So I got the pedals and and have put about 60 miles on the Surly...keeping in mind I built it up as a traditional cross bike...so after reading some reviews about the bike being a great deal..but there where better steel frames out there...ok....that some people would notice little difference riding this steel frame vs say a aluminum frame...ok....those where really the only knocks I could find anywhere on the bike...so I went into this with a open mind and told myself I would be honest with my opinions on the frame...no one wants to ever admit they made a bad purchase...if i spent 5g on the bike I would be singing its praises all day long...even if it was a dog...but minus the parts I already had I have like 600 or so in this bike...if it was a dog I would throw the bone and toss it with it...
Truth of the matter it is a great bike..as soon as I got on it and hit the road I could feel that classic ride of a steel frame shining through over the little bumps and imperfections of the road...with the carbon fork and very little rake it steers and responds to my input instantly..so I did some rode miles on it and to be honest I am sure the 700x35c Kenda SB8s helped absorb some of the road as well as the frame..but the steel feeling was there...it is hard to explain that feeling...a buttery smooth but solid feeling ride..you almost loose the sensation of speed due to the plushness of the ride..true dat!
Next I hit some gravel roads and the bike sprang to life the cross tires came to live and away I went...once again the smooth ride was there..plush...kind of similar to my carbon cross bike for comfort..no comparison when comparing it to my aluminum frame..where that frame you feel every little bump..rock..rut...this one smooths it out and you get that feeling of gliding over the gravel...a nice change of pace...and honestly I am not sure if I will ever own another aluminum frame for cross...
But the big surprise still awaited me...and surprised I was...I hit some smooth xc type trails with it..I am not sure it is the fork...with very little rake and where I have the rear wheel sitting the wheel base on this bike is short...so it accepts input from the cranks and gets to up to speed pretty quick...it handles..the only comparison that comes to mind is it reminded me off a hard tail 26er....weird but there it is...it railed around the corners..tracked great...what little obstacles there was it rolled over them with very little frame chatter and kept on rolling..comfort wise it was on par with my Carbon Cannondale Super X...speed wise as both bikes are pretty much set up the same I think I may be faster on this Surly...not sure and I am going to test that theory at Gateway soon by doing a full out lap at speed on both bikes and compare..but the thing handled like a spot on cross bike....
So in conclusion one could go out and spend thousands on a high end cross bike and it would do an outstanding job...or one could save that money...buy one of these frames and build your ultimate bike...your way..your specs...and if I get bored with it being a cross bike I will throw on a flat bar and some uber wide tires and roll it on trails..or throw some racks on it and go for an adventure...it truly is a do all bike and the only compromise is what you decide to build it with...
I have owned a lot of bikes...some where awesome...some never lived up to the potential ...the Surly in my opinion will be one of those bikes I hang onto....I will ride it everywhere...love it for what it is..and to me it represents that spirit of cycling that has seemed to be lost to the new industry of lightness vs durability..bling vs functionality...dudes it is a real bike...meant to be ridden and ridden hard..
And on a side note...the thing is super easy to bunny hop...just saying!!
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