Doug's Surly Long Haul Trucker
Urban Assault Bike -- Commuter -- Occasional Touring Bike

 

Arkel Small Bar Bag, Axiom Kootenay rear panniers, Brooks B17 saddle, MKS Touring Pedals.
(Front lowrider rack (Tubus Duo) and small front bags to be purchased someday)

 

 

 

Light & Motion Stella 180-L on custom-made fork crown bracket.
Stella, removed from its stock mount, mounts very cleanly to a 21/64" hole in 1/8" bar.
(See my new and improved bracket below)

 

Axiom bags on Surly Nice Rack. I've been very pleased with these bags for
commuting, and they've held up very well to two years of everday use.

 

My solution to the tail light mounting challenge.

 

Custom bracket made from aluminum angle extrusion.
CatEye bracket removed from seat tube mount attaches neatly with a 5mm bolt.

 

Nice Rack tail light mount tube is tapped through for 5mm screw.

 

Arkel handlebar mounts leave plenty of room for brake cross levers.

 

Planet Bike Cascadia fenders were dulled to a satin finish with steel wool
to match all the other satin black accessories on the Long Haul Trucker.
Topeak Road Morph Plus pump on lower bottle mount.

 

Brake cables exiting cross levers are a tight fit below the Arkel bag brackets.

 

The Surly Nice Rack rear rack is huge, heavy, and hell for stout. It offers a lot of opportunities
for securing bungees and straps, and is great for hauling odd loads around town.

 

 

 

January '09 Update -- New Headlight Bracket

 

I developed this new bracket for the Stella, based on the Tektro fork crown brake hanger.
It's sleeker and more compact than my original under-the-brake-cable bracket.

 

 

 

The old bracket held up to the new, to show revised lamp position.

 

February '09 Update -- Permanent Steerer Tube Extension

 

My Long Haul Trucker was delivered with a steerer tube too short for me. After a year of using an ugly external clamp-on steerer extender to verify the appropriate handlebar height, I decided to clean up the assembly with a permanent and invisible solution. At right in the photo is a short length of the same material as the steerer tube (1 1/8" OD x .058" wall chromoly). Next to it is a 2" long sleeve (1" OD x .065" wall chromoly) that will internally reinforce the joint. Note that the star nut has been driven further into the steerer to a depth of about 1" to accommodate the sleeve.

 

Sleeve, steerer cap and bolt inserted to illustrate assembly (the long bolt is from the steerer extender being retired). The extension is placed over the sleeve, and the assembly is brazed together at the seam. The mating tube ends are highly chamfered to provide an enhanced fill for the brazing. It could be argued that the brazing only need be strong enough to resist the torque of the handlebars on the fork, as the star nut and bolt will hold the joint together in tension. However, the brazed joint turned out extremely hard and solid and will probably outlast the rest of the frame!

 

The completed steerer extension, with tubular aluminum spacers (1 1/4" OD x .058" wall 6061-T6) instead of a giant stack of ring spacers. I'll cut off the excess steerer length eventually. Notice that with the front brake cable housing stopped in the new Tektro fork mount hanger (see new headlight bracket above), the stock cable hanger (previously on top of the headset bearing) can be removed. The aluminum tubes were buffed with Scotch-brite in an orbital pad sander for an attractive finish.

 

February '09 Update -- Homemade Bicycle Stand

 

This quick-and-dirty wooden bike stand is one of the most useful things I've ever made! It holds the bike very securely, and is great for loading panniers and whatnot for my daily commute. When I get home, I roll the bike backwards into the rack and instantly the bike is secure and accessible from both sides.

 

Some 2x4s and some 1" lumber from an old shelf were on-hand and easy. Not much to look at, but very functional!

 

The spacer in back is 1/8" or so wider than the bicycle's rear tire.