Surly is one of the biggest names in the bike touring world; there is no question as to why they have that name. They make great bikes and take care of their customers. In the 10,000 plus miles of bike touring I have completed, I have had the pleasure of riding two different models; the Troll and the Disc Trucker with 700C wheels. Each bike has a totally different feel and each one perfectly suited for touring.
Surly Disc Trucker
The Disc Trucker and Trucker are the expedition vehicle of bike touring. This bike wants and needs to be loaded down. Handle bar bag, frame bag, front and rear panniers, this bike wants it all. If you can strap it to the bike, the Disc trucker will carry the weight. I used the Disc trucker to ride across the United states. The route was a mix of road and gravel roads. My gear weighs 50lbs and consisted of two panniers in the rear, an Ortileb Rack Pack across the top of the panniers and a handle bar bag for the camera
. This weight, paired with 700x42c tires, left for a stiff ride. Road vibrations are easily transferred into my arms. It is not until I load a bundle of firewood on top of all my other gear, that I get a sense of the Trucker magic. Which is why the Trucker is the perfect expedition bike where lots of food, water, and gear are needed to cycle in remote places.
The road bike inspired geometry leaves the Trucker more suited for roads; whether it’s asphalt or dirt. The long top tube creates a long reach to the handle bars putting a lot of weight on your arms. After a while in the saddle I could feel the pressure in my elbows. It would take a lot of stem spacers to raise the handle bars to a comfortable level and relive this pressure. The forward leaning geometry makes it more difficult to negotiate any kind of steep single track. The Truckers are built to be long and low which makes the bike very stable at higher speeds. With long chain stays, there is ample room between the panniers and your feet. However, because it is so long and stiff, it loses the quickness and snappy feeling while riding it unloaded around town.
Who is this bike good for?
This bike is suited for expedition riders who need to carry a lot of gear long distances into the unknown.
Surly Troll
The Surly Troll is the mid-weight bicycle for touring that offers plenty of versatility. I used the Troll for a trip through Europe and Asia using the same set-up as the trip across the United States; two panniers in the rear and the Rack Pack along with the handle bar bag. With the three-bag set up, the ride felt smoother. The construction allows the Troll frame to flex more and absorb road vibrations. Pair it with a 26×2.0 tire, the ride of the Troll is much smoother on and off road.
The Troll fel
t more comfortable right from the get go. The mountain bike inspired geometry really gives you an upright and comfortable riding position. It also makes it a bike more suited for steep off road descents and single track. The frame also has clearance for tires up to 26×2.5” wide; making it great for off road touring and bikepacking. The Troll has a short wheelbase and at higher speeds the bike can develop a little wobble and leave you feeling uneasy when loaded down. With short chain stays, there is a chance of hitting your feet on the rear panniers as you pedal. To avoid this, with my size 12 shoe, I ran a Tubus logo evo rear rack and set the mounting points on the panniers as far to the front of the bike to slide the pannier as far back as it can go. This was enough to give my feet the clearance it needs. When unloaded the Troll is a very fun bike to ride around town and pick up grocery’s and ride your local single track.
Who is this bike good for?
This bike is suited for grocery runs, medium touring set ups and off road adventures.
Buying Surly steel
Buying a steel bike might sound antiquated and heavy; well it is. Steel bikes look simple; they do not have the cool hydroformed tubes that aluminum bikes have; and, steel is naturally heavy. When bike touring, a 40 lbs touring set up is not uncommon and your bike needs to be able to carry that weight over harsh terrain. The main reason to by an antiquated and heavy frame is that steel bikes are easily repairable in the field. While touring through China my wife’s Surly Troll frame broke. It is very rare for a frame to break, but stuff happens. You increase your chances of breaking things when you load up your bike with gear and go bounding down Chinese dirt roads. Luckily, steel is welded all over the world and being in China we could easily find someone to weld the fame. Finding someone to weld aluminum is much harder.
Surly has a three-year warranty on their frames. When we contacted Palo Alto Bicycles, the Surly dealer we bought our bikes from, we explained what happened to the frame and that we were on a trip and would not be home for a couple of months. Palo Alto Bicycles worked with Surly and a new frame was waiting for us when we got back. I highly recommend buying a steel touring bike and I recommend buying Surly.
