Discs on Surly bikes? Never!

Just found an old email from 2008 in my inbox. Thought the snotty reply from Surly is quite amusing in hindsight, but it put me off buying anything from Surly since. I wonder if they just caved to market pressure or actually came round to the benefits?

Hi
Do you have any plans to put disc tabs on the cross check and long haul trucker? Lots of people here think that would be a good idea! http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/read.php?f=2&i=3787696&t=3787570
Cheers

No plans for it. We like the Cross-check and Long Haul Trucker just as they are. Cantilever brakes have been stopping people on tour for decades and decades and disc brakes, to us, are an overcomplification. Besides, there are simply too few options for using disc brakes with road brake levers, too few good ways to work with mud guards and racks, and too few ways to achieve the simple aesthetic that both frames offer.

People want disc brakes, but seldom need them. I understand wanting to geek out on new and expensive gear. We just don’t think this is the place to do that.

Thanks,
Eric Sovern
Surly Bikes

My dad will have disc brakes on his new winter tourer. He totally gets the benefits and he’s been touring a decade longer than I have been around for (and I’m no nipper!)

To be fair to Surly, compared to some of their “snotty” missives, that seems quite measured!

For gods sake don’t ask them what type of steel they use or ask for tube butting profiles, their bikes remind me of grocers shopping bikes that used to be around in 1970’s sitcoms.

Yup,every time I see a Surly I think Scaffold tubes.
That may be unfair,but I still think it..

Mine don’t ride like a 70’s delivery bike 🙂

In fairness to Sov, back in 2008 you might have been murdered out for suggesting disc brakes on road race bike or CX bike on forums.
The older KM was well known for being picky with rear disc brakes and racks.

I ride a Surly Pacer, and whilst I’m aware its welded out of scaffold tubes, and lifting it over stiles is an effort it is lovely to ride and only cost £350, so I’m happy,

I want to ask them what tubing they use now. What might happen? 🙂

Surly you’d get a surely response?

I want to ask them what tubing they use now. What might happen?

Next time you ride past a hedgerow you will be assaulted by a bearded hipster brandishing a cast iron drainpipe whilst shouting “heretic, burn him….burn him”.

Not to be too dismissive of the bikes but from my experience of quite a few frame/build styles they just felt absolutely dead and lifeless to ride, I’m sure they would have lasted an age but then again I have a BSA from the 30’s in my shed that has lasted an age, doesn’t mean that I wish to ride it any distance.

It could be worth doing, I’d quite like to have a hipster jump out from behind a hedge.

Read the latest Surly blog?

http://surlybikes.com/blog/post/dirt_wizard_29_and_my_yearly_rant_about_how_we_aint_perfect

God that blog post was the most irritating, annoying thing I’ve ever read.

I thought it was quite amusing. Maybe I’m a victim of their evil marketing campaign.

The idea that a Surly is a dead ride seems a bit odd. The 1×1 is a classic trail machine that takes a lot of abuse. The Karate Monkey is an absolute beast that really responds to being thrown at stuff.

I can sort of see how you could think that, especially if you’re used to letting the bike do the work. Coming from a slightly old-school style of riding I would say that when they’re ridden with a bit of enthusiasm you have to try quite hard to find something better. The only thing I’ve ridden that is as much fun as the monkey is my Honzo, and that’s just because it’s a KM with a bit of travel…

somafunk – Member
For gods sake don’t ask them what type of steel they use or ask for tube butting profiles, their bikes remind me of grocers shopping bikes that used to be around in 1970’s sitcoms.
POSTED 8 HOURS AGO #

Prob just sick of responding to people who Clearly can’t Use google. Prob the same response you get get on here to a question that’s been answered last week.

You obviously don’t fit the Surly customer demographic (as it’s something they spend a lot of time worrying about).
If you’d met any one of the 5 actual Surly guys you’d understand a lot better 😕

To balance…

I checked with Surly about headsets for my new Krampus frame and they came back with helpful response.

But they did call me a lucky bastard…which to be fair… is accurate.

In my experience bikes feeling dull is more likely the wheels and tyres than the frame. The frame material say 725 vs Chromoly will maybe be 200g? difference in weight , both are likely to weigh well over 2kg anyway so if you want light neither is the best option.

Their response is still credible, seems they’ve made some disc bikes because its what people want to buy but for most people most of the time they are an over complication.

IMO utility bikes should be simple and reliable, like this fuji spotted in Evans

Yup,every time I see a Surly I think Scaffold tubes.

I always think about how they must have shares in the companies that make spacers…

Also to be fair to Surly the V brakes on my cross check work just as well as the Spyres on my Tripster (in the dry anyway….). Also rides as nice in it’s own way so stick that in your scaffold pipe and smoke it.

Also to balance…

I have a Karate Monkey and it rides great. So much fun to ride.

Something very satisfying in catching and passing Troy Lee’d up mincers on their 5 grand, 27.5, Enduro Gnarpoons. 😉

They’ve answered the tubing question at great and arse-y length.

I sent a similar email to Brant at On-One about 29ers (probably in about 2005), to which he responded “we are’t going to make one, we don’t see the point” (or words to that effect). People change their minds.

🙂

My mate sent a somewhat rant email to them when the decals on his CC proved to be water based and thus not resistant to getting washed. Their response was typically surly; basically “don’t wash your bike, ride it” and in similar vein to the responses above..

I looked at a Straggler in the shop yesterday. The mechanic was swearing at the rear caliber mounting.
Horizontal drop outs & disc brakes = a pain in the balls.

http://robdeanhove.blogspot.co.uk/2003/04/uks-first-29er-prototype-frame-fork.html?m=1

I said that?

I said that?

Unlike the OP, I don’t keep an archive of ancient correspondence with bike designers, but I think so. 🙂

Thinking about it, it was probably shortly after Surly had first released the Karate Monkey, so it was probably before 2005.