Sooner or later I can’t bear in mind when, somebody I can’t bear in mind who requested if I used to be going to touch upon the brand new Surly Straggler:
Properly, 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 as if a enjoyable, versatile, and easy 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 a substitute simply marvel in any respect the stuff that’s disappearing without end, like quick-release axles:
Tyre clearance is upped from 42mm to 50mm. Surly has performed 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, but it surely nonetheless amazes me. Sooner or later you’ll inform your children about find out how to take away a bicycle wheel all you needed to do was flip a lever and it popped proper out and so they received’t imagine you. It appears too good to have ever been true, like these previous pictures of youngsters 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 you want to do in an effort to promote a motorcycle like this in 2025, however being previous and cranky I can also’t imagine the biking world has accepted these large headtubes:
The Straggler nonetheless comes with a metal fork as customary, 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 compelled to reside 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 wish to examine these as a substitute. So I retreated to the 2007 catalog, since that’s the yr I began this silly weblog. In fact there was the Cross-Test:
Which was after all killed by “progress:”
Gross.
Then there was the Pacer:
Wonderful, I’ll settle for it might have been a dropping 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 difficult for me to reconcile. That must be a staple. It’s like if Heinz discontinued common ketchup and solely provided the spicy flavors:
Positive, I assume there are sufficient metallic highway bike frames on the used market to maintain the following 5 generations, but it surely nonetheless looks as if a internet loss for humanity.
And the way about that Karate Monkey?!?
Keep in mind when there have been mountain bikes that took both rim brakes or disc brakes? That was superb. They had been like these bizarre prehistoric fish that would additionally stroll on land:
In fact I say all this having by no means really purchased a Surly. I imply certain, I’ve had Surlys (Surlies?), however because of my fleeting Web fame (this weblog was briefly widespread throughout the interval when mountain bikes took each rims and disc brakes) I didn’t need to resort to the indignity of buying them. For instance, there was the Large Dummy, which was my first actual expertise with any type of cargo bike, and which got here to me after I was a brand new mum or dad:
The bike was completely implausible and it couldn’t have been extra well timed, although finally after I had much less use for it I handed it alongside to a good friend whose kids had been youthful than mine.
Then there was the Vacationers Test, which was principally only a Cross-Test 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 right this moment 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 imagine I took the above photograph 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 Test served me very effectively total (particularly as a journey bike, it took a whole lot of journeys and I by no means paid a single airline payment, good luck flying with a Clem), and even went singlespeed in the direction of the top of my time with it:
I notice this was speculated to be in regards to the Straggler, however while you get previous you are inclined to ramble.
