To me surly bike have a bit of a rep as being though, Bombproof, utilitarian frames that are very functional but slow and heavy. Can anyone who has a karate Monkey share their impressions? Particularly in comparison to other steel frames. I love the idea of this frame but am slightly concerned it will be a bit of a boat anchor.

I have a Krampus and my friend Joe has a KM. He’s very fast on his!
Both frames would probably survive a fiery apocalypse, but that doesn’t mean they’re not great to ride and surprisingly nimble too.
Surly make great bikes, and everyone I know who has one loves it.

I too have a krampus and I love it also. It might be heavy but I’ve never felt the need to weigh and compare it to anything else, it doesn’t feel like an anchor when riding it.

Would it be a waste to put a racy wheel set and fork on it?

Would it be a waste to put a racy wheel set and fork on it?

Nope, go for it!

I’ve had a Steamroller (fixie), which felt super quick, and currently have a Troll which varies depending on how it has been built up. Lght wheels and fast rolling tyres = quick bike. Burly wheels and tyres = lasts longer. Enjoy! 🙂

My km has been built up in almost every combination of:

Alfine, geared, dinglespeed, fixed, singlespeed, flat bar, drop bar, flared drop, riser, road and offroad.
Its had cx tyres on it as a super-muddy singlespeed race bike and it has been ridden over dartmoor with 2.4s front and rear.

Its quick steering and short or long wheelbase thanks to the track ends. It also has that lovely skinny tube lateral flex that makes for a great riding machine. love it to bits.

Get two

Edit: It’s not light but it’s tough enough to take a beating, get thrown in the van and do it again tomorrow. If you want faster just pedal harder 🙂

Not specific to the KM, but I just changed from a Surly Ice Cream Truck to a Canyon Dude because the weight of the ICT was starting to bother me. To be honest, the only place where I really appreciate the lighter bike is when I’m carrying it and there is something that I can’t quite put my finger on, missing with the Dude. Something about those skinny steel tubes that is fun. But yes, there is a weight penalty.

New KM or the older version?

I’ve an old school angled Ops which I can comment on but depending on the model it might not apply. However I also own a ‘posh steel HT too so have a pretty good comparison.

Surly bikes are great – built to last and take a beating. I would not worry about the weight of the frame and forks – if you want light, wheels and tyres are where it matters. I have a Ice Cream Truck – it isn’t light but it is a whole lot of fun. It’s easy to get caught up in the lighter is better train of thought. Try one and then decide. Reading about it on a forum will tell you very little.

Trust me. It’s worth getting a test ride!

Oh and I liked my Surly long term test bike so much that I bought it! It is the heaviest bike I have ever owned but it is also the most fun!

I’ve got the lighter pre Ops KM – 1 1/8 steerer, disk only, simple dropouts.

It’s my favourite bike, ever. Strong, springy, and fast! I’ve got XT brakes/gears/wheels on mine and race it ridged and even take on some local downhill trails. Got a sus fork to try on it too, but haven’t felt the need yet.

The only down side with the model I have is the curvy seat tube – cant drop the saddle much for jumps etc..

I heard that the Ogre (KM with bosses) wasn’t quite as nice of a ride, due to the bosses on/in the fork killing the springiness – I’d guess the newer KM 650B+/29 forks may have this issue too, but I haven’t tried one.

Seeing as there are a few owners on here, I’ll link my old thread in too:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/show-me-your-karate-monkeys-please

Although mine now has an 80mm stem and different pedals and grips now.

long term surly user here. 5 different surly builds over the years. strong, tough, cheap and nice to ride.

oh, and just gone back to a ogre, which rides far better than the Jones+ it has replaced

#dontbelievethehype.

I have a Pugsley and whilst shod with fat tyres it’s less noticeable it does have that steel je ne sais quoi. I had it equipped for a road tour once and the frame was all over the place. They might be heavy( not really for steel though) but they do have compliance.

Anybody put an Ogre fork on their monkey for the rack mounts? I’d love a porteur style rack for mine!

Thanks. Currently I’m weighing up the KM against the Stanton sherpa, which is almost the same price for me here in Australia. I do love that bright yellow colour!

I have an older KM, so can’t comment on the new KM. I’ve had mine for about five years now and love it. It just seems to work for me. As with all Surlys, I think they do benefit from good rubber. I tried mine with skinny tyres once and it felt horrible, so good supple tyres 2.4+ definitely brings out the best in them.
Weight, I just wouldn’t worry about, to be honest. The new one does look more or less like a Krampus-lite, so should be more “fun”.

I took my ‘posh steel’ (853) HT out yesterday on a route I last did on my KM Ops.

Yes, it was lighter and more agile (the latter aided by being a smaller size too). But I missed the comfort of the KM at times.

There is a fair weight difference too but funnily enough on the steepest climb I did, as its very bumpy, the lighter bike was harder work to keep on line.

Can’t say one is better than the other. Both are good in different ways. Although for the majority of my riding the KM is probably the more suitable.

As above I’ve got two older frames, always used off road as SS but have toured on one too, great frames and good handling too, not completely bombproof as I’ve had one snap a chain stay at the BB end however steel frames make for cheap repairs as well. One of the frames I’d always look at above others as I found they suit what and the way I ride.