I have been looking at the the Surley Karate Monkey and wondered if anyone here has one and what the general concensus is.

Good or steer clear?

I’ve never seen one that I didn’t like, but never quite got around to buying one.

Brixton Cycles always have one built up if you’re near London.

Monkeys are great.

So many options for building them up.

Even run gears on them sometimes.

Haven’t ridden a KM, but have had several other Surlys. I would expect that a KM is therefore a slightly portly beast (as all Surlys are) but with very sorted handling and a very versatile frame with braze ons for everything you could want to do with it.

I’ve just finished one that I got from Brotherwrey on here and I’ve been bimbling about on it this weekend. As AdamM says they are a bit heavy (mine’s 24lbs as a SS) but like the Surly blurb says “they ride like a bike”

First ride was a bit underwhelming as it was a road slog into a headwind, but went out yesterday for a slightly longer run and have been pleased with the way it can really be cranked over and feel really stable. I’m still getting used to the extra length (fnarr) as bigger wheels demand it I guess, but I’m really looking forward to the Peaks this weekend, where it’ll get it’s first proper pasting!

I got mine for £150 s/h, so it was a bit of a bargin, I think that if you are looking new, the Inbred and Singular would also be worth considering, but I’ve always fancied one as I’ve been 29er curious for a while and I had a 1×1 that is still going strong, that and I like the name!

Slight hijack, SSSTu, do you know if the blue one is any different/lighter than the Brown one? IIRC Surly said that they were going to shave a bit of weight from the Monkey after the initial test bikes were slated as being a bit “chunky” it’s a bit late now as I’ve got a blue one, but you seem to know your 29ers.

I was looking at one of these as a cheap-ish way to see if I liked the 29er thing and I like the fact that it can easily built up into a road-going tourer, etc if needed. But I read somewhere that they can’t be used with disc-brakes and a rack at the same time – can anyone confirm that?

The blue one has a different downtube.

Makes fitting a suss fork easier.

Not sure about the weight though.

TBH you wouldn’t buy a Monkey with weight in mind.

You can be sure they won’t break though.

They are a very versatile beast but as already said they are fairly heavy. They are also now quite pricey for a chromoly frame.
I had one for a short while but got rid because it was too big for me (ebay and alcohol don;t mix!!) I had it built as an SS mountain bike and a commuter bike with midge bars on it before giving up and buying a smaller frame from Doncaster. The cranked seat tube is a nice touch if you want to run a front mech without hitting the tyre.

Swello, I can imagine it would be difficult to run discs and a rack, but I’d have thought that with a bit of botching with some longer bolts and stuff it would be possible. The previous owner of mine had Pannier mounts brazed on the forks and seatstays and I’m pretty sure he said he was running discs.

And Ta SSSTU 🙂

These might interest you … not mine.

🙂

panniers on karate monkey?? yes you can. i had them on mine. i did get braze ons on the fork for a lowrider and on the seat stays for a rear rack. but, you dont have to do that if you dont want. you can use clamps to get the rear rack going, the most important thing to remember whe you are running discs though is that a normal rack wont work, the rack will foul the disc. what you need is a dick specific rear rack, mine was a blackburn super tourist dx disc. it worked sweet. i had racks and mudguards too, i had to get creative to fit both and do some bending of the guard wires, but it was fine in the end. email me if you want any pics, i think i still have them. or if you want any advice.

ah yes, trustyrusty, he had mine. brotherwrey is my email in case of confusion.

>waves< Hi Whatfreinds/brotherwrey 😀 Your old ‘monkey is now a SS with monsterous brakes, I’ll get some pics up soon, but it’s growing on me. I might even treat it to a hideous respray soon, bright yellow, orange or thermonuclear-snot green are favourites right now 😈

Hey Trusty me old mate, can i just say how nice your karate monkey rides, and am now having to seriously rethink my next bike decision as might have to be a birthday gift to me, depending on how project SS goes, riding Trustys KM convinced me to take it fully rigid!!

used mine on a Scottish tour – they’re flippin’ fab for off road touring 😀

got Eric at Epic Designs to make up a frame bag and seat pack – no rear rack required, just popped a OMM front one on.

I love the versatility of the KM(although isn’t the one with the monster tyres above a Pugsley?) and I’ve not really seen any negative reviews – definitely one that I will look into seriously later in the year when I’ve got time. Anyone got an idea of a rough price for a middling off-road build? Possible for under a grand?