Surly World Troller - touring thread

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  • Like DT Swiss 535 better than the Sputniks. No wider suggestions ?

  • Wait....disc or rim brake?

    Also, the fire hole is the gate to hell! Seriously..cliche name, but it's a hole that's emitting burning gas for quite some time.
    See...there's a whole bunch of insane routes that are massively tempting. Southern China has one hugging the Himalayas...now wouldn't that be a treat.

  • Definitely will depending on the weather when I'm there. Wheels will be disc but rim brake ready in case they break down. It's between DT Swiss 535 and the 200g heavier but much wider Ryde Andra 40 for me

  • Velocity Cliffhanger is another wide/rim brake option, but it's a bit pricey.

    Is it not better to just go for a wide disc rim, and if it explodes, buy whatever 26" wheel you can find (I assume you're not carrying v-brakes with you and would have to buy those in the event of total disc failure anyway...)

  • That route looks amazing. How sad though that my first thought was "that doesn't feel safe". So many troubled countries that you're skirting near. I'm sure that you'll be fine. Please take lots of photos and update us when you can. I'd love to do something similar.

  • @Heldring So it looks like for pretty much most of Turkey, you can actually use street view, but not for all roads or small feeder ones. I've found that pretty much any large enough village has actually been snapped by our google overlords, albeit in poor quality. Does give you a bit of an early lookout into road conditions though.

    I've found that as you enter the Northern mountain range there, most of the roads leading up are all cobbled, which I found strange. Spoke to a mate who's from the region and he said they're mostly all old Roman roads! Ain't that neat!

    Check this out in Iran as well.

    Amir Kabir dam

    It's a shame its a little bit out o the way, but Isfahan looks incredible. The bridge straddling the river is a hell of a feat.

  • This looks will be incredible, love reading things like this. Good luck, subbed!

  • I would def swing down to Esfahan in Iran, was my favourite city there by far

    Would def do the Pamir highway and then once into China from Kashgar I would swing down past Kailash to Lhasa and then out via Yunnen and up but probably just doubled the distance to be covered in china but a much more interesting route than across the desert from Kashgar to Lanzhou for me.

  • HA! That's the route I plotted out in a moment of madness. Thought it might be a bit much as it really extends the distance, and by his schedule, might end up doing that route at the end of winter, which I imagine would be pretty harsh.
    The northern route from what I've scoped out, does seem to be a bit flat and repetitive.
    @Heldring How do you feel about climbing?

  • Good luck with this adventure of a lifetime. Subbed.

  • Seals no good? It's hard to find critique on the SP hubs other than from SON fetishists/hardcore 'buyers'. I'll be sure to look into weather-proofing them. Camping gear, uhm... well for the tent I'll probably get one of those MSR Hubba NX. Actually hope to get one in a sale somewhere, can't believe I'm planning to spend €350 on a f-in tent. No idea on the sleeping bag yet, already have a lightweight inflatable matress (Exped Airmat Lite 5M). More detailed post about camping gear will come up soon!

  • Some bike build progress pls

  • Fuck I wrote a big reply to all the posts above but I guess I forgot to actually post before closing the tab and going out...

    @andy_k That makes sense. Will look into it

    @Sparky Kidnapping is a thing there. I'll be sure to bring a baseball bat for all bears, wolfs, wild dogs and any scum I might encounter

    @lasyrabbit Thank you! Will keep a diary and try to post something here now and then.

    @Fahrgestell @dentonnn Cheers!

    @greentricky Esfahan looks interesting! If I find time I'll do Tehran > Esfahan > Masshad

    @Chak You're a hero! The fire hole/gate of hell is unfortunately off the list this time. Turkmenistan travel/transit visa is only 5-7 days. The dam looks great! Seems to be worth the small detour before arriving in Tehran.

    Tibet will probably, unfortunately, also not happen because of strong Chinese regulations on who get's to visit the region. Fortunately Tibetan culture is also alive and well in the Qinghai and Sichuan provinces. Definitely want to go there! Beijing as ultimate destination might be replaced for Hongkong or maybe even Hanoi, I think I'll fancy some good weather after spending winter in the mountains. Didn't really think it through but just slapped Beijing on as destination. But the cliché is true: it's not about the destination anyways.

    @PhilDAS Sorry, I'll do my best to come up with something ASAP ;-)

  • This crankset a good idea paired with a 11-36? Double or triple setup? Do I need a smaller granny gear?

  • If you're going to have a 34t small ring then I reckon you're better off going with a standard 50/34 compact than 46/34. Will give you a better range, which could mean putting on a bigger cassette for lower gears without a triple.

    But yeah - they don't have many fans at the moment (including me) but if in doubt maybe stick a triple on. Means you could have a more standard cassette which will be able to be replaced much easier when you're far away from London bike shops and Wiggle delivery locations.

    Just some thoughts though - interested to hear what others think.

  • Sorry - got this mixed up with another thread - you're going hub gears aren't you.

    First point still stands but ignore the rest.

  • Dunno about that. I've ridden mine through some fords and crashed into an unseen bog front wheel first and it's still rolling like a trooper.

    @Heldring Whoa, you're right. Visa regulations are a nightmare for China, so seems like they keep a tight lid on who can enter Tibet. Really unfortunate.
    That still leaves either the northern or southern route through Xinjiang. Cutting across the Gobi would be pretty mental.

    You decided on rims?

  • I have a hubba nx and can provide some feedback about sp hubs. I am running a bonkers fever right now, will respond when I'm slightly more coherent.

  • Just to add, I've been to Tibet. I didn't have any permissions beyond a standard Chinese tourist visa, you can see all sorts of things if you are willing to take a risk and play the ignorant foreigner if caught....

    Once you are in Tibet/ past checkpoints, no one checks as they assume you can't be there with out having got a visa. This was a few years a go though but I am sure somewhere like the Thorn tree would be able to confirm the current situation on the ground.

    Like you say though, only about a third of historical tibet is in the TAR, the rest is in regular China and Amdo is supposed to be great. If you aren't fixed on Beijing then I would def consider swinging south through Sichuan, Yunnan etc. to end in Hong Kong or SE Asia.

  • I reckon you're better off going with a standard 50/34 compact than 46/34.

    Nah, considering that this is a touring bike, I believed 46/34 with 11-36 would be apt.

    Or even get those 48/32 chainset from Spa Cycles.

  • Don't know if of any interest Op but these are a couple of blogs I have enjoyed in the past of people doing similar rides, might be worth a read to see what works and what doesnt on the gear front (get a triple)

    https://dublin2beijing.com/

    https://jamesftravel.wordpress.com/

  • How did you cope with the Chinese visa? Seems pretty stingy time wise.

    Northern route also seems to be a massive time suck.

  • Go as low as you can go for the granny gear imo. If you end up on something steep AND rough I reckon lower than 1:1 is the future

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Surly World Troller - touring thread

Posted by Avatar for Heldring @Heldring

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