The Surly Long Haul Trucker is hard to beat for, well, the LONG HAUL. Mine’s gone everywhere I’ve asked it to go and for as long as I wanted to be out. It’s hauled every load I’ve put on it—up to 50 pounds on the rear rack. It’s comfortable and rugged, and I have every confidence that my LHT would hold up on the most ambitious tour. Because of the long rear triangle, the largest panniers sit far enough back so that I have no problem with heel strike, even though I ride the smallest frame Surly builds for this bike (42 cm), and even though I have long feet for my size. But there are times when I don’t want to haul loads in a pannier. Though the LHT will cope with heavy weights in panniers, once the load exceeds about 30 pounds, I prefer to use a bike trailer.

Bike trailers come in a variety of designs, but generally the choice breaks down into whether to buy a dual-wheeled trailer or an in-line, single-wheeled trailer. Each has its proponents and advantages. My preference is for dual-wheeled trailers. While they will not cope with singletrack, for most of the places where I’d want to haul a load, a two-wheeled trailer works well. And as a rugged trailer that matches the steely resolve of the LHT, the Croozer trailer is hard to beat. Its rugged good looks hint at its utilitarian capabilities, and its solid, no-nonsense construction are impressive, and so is the relatively low price tag. In the weeks to come TNO will be putting a Croozer trailer through its paces, and we’ll report on what we find. Stay tuned!

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