@peterw_diy 86719 wrote:
Also I hate Surly’s marketing, from the typeface to the potty-mouthed tattooed caucasian death metal beerpacking corporate image. But that’s just me. And it’s not like they’re GoDaddy.
lol. Yeah they push it a bit, but they have a good market share and their products seem well-regarded, so whatever works works I guess. I mostly just find it amusing. I find the uber-epic everything-is-grayscale-awesome Sky-Rapha marketing more annoying.
That said the only Surly products I’ve seriously considered are in the more fatbike sphere. When it comes to a more standard build I agree there seems to be better value out there.
@dkel 86794 wrote:
Thanks, everyone, for all the advice;
Wait, ok if you’re 5 11 then unless you have a really short torso/arms or the geometry is weird, you should be on the 54 i/o the 52. You’d probably fit one size up too. But, if the geometry is long and low and that’s not what you want then I’d say look at more bikes.
As far as if I would buy it myself, I’m in the bluerider/hozn camp – personally I also wouldn’t get a Straggler (but then I have 5 bikes with dropbars already). I’d also rather have a dedicated SSCX bike than have something that you’d convert (conversion would be quite involved, and you lose a geared bike option), and I’m not a huge fan of most steel bikes (just too heavy).
@hozn 86731 wrote:
The Traitor Crusade is a beautiful SS option. I am constantly tempted by that, but it is probably the least practical bike I could own (under-geared for the road, over-geared for serious singletrack or pulling the trailer, etc.).
Ha, I know what you mean. Maybe you need a dinglespeed CX! I’ve ridden between 66-79 gear inches for commuting and my conclusion is that while high 70s is nice for flats and downhills, 66 is actually fine overall and it’s probably about what I’ll aim for with my SSCX configuration in progress. As long as I can coast, I don’t mind going lower on gearing.
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