[Funoutside]

Thinking about getting a Surly Bridge Club 700/29er variant to replace my Soma Wolverine. How do BC do as gravel duty 50/50 on road/off road. I have a steel 27.5+ bike so no interest in that size on a BC. How is it on the road? What is the max tire clearance without fenders(no need as it rarely rains here). The only real con for me is the weight at a little over ~28lb & prefer to go ligher than the 27lb of my Wolverine. Is there a carbon fork that fits the BC(w/ similar A2C & off-set)? But the price has sold me on the BC & seen some sweet drop-bar builds google searching.

Out of curioisty in terms of road manners how does it compare to the Ogre? Thanks

 

[_CJ]

Thinking about getting a Surly Bridge Club 700/29er variant to replace my Soma Wolverine. How do BC do as gravel duty 50/50 on road/off road. I have a steel 27.5+ bike so no interest in that size on a BC. How is it on the road? What is the max tire clearance without fenders(no need as it rarely rains here). The only real con for me is the weight at a little over ~28lb & prefer to go ligher than the 27lb of my Wolverine. Is there a carbon fork that fits the BC(w/ similar A2C & off-set)? But the price has sold me on the BC & seen some sweet drop-bar builds google searching.

Out of curioisty in terms of road manners how does it compare to the Ogre? Thanks

In my opinion, the BC was designed around flat bars (or "alternative" bars), and it's never going to be right with drop bars. At a minimum, you'd have to start with at least one size smaller frame, and then run an unusually short stem. At the time I was shopping for a flat bar bike, I ran across a lot of bikes designed around drop bars that were also offered with flat bars from the manufacturer. Same problem in reverse. If you want a drop bar bike, buy one designed to work with them.

 

[Funoutside]

Thank you for the reply. I saw a few drop bar BC & it looks cool. Will have to mull it over.

 

[Tim_Ky]

After experiencing how comfortable my Troll is, I seriously doubt I will ever own a non-steel bike ever again, so I am sure you made the right choice.

Same here. I can't see myself riding anything but steel. I wouldn't mind trying a titanium frame but I doubt I could ever afford it. Recently sold my aluminum ebike. Just never fell in love with that aluminum. It creaked badly when I tried to stand up and pedal. The BC was a nice replacement.

 

[Tim_Ky]

Slowly dialing in the BC to my tastes. Added a dropper, Shimano SLX cassette and shifter, and shorter cranks. I never though about crank arm lengths until recently as an adjustment. Gives me a bit more pedal clearance and smoothed out my cadence. Pedal strikes were common if I went off road. I'm really enjoying this bike after owning a Cross Check and Disc Trucker.

 

[Muirenn]

Same here. I can't see myself riding anything but steel. I wouldn't mind trying a titanium frame but I doubt I could ever afford it. Recently sold my aluminum ebike. Just never fell in love with that aluminum. It creaked badly when I tried to stand up and pedal. The BC was a nice replacement.

I'm going to add a caveat to this as I have two steel bikes, one aluminum, and one carbon.

These materials are all available in different mixes (alloys) in the case of steel and aluminum. And different lay-ups in carbon. The higher grade materials will feel better with any of them. My Cannondale CAADX aluminum cyclocross is smooth, and 'sings' in a way that reminds me of steel. Though the resonance is different. The Pinarello is made from high density carbon. The last carbon bike I had was much, much lower quality (a 2008 Cannondale Synapse). It had a certain 'dead' plastic quality. But note, the synapse has changed drastically since then. It was a typical road bike. And the new ones are made to ride off-surface if necessary. .

Both the aluminum and carbon bikes I have now are are very stiff, and that tends to suit me for road bikes. A stiff bottom bracket construction makes fewer noises when you pedal. They also have strong chain stays. As is typically found on race bikes. Better power transfer. Less rattling. Also, all my bikes have medium to high quality components. Mid being 105, high being Ultegra.

My Karate Monkey has more flex. (Custom build 'dingle' speed). But it's a mountain bike, and that is fine with me over rough terrain. And slower speeds. The Zurich Le Monde is a classic touring bike from 2002. It's made from 853 steel, one of the highest usually (but not always) available. It has more flex. And though comfortable, I am fatigued if I really 'hammer.' That is what the Pinarello is for, anyway. It is fast, though. Just different. I think Surly uses Chromoly, which is much lower. If the bikes were identical in everything but steel quality, it would be obvious that the 853 is smoother. But that bike has 23 mm road tires, and the KM 2.8" wide tires. So. Very, very different feels. Applications. Needs.

Anyway. Not what you meant. I agree steel is real. But I am equally happy with the ride quality of all my bikes. And I love my aluminum CAADX.

 

[paulmalone1]

Hey all, just grabbed a new Bridge Club, in the 700c Illegal Smile, and really liking it so far. Was curious if anyone has swapped out the bars for something like a Moloko, Velo Crazy Bar, or Jones and how you like it. Something about the Terminal Bar I don't love, I feel a little too upright, coming from a cross-check.

 

[Muirenn]

I’d like a picture. Considering either an Ogre or BC for a good utility bike.

I have Salsa Bend Bars on my Karate Monkey. I used to have Jones, but found the handling sluggish. I do have a pair of Molokuo bars a friend gave me that I would like to try on the bike. (She has an extra, I know she has them on one of her bikes, she has multiple bikes compared to what is usual when thinking multiple, and rides everyday. She also recommends the Molokui over Jones for handling). I too have a strong background in road. So it’s possible my difficulty with Jones May apply to you. The Salsa Bend Bars are only 23 degrees offset, and very likely handle better than Moloko’s, which are 34. (Jones are 45).

 

[Tim_Ky]

Jones bars are all I ride. Comfortable and upright. Frame size and stem length can affect your position also.

 

[Muirenn]

And personal geometry, perhaps. I’m 170 cm tall (just under 5’7”) with a 33.3” inseam on a size medium Karate Monkey, which according to the charts is too large. My knees tend to overlap the bars in certain positions with Jones. I’m also very hesitant in turning with Jones even when they don’t overlap. I don’t have long femurs, I think they are about equal to my tibias. And my saddle is quite high, which should give extra room, but doesn’t seem to help. Anyway. They are expensive, and not for everyone. But certainly a lot of people love them.

 

[paulmalone1]

I'd like a picture. Considering either an Ogre or BC for a good utility bike.

I have Salsa Bend Bars on my Karate Monkey. I used to have Jones, but found the handling sluggish. I do have a pair of Molokuo bars a friend gave me that I would like to try on the bike. (She has an extra, I know she has them on one of her bikes, she has multiple bikes compared to what is usual when thinking multiple, and rides everyday. She also recommends the Molokui over Jones for handling). I too have a strong background in road. So it's possible my difficulty with Jones May apply to you. The Salsa Bend Bars are only 23 degrees offset, and very likely handle better than Moloko's, which are 34. (Jones are 45).

I can add a pic later, but its the stock 700c model but added the Surly front rack and changed out for a Brooks seat. Mostly used for grocery store, boardwalk, kid hauling but taking it on an 85 mile charity ride in a couple weeks so trying to get what I want changed up before then. Moloko bars I like a lot, but they don't come in silver which is the route I'm going.

Jones bars are all I ride. Comfortable and upright. Frame size and stem length can affect your position also.

Thanks for the input, I'm riding a small frame and was looking at the Jones Aluminum Loops but need to figure out what width might work better. The Terminal Bar is 735mm and feels a bit wide, and the H Bar comes in 710 / 660. Any model you like better or worse in the Jones?

 

[seat_boy]

Does anyone have any chainstay heel strike concerns on the Bridge Club?

This has never been a concern for me, but I just built up a Marin Nicasio frame. Lovely frame, except my heels hit the chainstays when I pedal, unless I angle my feet out. That's pretty annoying. I think the Nicasio is extra wide back there due to the sliding dropouts.

My feet are only size 11, not huge, although I was wearing sandals on flat pedals, which are a little bulkier.

I'm thinking about the BC to replace the Nicasio.

 

[_CJ]

Does anyone have any chainstay heel strike concerns on the Bridge Club?

This has never been a concern for me, but I just built up a Marin Nicasio frame. Lovely frame, except my heels hit the chainstays when I pedal, unless I angle my feet out. That's pretty annoying. I think the Nicasio is extra wide back there due to the sliding dropouts.

My feet are only size 11, not huge, although I was wearing sandals on flat pedals, which are a little bulkier.

I'm thinking about the BC to replace the Nicasio.

No heal strikes here. 10.5 feet.

 

[paulmalone1]

Random question, but when i pedal my BC, its all
Smooth but when coasting or back pedaling it almost feels a little crunchy (very minimal) in the crankset. Went and took a look, and shouldnt this have a cover over it to protect inner components:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scottyb1708]

Random question, but when i pedal my BC, its all
Smooth but when coasting or back pedaling it almost feels a little crunchy (very minimal) in the crankset. Went and took a look, and shouldnt this have a cover over it to protect inner components:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No cover/seal on this crank. Had the same question when my crank arm fell off during a ride and thought i lost the seal (the bolt must have backed out previously). Confirmed with the LBS that there is no seal there.

 

[paulmalone1]

No cover/seal on this crank. Had the same question when my crank arm fell off during a ride and thought i lost the seal (the bolt must have backed out previously). Confirmed with the LBS that there is no seal there.

Thanks for the response. Appreciate it. Follow
Up, ive got the the 700c BC and doing an 85 mile charity ride in a few weeks. Would anyone whos had
Some time on the 700x41 extraterrestrials recommend a thinner tire for such a distance and if so, how would i know how thin i can go / is recommended.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Muirenn]

If that were mine, I’d upgrade the crankset and bottom bracket when feasible.

I like Continental All Season for roads. Especially with unpredictable weather and surfaces. Whatever tire you get, make sure it’s 120 TPI rather than 60. More threads per inch protect against flats and provide better ride quality. I think they are available in sizes between 23 and 32 mm widths. The interior width of the rims on the current BC is i21, or 21 mm’s. I’m not positive of size 23 would be optimal, but certainly 25-32 are fine.

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/bridge_club

 

[Funoutside]

Could always go with the new GravelKing SS in a size 32mm with their plus protection casing. It's suppose to be good for all-road riding with some side nobs for grip.

 

[seat_boy]

I don't know if the BC has a clutch rear derailer, but if it does, that can often make it feel a bit crunchy when back pedaling, especially by hand.

Random question, but when i pedal my BC, its all
Smooth but when coasting or back pedaling it almost feels a little crunchy (very minimal) in the crankset. Went and took a look, and shouldnt this have a cover over it to protect inner components:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JAGI410]

New color launched today, a bright blue. Looks the same as the old Karate Monkey "Porta Potty Blue". I like it!