Straight from the build with very little riding beforehand I took the bike touring in the Scottish Highlands, a bit of a trial by fire really but the LHT really surpassed itself. Loaded with approx 18kg including the weight of the panniers themselves it feels super stable both at speed and doing slower manouvers including steep climbing. A real revelation compared to the converted MTB I'd been using before. Also as part of my initial impressions was how comfortable this bike is. I'm still unsure whether this is down to the frame geometry, the steel tubing or the 1.6" wide schwalbe marathon supreme tyres, they probably all contributed. The high bar position with compact drop bars helps too, allowing a multitude of hand positions none of which causing any back pain from having to crouch too low.
It was no slouch either, certainly it doesn't accelerate quickly when loaded and even unloaded when compared to a road race machine as its about 3kg heavier in weight but once up to speed its easy to keep there and definitely feels less wearing due to the ride characteristics.
Tested on road and off it on hard packed landrover tracks it coped admirably abeit slower offroad compared to an MTB with suspension, again I'm impressed with how the bike handles and how balanced it is, allowing you to concentrate on forward traction without having to frantically keep your balance.
The same balance and composure came to the fore again when on huge climbs, the Bealach na Ba climbed with ease thanks to the 22/32/44T chainset and 11-34T cassette. Also great at descending easily feeling in control at speeds over 45mph.
All in all for commuting, load carrying and general local riding this is my bike of choice. My road race bike being used less and less. Yes its not as fast but no more than 10% slower and that comfort certainly counts for a lot more.
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