[Frerk14]

Here's some more photos from the ride.
The shots that show just how large that landscape in catch my eye the most.

Big Wheel Building: Out in the world.

Now...
When are we going to put together a Straggler only day lap or bike pack?
-JCB

Finally found the time to gape at your pictures. The wideness and sheer size of the landscape is indeed overwhelming and hard to grasp. Brings back good memories.
If your last words were meant as an invitation and pointed at me, I have to disappoint you. I'm from northern germany and even if I will be back in the southwest for the seventh time next summer, I will have my family in tow and unfortunatly not be able to spend a day on the bike out in the wild.

 

[Chippertheripper]

Anyone out here in straggler land with a set of calipers mind doing me a solid?
Can you measure the diameter of the seat stays? I guess, for posterity near the upper bridge/wart area?

Thanks

 

[vikb]

Anyone out here in straggler land with a set of calipers mind doing me a solid?
Can you measure the diameter of the seat stays? I guess, for posterity near the upper bridge/wart area?

Thanks

Seat stays = 16.5mm just below the seat stay bridge.

 

[Chippertheripper]

If anyone has a straggler fork kicking around hit me up. Extra bonus points if it’s black.
I need about 7 3/4” of steerer.

 

[vikb]

I have one of the original 2014 Unicorn Spunk Pink 700c Stragglers. I want to run bigger tires and fenders. I just noticed the site says 700c x 42 tires are a go front and back with fenders. My shitty memory tells me the site used to have a smaller max 700c tire size.

So I just wanted to check if that 700c x 42 max tire with fender applied to my OG 2014 Straggler or if tire clearance has changed? I don't want to buy big $$ rubber and then end up sad when I can't fit them to my bike.

 

[Johnny Chicken Bones]

I run a WTB Riddler (700x45) and there’s barely room for it. No way I could go larger.
My memory is that I also have used them w/ fenders but not w/ great confidence. One hard shudder and something wouldn’t be aligned and I’d have some rubbing. In the end if I use fenders on the Stragger, I use a different narrower tire.
To me- Fenders mean wet. Wide means dirt/gravel. That means mud. My Riddler set up would NOT function w/ a bit of the sticky stuff on the tires.

-JCB

 

[vikb]

I run a WTB Riddler (700x45) and there's barely room for it. No way I could go larger.
My memory is that I also have used them w/ fenders but not w/ great confidence. One hard shudder and something wouldn't be aligned and I'd have some rubbing. In the end if I use fenders on the Stragger, I use a different narrower tire.
To me- Fenders mean wet. Wide means dirt/gravel. That means mud. My Riddler set up would NOT function w/ a bit of the sticky stuff on the tires.

-JCB

If you can fit 45s and fenders [even if the fit was poor] that means I should be able to fit 42s and fenders like Surly says. I just wasn't sure if the OG 700c frames had the same clearance as the new frames.

I ride fenders year round. I mostly ride pavement on my Straggler, but even when do ride dirt our mud is runny not sticky so it doesn't build up.

 

[Johnny Chicken Bones]

Good points. Not all terrain means wet=mud.

Except for some minor drop out changes way back when (https://surlybikes.com/blog/straggler_dropout_update), I don't think there's been an update to the Straggler frame.

 

[vikb]

Good points. Not all terrain means wet=mud.

Except for some minor drop out changes way back when (https://surlybikes.com/blog/straggler_dropout_update), I don't think there's been an update to the Straggler frame.

Great. Thanks for the feedback.

I'll get some wider tires on there and see what I think. :thumbsup:

 

[vikb]

I got my Straggler back in 2014 and it has remained unchanged over that time. I enjoy a lot about it, but at the same time a few things have left me unsatisfied. Enough so I found myself shopping around for a new frame to hang my parts on.

Chatting with a friend [MTBR member Islander] about his new Elephant NFE, remembering my fine Boulder Bicycles rando rig and checking out Crust bikes fun line up I pondered all the options. And finally decided to do a round of upgrades to the Straggler. My reasoning was it had fine bones so it was worth upgrading and I liked the general build so any parts I put on it could be pored to a new frame in a year or so if my stoke level wasn't where I thought it should be.

Planned changes:

1. Rene Herse [aka old Compass Bike aka Grand Bois] Hurricane Ridge 700c x 42mm tires. High volume and supple for a fast roll. Ultralight casing for fast roll and all black stealth look. Much bigger volume than my current 700c x 32mm Compass Cycles tires.
2. Velo Orange 45mm metal hammered fenders. Wider than my current ~38mm silver fenders and black for stealth.
3. Shorter and higher rise stem. Don't remember the exact specs, but puts me into a bit more upright position on the hoods and yet I can still use the drops if I want more aero and more aggro positon.
4. Porcelain Rocket Nigel bar bag. Waterproof cargo option for front of bike.
5. Porcelain Rocket half-framebag. I'll either steal the one I own back from my hardtail MTB or get another one made as I find them super useful. Being able to use the DT water bottle bosses for a cage and the partial framebag for cargo is rad.
6. Porcelain Rocket Charlene 5L seatbag. I already own this just need to combine it with bags noted about for sweet light weight bikebacking setup.

Nothing too crazy for changes, but significant enough it should be a fun change. I'll try the upgrades through the end of 2020. If I love them rad. If I do not I'll order a new frame for those parts as I dig 700c wheels with wide rubber, fenders and a steel SS capable frame. Maybe I'll go custom?

We'll see. I'd be happy to keep Straggler on the OG unicorn jizz frame I have from 2014.

 

[sir_binkalot]

I enjoy a lot about it, but at the same time a few things have left me unsatisfied. Enough so I found myself shopping around for a new frame to hang my parts on.

May I ask what has left you unsatisfied? You seem to have ridden your Straggler a lot so I am curious as to what you think after 5 years!

I'm also considering wider / plusher tyres as my next upgrade (in a year or so...). I currently run 38mm Marathons, and the 42mm Marathon Supremes sound like a good way to be more comfortable while still maintaining a decent level of puncture resistance.

Anyway, let us know how your upgrades go!

 

[vikb]

May I ask what has left you unsatisfied? You seem to have ridden your Straggler a lot so I am curious as to what you think after 5 years!

I'm also considering wider / plusher tyres as my next upgrade (in a year or so...). I currently run 38mm Marathons, and the 42mm Marathon Supremes sound like a good way to be more comfortable while still maintaining a decent level of puncture resistance.

Anyway, let us know how your upgrades go!

Prior to the Straggler I had a semi-custom Boulder Bicycle low trail machine that was a work of art and that performed amazingly well and fit me like a glove. I sold it when I started to focus less on long-distance road riding and more on dirt. I ended up regretting that a lot, but didn't want to spend the $$ on a comparable replacement as my road riding vs. mountain biking was heavily skewed towards the later.

So I got the Straggler for a killer deal at my LBS. Not sure if they gave me a buddy discount or misread the price sheet or what, but I recall it being such a good deal when I called to ask I bought it on the phone.

I live in the PNWet and I set the Straggler up as an all weather road bike with full fenders, wide [at the time] 700c x 32mm tires and SS for low maintenance. It's been great and for the price has been a good value for me. But, my taste in tires has just gotten wider and as I got a bit older my preference for fit has changed. And as good as the Straggler is the Boulder was a lot nicer. So combine that all and I started to want something else after 5 years.

If I was going to ride the road a lot I'd just buy a $$$ production frame or get a custom frame. Thing is I'm going to spend most of my time on other bikes and ride my "road bike" the least of the bikes in my fleet. So dropping a lot of money doesn't make sense. As I looked at the production options that made sense I started to think I may well spend a bunch of $$ and not get too far from where I currently was with the Straggler. It's easy to think the grass is greener in the next yard over.

So I decided to address the issues I could fairly easily...wider tires and change the riding position with a shorter more upright stem. I'm stumbling towards retirement this year giving up my FT job and my GF will continue to work so I'll have a bunch of free time on my hands. I figure rather than pound myself into oblivion on the trails getting in some longer road rides will be fun and a good way to build fitness without a lot of wear and tear on the body. If my Straggler mods make me happy awesome. If not, but I do enough road/gravel riding to justify it I'll get something new and move my parts/bags across.

BTW - I've bee running Grand Bois/Compass Bicycle/Rene Herse tires with setup tubeless with sealant the whole time I have had the Straggler. These are super supple fast rolling tires with zero puncture protection in the casing. I've had one puncture that sealed as I kept riding. I'm never going back to tubes and stiff casing tires.

 

[Bishdog]

Hi from the UK.
I've really enjoyed reading this thread over the last couple of days, there are some nice builds and some inspirational photos and rides.
I've just finished building up my new straggler.

I had one a few years ago but unfortunately had to sell it as I needed the cash.
I've had a few bikes in the mean time but non of them have felt as good to ride as the straggler did, I've built this one up to pretty much the same spec as my last one so know it's going to be good.
Can't wait to get out on it.

 

[vikb]

I got the new tires and fenders in for my Straggler. I mounted the tires this morning and figured I'd share a few photos.

Rene Herse 700c x 42mm tires on some Velocity rims. The tires measure a true 42mm width. There is tons of clearance for fenders with the bigger tires. If I had a do over I might have gone with the 44mm wide tires seeing how much clearance there is. Next time!

Now I have to build some stoke to mount the fenders. Getting a nice fender line is a PITA, but totally worth it.

 

[Johnny Chicken Bones]

Wow- first there were 3x drive trains. 3x8, 9, 10.
Then the 2x set ups.
Then of course, the sea of 1x.
1x10,11, 12. Is there a 13 now?

But heck Vic- you're the first 1x0 I've seen.

Otherwise, gorgeous bike. Perfect bike.
When the house is on fire, grab the cats/peanut butter/ammo/and that bike. It'll be great for nearly everywhere.

 

[sir_binkalot]

I went for my longest ride on the Straggler yet last week. Decided to go all the way to the end of the northward train line, around 52km in all. It was great to travel from the city, through the inner suburbs, to the postwar suburbs, to the fields, and ending up amongst the fields. The train took me and the bike home afterwards, which was a nice way to finish things.

The bike rode well. I used the drops on the long, straight stretches, powering comfortably at 30km/hr. I started to think that the saddle was a little too narrow for me, so the next day I went to buy a Brooks B17. Gosh it's troublesome to set up the angle etc correctly, but after much fiddling so far so good.

Here's hoping for more long rides in the future.

 

[Johnny Chicken Bones]

If I abandon how my Brooks look and just go by how it feels- you’ll maybe end up with the nose higher than you’d think was right.

When I see those haggard weary world pedaling type folks theirs are usually also a bit nose high.

 

[sir_binkalot]

If I abandon how my Brooks look and just go by how it feels- you'll maybe end up with the nose higher than you'd think was right.

When I see those haggard weary world pedaling type folks theirs are usually also a bit nose high.

Yes, that is what I was told at the shop and how I started. Unfortunately this resulted in some unwanted unpleasantness in the soft tissues, if you know what I mean. I have returned the saddle to level for now, and will adjust as needed. Thank you.

 

[vikb]

Finally had the parts and the time to finish up the Straggler MK2. I did some bombing around the 'hood to make sure nothing fell off or rubbed. So far so good. Tomorrow will be the first real test of the wider tires. 32mm to 42mm. I'm excited. :thumbsup:

 

[sir_binkalot]

I like the chunky look. Can't wait to hear what you think about the ride! Is that a new set of fenders too?