Sooner or later I can’t keep in mind when, somebody I can’t keep in mind who requested if I used to be going to touch upon the brand new Surly Straggler:
Nicely, I don’t even know something in regards to the previous Surly Straggler, not to mention the brand new one, however I did watch their irreverent video:
Then I learn an article about it:
It definitely looks like a enjoyable, versatile, and simple bike, which is what you anticipate from Surly, however sadly I’ve reached the purpose in my life the place I can’t recognize any of that and as an alternative simply marvel in any respect the stuff that’s disappearing ceaselessly, like quick-release axles:
Tyre clearance is upped from 42mm to 50mm. Surly has completed the inevitable and transformed from 100mm entrance/135mm rear quick-release dropouts to 100mm/142mm 12mm-diameter thru-axles.
Sure, I do know it’s lengthy been over for the fast launch and no person cares, however it nonetheless amazes me. At some point you’ll inform your children about methods to take away a bicycle wheel all you needed to do was flip a lever and it popped proper out and so they gained’t consider you. It appears too good to have ever been true, like these previous images of children enjoying stickball in the midst of the road and doing swan-dives into the East River.
And naturally Surly have added compatibility with stuff like dropper posts and gravel suspension forks, which little doubt that you must do with the intention to promote a motorcycle like this in 2025, however being previous and cranky I can also’t consider the biking world has accepted these big headtubes:
The Straggler nonetheless comes with a metal fork as commonplace, however the 44mm non-tapered head tube opens the choice to suit a carbon fork or a gravel suspension fork.
Look, I do know it’s a Surly and never some fancy customized, however even the budget-conscious metal bicycle rider shouldn’t be pressured to stay with the “skipping leg day” look:
I assume the aesthetics rapidly drive you to improve.
Hey, what would you like from me? I miss the previous Surlys, and studying in regards to the new Straggler simply made me need to examine these as an alternative. So I retreated to the 2007 catalog, since that’s the 12 months I began this silly weblog. In fact there was the Cross-Verify:
Which was after all killed by “progress:”
Gross.
Then there was the Pacer:
Superb, I’ll settle for it might have been a shedding proposition for Surly to maintain promoting a dirt-oriented bike with rim brakes in 2025. However the full disappearance of the no-frills rim-brake highway body (with bonus fender mounts!) is tough for me to reconcile. That ought to be a staple. It’s like if Heinz discontinued common ketchup and solely supplied the spicy flavors:
Positive, I assume there are sufficient steel highway bike frames on the used market to maintain the subsequent 5 generations, however it nonetheless looks like a internet loss for humanity.
And the way about that Karate Monkey?!?
Bear in mind when there have been mountain bikes that took both rim brakes or disc brakes? That was superb. They have been like these bizarre prehistoric fish that would additionally stroll on land:
In fact I say all this having by no means truly purchased a Surly. I imply positive, I’ve had Surlys (Surlies?), however due to my fleeting Web fame (this weblog was briefly in style through the interval when mountain bikes took each rims and disc brakes) I didn’t should resort to the indignity of buying them. For instance, there was the Huge Dummy, which was my first actual expertise with any form of cargo bike, and which got here to me once I was a brand new dad or mum:
The bike was completely unbelievable and it couldn’t have been extra well timed, although finally once I had much less use for it I handed it alongside to a good friend whose kids have been youthful than mine.
Then there was the Vacationers Verify, which was mainly only a Cross-Verify with couplers, and which was a tad too small since that was the one dimension they’d left:
That bike accompanied me on a e-book tour and plenty of different journeys and likewise served as what immediately can be thought-about a “gravel bike,” although you’ll discover that as a recovering cyclocross racer I nonetheless thought a 39×27 certified as a “low gear.” I consider I took the above picture throughout a journey on Mount Tam, a full twelve years earlier than I’d journey it once more with Grant Petersen:
[Photo: Dan Leto]
Total I’d say the Clem was much better suited to the duty–although the Vacationers Verify served me very nicely general (particularly as a journey bike, it took loads of journeys and I by no means paid a single airline price, good luck flying with a Clem), and even went singlespeed in direction of the top of my time with it:
I notice this was presupposed to be in regards to the Straggler, however once you get previous you are likely to ramble.
