New commuter - Disc Trucker

[PeterBL]

Just wanted to share my new commuter. Most of the parts are reused from a previous bike but the frame is new. Surly is discontinuing this Disc Trucker color for 2018, so I grabbed one on sale.

Is is equipped with disc brakes and dynamo lightning. Gearing is a Shimergo setup.

Things to do:

Shorten steerer
Come up with idea for nice dynamo wire routing on fork leg
Change saddle to something comfier

[old_windbag]

Very nice frameset. The new colours black and bituminous gray( american spelling I think? ) are interesting alternatives but selling at about £50 more than the older blue frameset. It's the tyre options that appeal to myself as a frame build, the "fatties fit fine" clearances makes it a good adaptable bike. Plus discs too on a tourer/adventure/gravel/commuter. It's a very interesting frameset, as are so many US bike framesets.

You must give a full review after riding it for a while on comfort, weight etc.

[PeterBL]

I hadn't seen the new frame sets in EU yet, but a price increase is never good:-( It thought the new colors look rather dull, so when for this instead.

You are right about the appeal of US frame sets - they have quite a nice selection over there and unfortunately not all are available in Europe without being overpriced, but Surly have a good presence. And yes, it is going to serve as a commuter/tourer/gravel bike.

I'll post back once I have some km's to it.

[old_windbag]

You are right about the appeal of US frame sets - they have quite a nice selection over there and unfortunately not all are available in Europe without being overpriced, but Surly have a good presence. And yes, it is going to serve as a commuter/tourer/gravel bike.

Outside of the big cities the US seems like a wide open playground with very low population density. I think Surly is one company within a much bigger cycle manufacturer that owns a few brands( all-city being another ). The style of bike frames seems to fit very well with what this forum tends to like but as you know we are rather taken for a ride where prices are concerned from an import duty/exchange rate aspect. Ison is the main distributor over here and you can see they have stock of the new framesets, so it's a case of time for resellers to get them in when the blue stock has gone. They seem to have stock of fully built disc truckers too.

Also Velo-orange have interesting steel frames and the the soma wolverine looks really versatile. Americans are very lucky to have cheap access to all of this and more!

The ison surly frameset page http://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=FMSUDT54K

We need Zero VAT on all fitness equipment from bikes to multigyms.......

[PH]

Looking good. I'd add - fit long mudflaps to your to do list. A group ride at the weekend was a reminder of just what a difference they make, my bike was almost spotless compared to some of the others.

[andrew_s]

Looking good. I'd add - fit long mudflaps to your to do list. A group ride at the weekend was a reminder of just what a difference they make, my bike was almost spotless compared to some of the others.

A long & fairly wide front mudflap (nearly down to the road) keeps your bike clean. I use half a poundsaver hot water bottle.
A front mudguard that extends well in front of the fork is also useful, so that the spray doesn't get out from under the mudguard until it's already going downwards.

A long rear mudflap keeps the bloke behind, and his bike, clean.

[RickH]

A long rear mudflap keeps the bloke behind, and his bike, clean.

And you've also found a use for the other half of the hot water bottle!

[scottg]

[quote="PeterBL" I think Surly is one company within a much bigger cycle manufacturer that owns a few brands( all-city being another )

Surly is part of Quality Bicycle Parts, the biggest supplier to bike shops in the States.
All City, Foundry, Whiskey Parts, Salsa, Problem Solvers and others are all QBP brands.

Steel frames are made in Taiwan, Maxway etc.

[andrew_s]

A long rear mudflap keeps the bloke behind, and his bike, clean.

And you've also found a use for the other half of the hot water bottle!

No, I've got a nice bright reflective rear mudflap, made from half of a retroreflective lorry sticker that I found on the A38.

Here they are, on my shiny new Disc Trucker (3 months old, less the DIY build time)

On the road, the hot water bottle reaches to about 1 cm from the road, and the rear flap to 10 cm.

On-One Midge bars, Berthoud leather saddle & 50 mm stainless mudguards, 8-speed bar-end shifters, Tektro RL520 V-brake levers coupled to BB7 MTB brakes, with RL721 interrupter top lever, TA Zephyr 46/36/20 chainset, 11-32 cassette, XT rear mech, SunTour XC Pro front mech, SON front hub, XT M756 rear hub, LX17 rims, Voyager Hyper 37 mm tyres, Tubus Cargo rack.
I've swapped the Look Ergostem you may be able to make out for a normal Raceface one (120 mm, -6°).
There's about an inch more to come off the steerer at some point.

[Moodyman1]

Nice set up there with the disc trucker.

Just out of curiosity...and I've seen this on many other Audax/touring type bikes...why are the flaps almost always a lot wider than the mudguards. Surely, the tyres don't have a massively wider throw next to the road surface than they do a few inches off the ground?

[andrew_s]

The front mudflap has to catch the splash out of muddy puddles as well as the spray off the tyre.
Think of being on the pavement when a car drives through a big puddle in the edge of the road. You aren't going to catch everything, but it's good to keep the splash off the BB and chainset, and better if you can also keep your feet dry.

[PeterBL]

I hear you on the mudflaps. I might have to change the whole mudguards, they are 45mm which really is to narrow for the tyres I run ATM. 50/53 would be better, and longer as well, of course. I like the look of the SKS Longboard, but they don't make them wide enough.

Nice bike, andrew_s! Long live 8-speed (and Hypers, I run those outside of the winter).

[Samuel D]

Andrew_s: is that an eTrex you have somehow mounted out front?

[old_windbag]

Surly is part of Quality Bicycle Parts, the biggest supplier to bike shops in the States.
All City, Foundry, Whiskey Parts, Salsa, Problem Solvers and others are all QBP brands.

Some nice kit amongst those names. On the frameset front there are some interesting options from this uk company:-

http://www.lightbluecycles.co.uk/Sport/frames

Most aren't super expensive and the darwin( clearance for 38c with guards ) looks an interesting disc frameset as an all round bike. Some of the others look top dollar with the lined lugs and silver headset cups.

[Bonefishblues]

Sensible commuter is sensible