Yep. No gimmicks, just some good ol’ fashioned customer appreciation. Support your local bike shop, ya fiends. For any questions, head to the Surly blog…
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Radar
Surly: Waxed Canvas Jacket
Surly’s new Waxed Canvas Jacket looks even better in person than in their product shots. I was waiting until I could see and touch one before I posted about it. This thing is serious. It’s made from, yep, waxed canvas, with venting on the backshoulders, “bum thumb” holes and lined with merino wool but the details don’t stop there.
It comes in black and olive drab, with a retail of $250, which when you compare it to other waxed canvas jackets, is a deal. It’s only available at a select few retailers. See the list below.
Radar
Blue Lug’s Blue Pugs
With Jonathan’s Disc Trucker causing a stir yesterday, maybe Blue Lug’s latest Pugsley build will kick it up a notch. Check out more of this rad custom Pugs at Blue Lug’s Flickr!
Reportage
Jonathan’s Surly Disc Trucker Light Tourer
This past weekend, some buddies and I went on a little camping trip. Some of us had to be back in town the following day, while others went on through Monday. The lucky bastards… One of the early returnees, along with me, was Jonathan. It was his first camping trip here in Austin, since recently relocating from Omaha, so we wanted it to be a good one.
There’s more to come on the ride itself (oh and it was a good one), but I thought I’d take a minute to feature his rather unique Surly Disc Trucker…
Radar
Just a Little Bigger: Surly’s Knard 41c Cross Tire
It takes a bit of convincing for most people, but after you go with a fatter tire on your cross bike, you rarely will want to go back. Since riding the Nano for around 6 months, I’ve fallen in love with the extra cushion provided by a 40c tire and while I love the Nano, I really wanted to give the Surly Knard 41c a go. If, for any other reason than the allure of a smidge in additional width.
Trails, sure! But racing? For some reason, people are apprehensive about racing a 40+c tire – USAC allows it, so why not? My guess is, that age old myth that a “bigger tire is slower”… Oh but the contrary, with the right PSI, you’ll have the upper hand on just about any course.
I spent the weekend racing on my new Knards and have some thoughts below…
Radar
Surly: Long Haul Trucker Hobo Shirt for Men and Women
When I posted this Mike Jandora graphic a few weeks back, people kept saying they wanted it on a shirt. Well, Surly actually did make a shirt from the illustration a while back and now they’ve got a re-issue in stock, along with a women’s version.
Head to your local Surly dealer to order!
Radar
Mike Jandora Nails the Surly Urban Hobo
Frame bag, trucker hat, third bottle cage… Yep, Mike Jandora’s illustration for the latest Surly blog entry is spot on.
Radar
Surly: New 650b Straggler and the Return of the Travel Check
Surly has a few new offerings for the actual 2015, not the “months leading up to the actual new year”. They’ve made the Straggler more crotch-friendly for shorter riders with a 650b option and have brought back the Travel Check.
Head over to Surly to see more new offerings, including a World Troller.
Reportage
Ride Along: Jeremy and Piper from America Y’all
Way back when I lived in Brooklyn and was helping out Mishka with their D.A.R.T. line, this guy Jeremy emails me, asking about supporting he and his lady’s (now wife) forthcoming bicycle tour – any relationship that survives a cross-country bicycle tour is bound for marriage…
We sent them some gear and they took off on their journey across the US. Years later, I’m sitting in a bar here in Austin and up walks Jeremy, introduces himself and now I see him scooting around town on his Surly Pacer.
Jeremy started a blog with his wife called America Y’all and they spend their weekends exploring the parks surrounding the Austin area. Last week, I caught up with him at the Wright Bros Brew & Brew and shot some photos of him and his mutt, Piper. Check out some Ride Along questions below!
Radar
Vintage Surly Catalog Covers
The guys at Surly put up something rather interesting yesterday on their blog: old catalogs from the late 90s and early 2000’s. It’s good because it’s so freaking weird! Head over to Surly for more.
Reportage
The Minneapolis River Bottoms on Fatbikes
Warning: this post contains the bane of everyone’s existence this winter – snow. I apologize and promise to bring warm vibes from here on out. Seriously.
I absolutely love riding my Pugsley around Austin. Both on and off-road, it’s been a blast and the number one question I get is: “what’s that bike for?”. My answer “snow”… This causes a look of puzzlement on their faces. There’s no snow in Texas! Naturally, but it’s still fun to motor around town and hit some trails.
Riding a fatbike in the snow is something I’ve yet to do, so when Jeff told me to stay a few days longer after Frostbike, I brought my Pugs and threw on some platform pedals. Our first stop (and as it turns out, only stop) was the River Bottoms. Kyle and I had been there before with Jeff, in the summer months and I was eager to see how much it had changed after the all snow and freezing temps.
We kitted up in waterproof fabrics and wool, set our PSI to around 8 and 10, brought some snacks and of course, Baroo, Jeff’s Basenji / Red Heeler mix trail dog… What happened next was a mix of riding and an “Adventure by Hike”.
Reportage
Whisky Parts Surly Krampus MTB
I love how you can take a frame that’s very accessible and affordable, strip it, then paint or powdercoat it. From there, you can either rebuild the stock kit, or build it up with choice components. For Matt at Whisky Parts, he did the latter.
Matt put a Whisky fork, bars on the front, a Whisky seatpost, Chromag stem, saddle, Industry Nine wheels, Middleburn cranks, HOPE pedals, Hope brakes and a Chris King bottom bracket. The all black component list just makes that gold powdercoat pop! I think this bike was my favorite at Frostbike and I gotta tell ya, it makes me want to do something rad with my Pugs…
See more in the Gallery!
Radar
Surly: A Fistful of Monkey
What did I just watch? Whatever it is, I like it. Surly’s new Karate Monkey Ops is causing quite the stir with its MDS dropouts…
Reportage
Frostbike 2014: Surly’s New Ice Cream Truck Fatbike
Adopting the 5″ fat platform, the Surly Ice Cream Truck fatbike was the prize of their booth at Frostbike this year. Dubbed the ICT, this symmetrical fatbike just looks mean. But it’s got more than enough elegant details to soften that tank-like aesthetic.
Oversized tubing, tighter wheelbase, pressfit 30 bottom bracket and an insane sparkly paint job makes this bike stand out from the rest of their lineup. The hub spacing is determined by the new MDS dropouts. These allow for either 197mm 12mm thru-axle or 190mm quick-release.
When asked to describe the ride characteristics of the Ice Cream Truck, Tyler from Surly said “you have to use your whole body to move the bike, but it’s an incredibly stable ride”. The wheelbase is tighter than the Moonlander for a zippier ride and while I didn’t get the chance to shred it, I look forward to the day…
The ICT will come as a complete or frameset in XS – XXL. If I recall correctly, the MSRP will be around $2400 with an Ops version for around $2700 and the frameset will retail for $850.
See more in the Gallery!
Radar
Swamp Things
Japanese painter Swamp did some incredible work on a Surly Pugsley for Above Bike Store. I love all these custom fatbikes in Japan!
Radar
Blue Lug: Special Edition Camo WTB Silverado Saddle
The Silverado is one of WTB’s most popular saddles and with the help of Japan’s Blue Lug, it’s received a special camo treatment. Now available and exclusive to Blue Lug.
I also love how much they rep Surly. There’s just something special about Blue Lug builds…
Radar
Blue Lug: Fatbike Snow Ride
That bike looks so good! Our friends at Blue Lug went on a little weekend excursion to seek out snow to ride their fat bikes on and shot some photos at their Flickr. Aside from all the snow riding photos, this one Pugsley in particular looks amazing. I want to see more photos of that stem!
Radar
Los Angeles You’ve Been Rad!
Is the riding in LA the best in the country, or did a group of my close friends make it that way and present me with a great time, every time I’m in town? Who knows. I enjoy riding in LA, be it MTB, road or cross and while I love to ride road here, I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the real dirty Los Angeles.
Oh and Ty can really boost his Surly Pugsley!