Surly Krampus
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messofzero
4,921 - 4,940 of 5,291 Posts
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13,104 Posts
Now THAT'S a frame color! Ka-Pow!
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15,579 Posts
Tennis Ball Yellow for the win!
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5,105 Posts
what kind of bike is that?
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5,105 Posts
also looks like he knows the international teen age greeting sign!! The Tradition lives on...
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Yep. He found a bunch of pictures of me doing it and now every time I point a camera at him, that is what I get.
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Universal sign language! Good one NYrr...
RSD MiddleChild. My pithy little dirt ripper! This frame is ideal as geared or one speed automatic! My preference at the moment is SS.
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165 Posts
The Krampus is a trail smashing monster. I would take it over a KM anyday as it can take proper big tyres.
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165 Posts
I had the same problem running a 10 speed 11-42 cassette (Zee wide range mech) with the Monkey Nuts installed (wheel set back in the dropouts). Without the monkey nuts (wheel slammed forward) the mech clears the cassette. I did manage to take a grinder to the mech which solved the problem but run the wheel slammed forward when i'm running gears (i'm usually on single speed).
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165 Posts
Does anyone know what happened to the 20lb Krampus build? Did this happen? (apologies in advance if this has been posted as I haven't been on the thread in a while).
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210 Posts
Is this the one? Surly Krampus Super Bike - Riding With Ron
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165 Posts
It wasn't but have read that one before - thanks for the link it was good to re-read.
IIRC there was someone on this thread talking of building a sub 20 or 22lb Krampus. There was a little discussion on whether it was possible with the general consensus being it should be given careful component picking.
IIRC there was someone on this thread talking of building a sub 20 or 22lb Krampus. There was a little discussion on whether it was possible with the general consensus being it should be given careful component picking.
Dropping weight is a simple thing, but we have to know what we do not want.
For me i want a 120mm suspension, at least 29x2.3 tires or 27.5x2.8 and a wide range transmission.
Some are OK with single speed, no suspension...
Some feel the need for a dropper, so my minimum is 21 pounds but i am a light rider for others 26 is their minimum
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1,002 Posts
Wow, mine was 25 lbs on the dot. Large gen 1 with a carver xc470 all carbon fork, Dt240s laced with supercomps to rabbit holes, tubeless knards, XTR cranks, king bb, king headset, XT brakes, Lynsey ti post, wtb devo saddle. 959 pedals. Heavy carver ti prybar and Thomson 80mm stem. Single speed. And two, boat anchor surly tugnuts.
Hi!
I've been thinking about building a Krampus. Currently I have a gravel bike that I ride on pavement, dirt roads, singletrack, gravel. It's great on pavement, it's great on super smooth dirt roads and gravel. I can ride stuff like rocky singletrack with it, and "surprise MTBs" (which is I think the cool thing to say in gravel circles) but it's torture. Even if a dirt road is a bit bumpy, the bike will rattle my brains out. I don't look forward to descending, because descending means holding on for dear life and praying that I won't dent my rims, because my 43mm tyres will bottom out at 30psi even if I hit a leaf wrong.
My question is mainly about geo. The last time I had an MTB, it had 26" tyres, V brakes, single pivot rear suspension and a 9spd drivetrain. I've been following MTB since then, and seen all the fuss about progressive geo, long, slack, steep etc. but never tried a bike like that. TBH I don't even remember how my old MTB handled. I do remember that the bars felt too narrow.
Where I live the terrain is super mellow. 70% of my riding consists of riding on logging roads, and dirt roads next to corn fields. Steep singletrack is very rare. It's usually gradual uphills and downhills with a few steep sections.
From what I see the Krampus has quite conservative geo. Do you guys think I would benefit from new school geo, or would it be completely pointless for the type of riding I do? Does newschool geo work for long days out in the saddle? Are there any other rigid steel frames I should be looking at? I don't want to spend more than what the Krampus frameset costs. For a start i've been thinking about going rigid, but I want the option to run a sus fork.
The build plan I threw together:
Deore 1x12 drivetrain
Hope Fortus 35 wheels
Vittoria Barzo 2.6 tyres (dunno if I want to go plus, but I wouldn't mind a frame that can do it in case I want to try it in the future, hence the Krampus. I'm 185cm so i'd like to try big wheels)
Sqlabs bars with lot's of backsweep, ESI silicone grips
Some kind of cheap dropper
I've been thinking about building a Krampus. Currently I have a gravel bike that I ride on pavement, dirt roads, singletrack, gravel. It's great on pavement, it's great on super smooth dirt roads and gravel. I can ride stuff like rocky singletrack with it, and "surprise MTBs" (which is I think the cool thing to say in gravel circles) but it's torture. Even if a dirt road is a bit bumpy, the bike will rattle my brains out. I don't look forward to descending, because descending means holding on for dear life and praying that I won't dent my rims, because my 43mm tyres will bottom out at 30psi even if I hit a leaf wrong.
My question is mainly about geo. The last time I had an MTB, it had 26" tyres, V brakes, single pivot rear suspension and a 9spd drivetrain. I've been following MTB since then, and seen all the fuss about progressive geo, long, slack, steep etc. but never tried a bike like that. TBH I don't even remember how my old MTB handled. I do remember that the bars felt too narrow.
Where I live the terrain is super mellow. 70% of my riding consists of riding on logging roads, and dirt roads next to corn fields. Steep singletrack is very rare. It's usually gradual uphills and downhills with a few steep sections.
From what I see the Krampus has quite conservative geo. Do you guys think I would benefit from new school geo, or would it be completely pointless for the type of riding I do? Does newschool geo work for long days out in the saddle? Are there any other rigid steel frames I should be looking at? I don't want to spend more than what the Krampus frameset costs. For a start i've been thinking about going rigid, but I want the option to run a sus fork.
The build plan I threw together:
Deore 1x12 drivetrain
Hope Fortus 35 wheels
Vittoria Barzo 2.6 tyres (dunno if I want to go plus, but I wouldn't mind a frame that can do it in case I want to try it in the future, hence the Krampus. I'm 185cm so i'd like to try big wheels)
Sqlabs bars with lot's of backsweep, ESI silicone grips
Some kind of cheap dropper
I'm using a Krampus currently as a bikepacking bike for roughly 70-80% smooth/rough pavement and 20-30% gravel/double-track/singletrack. I don't think it would be advantageous to go any more progressive with the geo for the riding you are describing. It's relatively conservative by modern standards, but is very progressive compared to anything from the 26" v-brake era. I'm using vittoria mezcal 2.6 rear, and bomboloni 3.0 front on sun Mulefut i45 rims. Also using sq-labs sweep bars. I'd recommend considering the mezcal for the rear. It would be a good combo with a front 2.6 barzo, and will wear better and roll faster on pavement than a barzo rear. I've got 2000km on mine now and the center tread is only halfway worn.Hi!
I've been thinking about building a Krampus. Currently I have a gravel bike that I ride on pavement, dirt roads, singletrack, gravel. It's great on pavement, it's great on super smooth dirt roads and gravel. I can ride stuff like rocky singletrack with it, and "surprise MTBs" (which is I think the cool thing to say in gravel circles) but it's torture. Even if a dirt road is a bit bumpy, the bike will rattle my brains out. I don't look forward to descending, because descending means holding on for dear life and praying that I won't dent my rims, because my 43mm tyres will bottom out at 30psi even if I hit a leaf wrong.
My question is mainly about geo. The last time I had an MTB, it had 26" tyres, V brakes, single pivot rear suspension and a 9spd drivetrain. I've been following MTB since then, and seen all the fuss about progressive geo, long, slack, steep etc. but never tried a bike like that. TBH I don't even remember how my old MTB handled. I do remember that the bars felt too narrow.
Where I live the terrain is super mellow. 70% of my riding consists of riding on logging roads, and dirt roads next to corn fields. Steep singletrack is very rare. It's usually gradual uphills and downhills with a few steep sections.
From what I see the Krampus has quite conservative geo. Do you guys think I would benefit from new school geo, or would it be completely pointless for the type of riding I do? Does newschool geo work for long days out in the saddle? Are there any other rigid steel frames I should be looking at? I don't want to spend more than what the Krampus frameset costs. For a start i've been thinking about going rigid, but I want the option to run a sus fork.
The build plan I threw together:
Deore 1x12 drivetrain
Hope Fortus 35 wheels
Vittoria Barzo 2.6 tyres (dunno if I want to go plus, but I wouldn't mind a frame that can do it in case I want to try it in the future, hence the Krampus. I'm 185cm so i'd like to try big wheels)
Sqlabs bars with lot's of backsweep, ESI silicone grips
Some kind of cheap dropper
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
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I have an OG green Krampus and a year ago I built a custom bike based on the Krampus, but with aggressive modern geo. I'll ride BC black diamond trails on it, bikepack as well as cruise the bikepaths.
The Krampus has conservative geo for what I would call a modern aggressive hardtail, but it's not conservative compared to your older 26er. Based on what you describe as your type of riding I wouldn't hesitate to get a rigid Krampus.
I've ridden my OG Krampus on all sorts of terrain and it's fun bike for mellow terrain and covering distance.
The head tube angle on the Krampus is 69 degrees. Older mountain bikes were steeper, around 72 degrees and based on road geometry. The modern trail and downhill bikes might be 67, 65, or even something like 63 degrees to put the center of gravity closer to the rear wheel, and absorb more shock through the front on downhills. Taking that setup to the road can make the handling feel off.Hi!
I've been thinking about building a Krampus. Currently I have a gravel bike that I ride on pavement, dirt roads, singletrack, gravel. It's great on pavement, it's great on super smooth dirt roads and gravel. I can ride stuff like rocky singletrack with it, and "surprise MTBs" (which is I think the cool thing to say in gravel circles) but it's torture. Even if a dirt road is a bit bumpy, the bike will rattle my brains out. I don't look forward to descending, because descending means holding on for dear life and praying that I won't dent my rims, because my 43mm tyres will bottom out at 30psi even if I hit a leaf wrong.
My question is mainly about geo. The last time I had an MTB, it had 26" tyres, V brakes, single pivot rear suspension and a 9spd drivetrain. I've been following MTB since then, and seen all the fuss about progressive geo, long, slack, steep etc. but never tried a bike like that. TBH I don't even remember how my old MTB handled. I do remember that the bars felt too narrow.
Where I live the terrain is super mellow. 70% of my riding consists of riding on logging roads, and dirt roads next to corn fields. Steep singletrack is very rare. It's usually gradual uphills and downhills with a few steep sections.
From what I see the Krampus has quite conservative geo. Do you guys think I would benefit from new school geo, or would it be completely pointless for the type of riding I do? Does newschool geo work for long days out in the saddle? Are there any other rigid steel frames I should be looking at? I don't want to spend more than what the Krampus frameset costs. For a start i've been thinking about going rigid, but I want the option to run a sus fork.
The build plan I threw together:
Deore 1x12 drivetrain
Hope Fortus 35 wheels
Vittoria Barzo 2.6 tyres (dunno if I want to go plus, but I wouldn't mind a frame that can do it in case I want to try it in the future, hence the Krampus. I'm 185cm so i'd like to try big wheels)
Sqlabs bars with lot's of backsweep, ESI silicone grips
Some kind of cheap dropper
The Krampus is a conservative mix that shreds on the trail, but also works well on the road. My Karate Monkey laughs at gravel and spits it out. And my terrain is similar. I'm at sea level and tech terrain is limited to maritime forested dunes. Which is actually very good, but it's not easy to get to.
My only caveat is to say you may be just as happy on a karate monkey, the only difference being slightly smaller plus wheels at 27.5, and the option to run regular 29" wheels. The massive 29+ wheels certainly are a blast, but are not as nimble as the smaller size. I had 29" 35 mm rims with 2.4" tires on mine until recently, and I upgraded to 27.5" 45 mm rims with 2.8" tires. I feel a lot more confident in tight spaces, now.
They're almost the same frame, with the main difference being that the Krampus has slightly longer stays and a lower bottom bracket. You can use a 29x2.4 on a Krampus and a 29x3 on a km, with the main difference being the bb height. For a mix of road, gravel, and relatively easy trails, I'll take the lower bb every time without hesitation.
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
I have heard that. But I had a '15 Krampus with those same 35 mm wheels, and I had to get a larger frame set and switched out for a monkey. The older Krampus (and KM's) had such high bottom brackets compared to my 18 KM it was bizarre. The (relatively) low bb on the KM was quite a relief. I have seen people putting 29+ on the bike, and wondered how well it worked in that regard.
Oh, and like HollyB, I originally rode my CC over single track.
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