Joined
·
71 Posts
Hi,
So I think I want a Surly 29er with gears (2x10 or 3x9), front suspension and have been considering all the options and read pretty much every thread but going around and around in circles. I can't do a full self-build so I am looking at complete bikes, with option to swap front forks.
Looking for a versatile bike for mostly leisure purposes on singletracks including rooty forest trails, gravel terrain with small rocks, and very potholed roads. No long commutes, no bikepacking, no racing, no very technical terrain, no snow. But I like the idea of versatility and being compliant with standards in case I want to modify or use it later for different purposes.
- Ogre with suspension fork:
Buy Ogre 2014 complete bike, ditch the forks and add suspension fork.
Pros: Versatile frame, comes with 3x9 gears and everything, Jones bars look good. Rigid fork if I want that option later. Versatile rear dropouts but after reading a lot I'm still can't work out how nice/easy/reliable the horizontal dropout is for geared setups.
Cons: Searching for suspension forks I'm realising 1-1/8" limits your choice a lot, industry sems to be going towards tapered. QR15 seems a better system than 9mm, but not sure. 2.1" tires OK but might be nice to have a bit wider.
- Karate Monkey Ops:
Pros: Comes with pretty much everything I want. Larger headtube and QR15 hubs seem the way forward. MDS dropout system seems much neater for geared setup, while keeping options open for other setups later. Comes with 2.4" tires. 2x10 seems simpler in operation and probably covers what I need.
Cons: Price is high especially in the UK where it seems to have an even higher USD:GBP premium that other Surly bikes. Fox Fork seems to be a high-spec one but probably more than I need. No rigid option later if I wanted.
- Non-Surly option: Just go for a more "standard" 29er like an On-One Inbred or suchlike.
So I think I want a Surly 29er with gears (2x10 or 3x9), front suspension and have been considering all the options and read pretty much every thread but going around and around in circles. I can't do a full self-build so I am looking at complete bikes, with option to swap front forks.
Looking for a versatile bike for mostly leisure purposes on singletracks including rooty forest trails, gravel terrain with small rocks, and very potholed roads. No long commutes, no bikepacking, no racing, no very technical terrain, no snow. But I like the idea of versatility and being compliant with standards in case I want to modify or use it later for different purposes.
- Ogre with suspension fork:
Buy Ogre 2014 complete bike, ditch the forks and add suspension fork.
Pros: Versatile frame, comes with 3x9 gears and everything, Jones bars look good. Rigid fork if I want that option later. Versatile rear dropouts but after reading a lot I'm still can't work out how nice/easy/reliable the horizontal dropout is for geared setups.
Cons: Searching for suspension forks I'm realising 1-1/8" limits your choice a lot, industry sems to be going towards tapered. QR15 seems a better system than 9mm, but not sure. 2.1" tires OK but might be nice to have a bit wider.
- Karate Monkey Ops:
Pros: Comes with pretty much everything I want. Larger headtube and QR15 hubs seem the way forward. MDS dropout system seems much neater for geared setup, while keeping options open for other setups later. Comes with 2.4" tires. 2x10 seems simpler in operation and probably covers what I need.
Cons: Price is high especially in the UK where it seems to have an even higher USD:GBP premium that other Surly bikes. Fox Fork seems to be a high-spec one but probably more than I need. No rigid option later if I wanted.
- Non-Surly option: Just go for a more "standard" 29er like an On-One Inbred or suchlike.