# Fatties Fit Fine, Kind of - Surly LHT Mod



## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

So there's been a little uncertainty about fitting 29x2.1 on the LHT for quite some time. I don't think I would have took this project on if it weren't for this upcoming trip with my friend and not having a proper 29er or a fat bike. So I decided to modify my LHT a bit. For trip preparation I knew I would need larger tires for the terrain we'll be covering. My friend bought 29x2.5 and gave me his WTB 2.1's. This is where things get funky.

Before we start lets talk about my bike. I've had this LHT for two whole years now. It's toured over 7000 miles over extended and smaller trips in the U.S. I've been modifying it along the way to accommodate my demands prior to my trips. I've gone from stock drop bars to mountain bike bars, bar end shifters to XT Deore. The LHT is the ultimate machine and I find it easy to maintain and modify.

I've attached some images of the unfinished project leading up to my trip with notes on what worked in this first wave and what didn't. I'll be continuing to make post until completed so I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on the finished rig.

29x2.1 WTB Nano will rub the spoke stays on the left side unfortunately
















Some may cringe about grinding down the fork a bit. We shaved off just a tad but for addition clearance directly in the center of the fork.
















Clearance is about 4mm from tire to fork. I can pull down the wheel to get a bit more space but I have absolutely no rubbing in the front end. I plan to try out a 29x2.0 tire in the rear and looking at the Specialized Hardrock'R or Fast Trak. Till next time - pedalovereverything


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

The fork is cheap to replace if it does fail, but a little grinding doesn't scare me too much.

I feel like the right 1.9-2.0 tire will perform better than a lot of 2.1 tires depending on the conditions. If you had a high-volume 2.0 with a great tread pattern and a wide rim, you might find modification to be unnecessary!


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## TheirOnlyPortrait (Dec 30, 2014)

bikeeverywhereny said:


> So there's been a little uncertainty about fitting 29x2.1 on the LHT for quite some time. I don't think I would have took this project on if it weren't for this upcoming trip with my friend and not having a proper 29er or a fat bike. So I decided to modify my LHT a bit. For trip preparation I knew I would need larger tires for the terrain we'll be covering. My friend bought 29x2.5 and gave me his WTB 2.1's. This is where things get funky.
> 
> Before we start lets talk about my bike. I've had this LHT for two whole years now. It's toured over 7000 miles over extended and smaller trips in the U.S. I've been modifying it along the way to accommodate my demands prior to my trips. I've gone from stock drop bars to mountain bike bars, bar end shifters to XT Deore. The LHT is the ultimate machine and I find it easy to maintain and modify.
> 
> ...


Hola bikeeverywhereny,

I hope you don't find any muddy terrain in your Adventure 

Saludos,
Federico Cabrera
Their Only Portrait. Portraits & Cycling


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

I love my LHT. I've have had my 56cm for almost 10 years now! My only wish is that the rear end could accommodate a more voluminous tire though. I resurrected it last weekend after a bit of time sitting in the back of the garage. I had two brand new 2" (50-622) Schwalbe marathon mondials kicking around. No worries in the front end, lots of room. Tight in the rear with a few mm's to spare on either side on Mavic 719's. I so wish the LHT could accommodate more rubber, 2.4" would be perfect!. Although I am really stoked on how bad ass it looks with the 2"ers on there compared to the 40's that were on there before. 

As an aside I got my 9 speed durace bar end shifters (on Pauls' thumbies) to shift a 10 speed SRAM x9 rear derailleur on an XT 11-36 cassette as a 2x (24/36) on my sugino crank in friction mode. Nice! No messing around, just set it up and it worked pretty much right away.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

I've got a 26er LHT and it's running 55mm tires plus fenders with no clearance issues.


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