PH wrote:
I didn't say it was a bad 'un.
I didn't say you did.
There's presently 3 bikes and 1 frame for sale on this forum, bikes described as "As new", "Nearly new" "used one tour", not a scientific sample, but I'd still suggest the proportion of people who are buying and not keeping is quite high compared to other bikes. In contrast, there's currently only 1 Galaxy for sale on the forum and that's a Ti version. I don't know the figures, but I'd be surprised if the LHT outsold the Galaxy, if for no other reason than the Dawes availability.
I can't disagree with that,but it's a snapshot in time,though one or two LHT's do come up on the forum sales board.
Without too much research these would be on the shortlist, I'm not looking for another bike...
Hewitt Cheviot (My current steel tourer and I have no intention of changing it)
VO Campeur
SOMA Saga
Ridgeback Panorama
Spa Tourer
Some of the Jamis bikes sold by Evans
Genesis Tour de Fer
And lastly, the Surly Crosscheck, I know a couple of people who tour on them and rate them.
And all quite similar framesets to the LHT other than the LHT has a horizontal TT,the geometry is similar on most.
What I'm trying to get at is why is the LHT so popular,maybe it isn't top dog in the UK but in the US or globally even it comes up near the top.
Someone posted up thread (you(?))that they may have been introduced at just the right time in the US and got a good name,and once established is hard to shift of it's perch,much as the Galaxy used to.
Though TBH the spec for the standard LHT is very good for the price point.
So far we've one person complaining it's a 'slug' but until we know what he's it's comparing it to we don't know how valid that complaint is,everyone else seems to be happy with theirs,which seems to back up the fact that it's a very good tourer.