling, they want to keep going, which allows you to cruise at a higher average speed.

However, it is unclear to me to what extent the 700c vs 26 efficiency difference is significant.

For those that have had the chance to travel with both 700c and 26 wheels: how much is the efficiency gain of using 700c vs 26, when maintaining speed? That is, for the same pedaling effort in a near-flat road, how much more distance will I travel with 700c, in percentage terms? Do you reckon it is a 5% or a 40%?

PS: Beyond the efficiency aspect, I am also aware of other pros/cons of choosing 700c vs 26 (e.g. availability, durability, acceleration, toe overlap, etc.). However, I'd like to focus on the efficiency aspect.

alexnharvey wrote:It has a nice brooks saddle and I think that's an expensive tubus rear rack. Bit of a hodge podge of other bits, although it bodes well that parts have been replaced and serviced. The low end crankset makes it look a cheaper bike than it really is. I like to see a dirty bike, it keeps other buyers away.

I find sold prices on ebay give a good idea of the likely range, although there are some caveats to bear in mind, e.g. things like "collection only" will depress the sale price. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... Complete=1

USA prices are totally irrelevant because of tax and shipping. The frame alone new is £200 more here than it is there currently. You'll only irritate yourself with those comparisons

Based on that if it is rideable and you want it to use rather than look at you got it for £400 or £450 you'd probably be doing OK given the current market. OTOH, I wouldn't pay any premium for an LHT when I could buy any number of other nicer touring frames for less, not least some recent examples in the classifieds here like viewtopic.php?f=40&t=141462 If the seller bothered to clean it and make it presentable they'd probably sell it for 5-600 on ebay. If they know this it may have informed their asking price.

Thanks for all these points - extremely helpful. At this stage, and weighting the different aspects raised in this thread, I am leaning towards not buying it. I am planning on a one-month touring trip in the coming months, and would like to have the bike also for future traveling, apart from being my daily commuting. I'd like it to last for many years, and avoid having to upgrade/change components in the near term. Given this use case, I feel it makes sense buying something that is in better condition.

alexnharvey wrote:

thelawnet wrote:

alexnharvey wrote:I see the seller is also including ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag, which might add £50-100 onto the value but the saddle is not included.

there's no photo of the bags though, they might be in good condition, but maybe not.

Indeed, that's why I gave an the estimated range for them, e.g. 50 or so in poor and 100 (or more) if they're in good condition. Your estimate might vary...

Yes, the seller includes 2 rear Ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag, which are in a not-so-good condition. Photos here: https://imgur.com/gallery/LSSM1x0.

As @alexnharvey mentions, the Brooks saddle is excluded.

peetee wrote:I would avoid the bike. The crankset is a basic Shimano item with non-replaceable chainrings. If I saw that on a quality bike I would have to assume it has been serviced on a restricted budget and the rest of the bike has less attention than it deserved.

That is a good point @peetee, I had not thought about it in that way.

Audax67 wrote:FWIW I got 850 € for this one (own build), but it was almost new at the time, apart from the shifters which were 12 years old:

Thanks Audax67! Wow, that was a good deal indeed. Is that a 54cm frame?

pwa wrote:To me it looks very "tired" and shabby. £350? Maybe more for someone who is enthusiastic about the brand.

Thanks for the advice!

I found a second hand Surly Long Haul Trucker, which is listed at 620 GBP. Comparing with prices for second hand LHT in the US, to me this seems high. For that price, I see bikes that appear in much better condition. The LHT has the following condition:

- The bike is from 2013. Seller is second owner of bike. He has done 25,000 km on it.
- The frame appears as structurally solid; however, it does have cosmetic scratches.
- Headset bearings and crankshaft bearings were replaced 1000km ago. The crankset, cassette & chain are in good condition, and have covered around 700km. The gear cables have been replaced.
- Rear rim has done around 2000km, but has been serviced within that distance. The front rim has done around 3500km but has had new bearings.
- Wheels are Schwalbe Marthon Plus tours. The rear has near new tread and the front has around 4000km left on it.

Some photos here http://imgur.com/gallery/RIbcsd9

Do you agree 620 GBP is too high? How much do you think I should be offering?

Thanks so much!

Edit: The Brooks saddle is excluded. The seller includes 2 rear Ortlieb panniers and handlebar bag, which are in a not-so-good condition, photos here: https://imgur.com/gallery/LSSM1x0.