Truckin

As mentioned before I am buying a new bike this year. I've decided on the Surly Long Haul Trucker. It's steel frame, gearing, mounting points for racks and fenders, owner reviews, and color scheme all played a part in my decision to go with the Surly. The one thing keeping me from pullng the trigger is the color. Surly is releasing two new colors this year, blue and black. The blue is starting to hit the bike shops now, but the black will not be relased until mid year (June/July). The look of the bike is so important to me that I am willing to wait 4 to 5 more months. I'm going to miss having it now and riding most of my 2010 miles on it, but to get what I want I'll wait. I plan to use it as my primary bike. My Trek Pilot will be a training type bike used for speed work and other short distance type riding. The Surly will be my road bike, my rail trail bike, and my commuter bike. I bought a new wheel set for my Trek last year to try to make it my all around bike but the carbon front fork and alluminium frame just really concern me with my weight and carrying a load. It did perform well on my Wabash Tour last year, but from what I've heard about the ride quality of a steel frame I just have to try it. I'm planning on repeating the Wabash Tour this year and adding a tour to Lincoln via the MoPac Trail. I'll have the Surly by then to really get a feel for it as a loaded touring bike.