Surly Straggler

[confusedcyclist]

I have been riding around on a 56cm Surly Disc Trucker for some 12 months or so, having bought the frame used on ebay, I was stuck with the steerer that had been cut just a touch too short for my liking, I was regularly getting neck pains on what should be a bike with a very relaxed geometry. I've finally gotten fed up enough to make a change.

I just ordered a new Straggler frameset in sparkly blueberry colour, one size up and most importantly with a virgin steerer tube... very excited to give it a bash. Any Straggler lovers here? Aside from the sizing, I fancied a change because I mostly used the bike for commuting, but found it unsuited to off-road trials that I find on my commute home due to the low bottom bracket positioning, often snagging pedals on uneven terrain. I still wanted something I could haul my shopping on and ride on the roads, so the Staggler, which is a gravel/cyclocross bike, seemed like the perfect choice.

SPARKLY!

Here I am waiting anxiously for delivery, feeling like a child on Christmas eve!

 

[andrew_s]

I'm confused too.
I'd expect a Straggler to have a longer and lower riding position than a Trucker (confirmed by more reach/less stack for equivalent frame sizes), which is surely the wrong way to move to relieve your neck problems.
I accept the BB height, but is 6 mm going to make much difference?

A replacement DT fork would have been about £125, and a shorter/higher stem would have been even cheaper.

 

[gaijintendo]

Enjoy the new bike. You could have engineered around the issue with riser stems and new forks and so on, but I suspect you were in the mood for a new bike, so enjoy.

 

[confusedcyclist]

@andrew_s, having ridden this bike some time, I'm 99% sure it was because the steerer was cut too low, I have a road bike with a more aggressive geometry that fits me perfectly fine with no aches or pains. Putting the bikes side by side, the Trucker looks more slammed than my Giant!

Enjoy the new bike. You could have engineered around the issue with riser stems and new forks and so on, but I suspect you were in the mood for a new bike, so enjoy.

I had considered both options, but in the end I swayed towards the Straggler because of the sparkly paint job, ok, maybe not, but I had always fancied a gravel bike before I got the Disc Trucker, the Trucker frame happened to come up locally on ebay at a great price first, so I went with that, I had just forgotten to consider that steerer might have been cut already.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Also, surprised the BB height it only 6mm different... I should have looked into that first but ah well!

 

[gaijintendo]

Also, surprised the BB height it only 6mm different... I should have looked into that first but ah well!

Pump up your tyres an extra couple of psi.

 

[Cycleops]

I would have thought the ‘Glitter Dreams’ colour finish wouldn’t prove too popular but maybe they haven’t heard of Gary’s escapades over there.

 

[confusedcyclist]

@User46386 Actually, the wheels should swap over fine, they're both 700C disc compatible frames. However, I might build up some cyclocross centric wheels, because my sputnik touring rims a rather heavy and a bit OTT for the commute.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I went to collect the bike last night at Garage Bikes in Morley (a lovely little shop, my first visit since moving to the adjacent village). The paint job sure is pretty in person . The chap who runs it was enamoured with the frame colour too. I definitely made the right choice. My bright blue Disc Trucker now looks dull in comparison!

Sadly she couldn't come home with me because the shop didn't have any internal steel framesaver in stock. I have asked the shop to face and chase the BB/headset, and fit a new headset while they are at it, I'll DIY the rest until I'm 100% sure on the steerer length, then back to the LBS for the final cut.

I'll post some pictures once she's here safe and sound.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I started stripping down the Disc Trucker this evening, all my components need a good clean before I assemble them on to the new frame. It was just too dark in the garage to do this effectively, I'll need to wait for daylight.



And here's the new frame, if I can make quick progress, I may pop into LBS tomorrow to get the steerer cut and the star nut hammered in, irritatingly I don't have a vice in order to do this work myself.

 

[iandg]

Love my cross-check - Straggler's basically a disc brake version

 

[confusedcyclist]

I ordered some spacers for the steerer on ebay, fingers crossed they arrive before royal mail shuts down for xmas. I'll need these before I can get the handlebar height perfect, until then there's no point installing the cables. Also, sadly the axle adjuster bolts were missing from the frameset packaging, so I'm not able to fit the chain or brakes properly until I know for sure exactly where in the horizontal dropouts the rear axle will sit, there's a fair amount of adjustability, quirky little things, never had to contend with before. My frame supplier is calling Surly today to see what they can do about the bolts. I'm also going to need to find a new rear rack compatible with the disc brake calliper location, looking like the Tubus Logo isn't going to play nice, I may be commuting with a backpack for a little while again

I forgot how much time it takes to solve all these little problems you get when building up a frame, but it's worth it in the end, and I'm pretty close now!

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Surly make great bikes (I have 2) If anything, I find the TT on my DT slightly too long. I’m not the first to point this out. That said, if I was to keep one bike it would be that one. And it is finished in ‘Ox Blood’.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Also, sadly the axle adjuster bolts were missing from the frameset packaging, so I'm not able to fit the chain or brakes properly until I know for sure exactly where in the horizontal dropouts the rear axle will sit, there's a fair amount of adjustability, quirky little things, never had to contend with before. My frame supplier is calling Surly today to see what they can do about the bolts.

Let me know how you get on. I got told by three different dealers that these bolts don't ship with the frame and have to be sourced seperately.

I bought these https://www.bike24.com/p2166386.html, and then one of the dealers gave me some campag ones they had kicking about.

 

[confusedcyclist]

@gregry, what a PITA!

The guy at the shop swore there weren't any in the box too, adamant he hadn't accidently left them out before handing over. You'd think that Surly would make it obvious from the outset that they don't supply them as standard... bit daft considering they go to such lengths to ensure every eyelet bolt has a washer... I'll keep you posted.

If you don't mind my asking, any idea what size bolt they are? M2s or M3s? What function does the spring serve? I'm thinking I can source the bolt and knurled nut on ebay for a few pence, but the spring... tricky to find.