Surly forum wisdom

[bc_hills]

Came across this the other day (on a dh site of all places). Anyway, it's made me chuckle so here's the link:

http://surlybikes.com/blog/2514/

And here's the blog entry:

posted by Skip Bernet

Some answers to just about any bike forum post I’ve ever read
If you think your bike looks good, it does.

If you like the way your bike rides, it’s an awesome bike.

You don’t need to spend a million dollars to have a great bike, but if you do spend a million dollars and know what you want you’ll probably also have a great bike.

Yes, you can tour on your bike – whatever it is.

Yes, you can race on your bike – whatever it is.

Yes, you can commute on your bike – whatever it is.

26” wheels or 29” or 650b or 700c or 24” or 20” or whatever – yes, that wheel size is rad and you’ll probably get where you’re going.

Disc brakes, cantis, v-brakes, and road calipers all do a great job of stopping a bike when they’re working and adjusted.

No paint job makes everyone happy.

Yes, you can put a rack on that. Get some p-clamps if there are no mounts.

Steel is a great material for making bike frames - so is aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.

You can have your saddle at whatever angle makes you happy.

Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right.

Being shuttled up a downhill run does not make you a weak person, nor does choosing not to fly off of a 10 foot drop.

Bike frames made overseas can be super cool. Bike frames made in the USA can be super cool.

Hey, tattooed and pierced long shorts wearin flat brim hat red bull drinkin white Oakley sportin rad person on your full suspension big hit bike – nice work out there.

Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist – good job.

Hey, shaved leg skinny as hell super duper tan line hear rate monitor checking power tap train in the basement all winter super loud lycra kit million dollar wheels racer – keep it up.

The more you ride your bike, the less your *** will hurt.

The following short answers are good answers, but not the only ones for the question asked – 29”, Brooks, lugged, disc brake, steel, Campagnolo, helmet, custom, Rohloff, NJS, carbon, 31.8, clipless, porteur.

No bike does everything perfectly. In fact, no bike does anything until someone gets on it to ride.

Sometimes, recumbent bikes are ok.

Your bikeshop is not trying to screw you. They’re trying to stay open.

Buying things off of the internet is great, except when it sucks.

Some people know more about bikes than you do. Other people know less.

Maybe the person you waved at while you were out riding didn’t see you wave at them.

It sucks to be harassed by *******s in cars while you’re on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind *******s on bikes.

Did you build that yourself? Awesome. Did you buy that? Cool.

Wheelies are the best trick ever invented. That’s just a fact.

Which is better, riding long miles, or hanging out under a bridge doing tricks? Yes.

Yes, you can break your collar bone riding a bike like that.

Stopping at stop signs is probably a good idea.

Driving with your bikes on top of your car to get to a dirt trail isn’t ideal, but for most people it’s necessary.

If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the *** for everyone involved.

That dent in your frame is probably ok, but maybe it’s not. You should get it looked at.

Touch up paint always looks like ****. Often it looks worse than the scratch.

A pristine bike free of dirt, scratches, and wear marks makes me sort of sad.

A bike that’s been chained to the same tree for three years caked with rust and missing parts makes me sad too.

Bikes purchased at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, or K-mart are generally not the best bang for your buck.

Toe overlap is not the end of the world, unless you crash and die – then it is.

Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.

Yes, you can buy a bike without riding it first. It would be nice to ride it first, but it’s not a deal breaker not to.

Ownership of a truing stand does not a wheel builder make.

32 spokes, 48 spokes, 24 spokes, three spokes? Sure.

Single speed bikes are rad. Bikes with derailleurs and cassettes are sexy. Belt drive internal gear bikes work great too.

Columbus, TruTemper, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or no brand? I’d ride it.

Tubeless tires are pretty cool. So are tubes.

The moral of RAGBRAI is that families and drunken boobs can have fun on the same route, just maybe at different times of day.

Riding by yourself kicks ***. You might also try riding with a group.

Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else.

Stopping can be as much fun as riding.

Lots of people worked their asses off to build whatever you’re riding on. You should thank them.

posted by Skip Bernet

 

[dsut4392]

There's a surprising amount of observation and common sense in that post. Doesn't fit the Surly stereotype at all....

 

[DirtyWorks]

No mention of vertical compliance and lateral stiffness? Failure to compare weight? Is next year better than last year?

If I had my way, that post would be the only equipment review. Ever.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

There's a surprising amount of observation and common sense in that post. Doesn't fit the Surly stereotype at all....

No, I'd say that post is very Surlyesque. I worked there for three years, have some very good friends that run the show there. They're smarter than you think.

 

[bc_hills]

There's a surprising amount of observation and common sense in that post. Doesn't fit the Surly stereotype at all....

I didn't know Surly had a stereotype. What is it? Are we Surly riders all retro-grouches?

 

[dsut4392]

No, I'd say that post is very Surlyesque. I worked there for three years, have some very good friends that run the show there. They're smarter than you think.

Nice to know.
I find the brand a bit conflicted, where the whole "substance-over-style" marketing is subverted to become a just another style clique of it's own. For the few occasions I'd rather be riding a Surly instead of a nice road bike, a junk-yard beater would do just as well or even better. I find it hard to get excited about the toyota camry of the bicycle world - easy to drive, awfully practical, durable, and rightfully sell in droves, but slightly depressing at the same time.
Maybe it's just me that's conflicted

 

[bc_hills]

Nice to know.
I find the brand a bit conflicted, where the whole "substance-over-style" marketing is subverted to become a just another style clique of it's own. For the few occasions I'd rather be riding a Surly instead of a nice road bike, a junk-yard beater would do just as well or even better. I find it hard to get excited about the toyota camry of the bicycle world - easy to drive, awfully practical, durable, and rightfully sell in droves, but slightly depressing at the same time.
Maybe it's just me that's conflicted

lol! Toyota Camry? Ouch!

My last bike purchase had to fulfill a few things:

1. LBS carried it or would bring it in.
2. Decent reputation for quality.
3. Inexpensive.
4. Versatile
5. Something I'd still want to have in 5 years.

Surly crosscheck fit the bill perfectly... I hear what your saying about a beater, but sometimes you want to take a bike from new to beater and really there's not much out there new that I'd want to still have in 5 years without spending a ton of money (Moots, for example).

As for the Camry comment, it all comes down the the driver anyway!

 

[dsut4392]

I didn't know Surly had a stereotype. What is it? Are we Surly riders all retro-grouches?

The illegitimate [and therefore self-righteous] offspring of retro-grouches maybe

To me, a cluster of Surly bikes says "smart enough to have understood the message "it's a bike, doesn't need to be fancy, you can do lots with it", but not smart enough to see the irony inherent in assuming utility as a fashion code". The high prevalence of those ridiculous Brooks saddle bags, single pivot brakes and down-tube or bar-end shifters kinda puts a dent in the utility argument too...

I'm sure plenty of Surlies do get get thrashed, but mostly I see them parked outside vegetarian cafes or used as tootle-slowly-around-town bikes, where a junkyard beater would serve just as well for a tiny fraction of the cost. And as for the "do it all" side of the Surly, that's a great idea, but all the Surly riders I know also have several other bikes...irony much?

 

[dsut4392]

I hear what your saying about a beater, but sometimes you want to take a bike from new to beater ...

As for the Camry comment, it all comes down the the driver anyway!

Nah...I like (in theory) to keep my nice bikes nice, and my nasty bike nasty.
The kind of bike you can leave outside the pub with a cheap lock, and still find there the next morning, and most likely it won't even have been vandalised.

I sadly had to leave my real beater behind when I left England, it had been cobbled together from the remains of several abandoned bikes, frame from one, wheels and bars from another, cranks and tyres from a third. Now I have to make do with my old MTB, which although 20 years old is still too nice to really be a beater, I would be sad to see it get nicked or vandalised.

I hear what you're saying about it coming down to the driver, and I've done my share of 'enthusiastic' driving in cars that really weren't meant for it too. But the feeling you get on a tight twisty road when that heavy nose is pushing wide and the lethargic suspension is wallowing around is more "uh-oh" than "woooo-hooooo", even if you are still managing to tailgate the [insert sportscar of choice] that overtook you so unfairly on the uphill straight. In a road bike, I'm after "woooo-hooooo"

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Nice to know.
I find the brand a bit conflicted, where the whole "substance-over-style" marketing is subverted to become a just another style clique of it's own. For the few occasions I'd rather be riding a Surly instead of a nice road bike, a junk-yard beater would do just as well or even better. I find it hard to get excited about the toyota camry of the bicycle world - easy to drive, awfully practical, durable, and rightfully sell in droves, but slightly depressing at the same time.
Maybe it's just me that's conflicted

You got it right about "substance over style". Since the beginning Surly has always been about sound design over anything else. They like to party, a lot, it comes out in their imagery. I don't know about "depressing" though. I suppose you'd be depressed too if you lived in a place where 6 months out of the year you were up to your chin in snow and sub zero temps, I lived in Minneapolis most of my life up until the beginning of this year and I don't miss the weather, who the hell would. They are very Minneapolis, design and personality wise.

Some people like grassroots brands like Surly that have a unique identity and extremely innovative design, it doesn't appeal to all, I get it. The majority of people into cycling usually go for a red/white/black big swoopy graphics with huge logos plastered all over the place, which all look the same to me regardless of brand. At least with Surly they place the decals over clearcoat so you can just scape them off and start with a clean canvas so you can make it your own unique style.

 

[Chuffy]

He's wrong about wheelies.

Otherwise, nice.