The Surly E.C.R. Rounds Out Their Adventure Bike Catalog

I don’t normally write about product releases, but the ECR got me fairly excited and I thought I’d do a quick post about what I think is the perfect lineup of bikes designed for adventure.

The New Surly ECR

Not exactly sure what it stands for yet… maybe “Enduro Camping Rig” (according to BikeRumor), “Exit Cities Rapidly” or “Einstein Can’t Rap.” One thing is for sure though, this thing perked my ears. I was hoping they would add a few mounts and bosses to the Krampus for 2014, but they took it a few steps further and created a 29×3″ Knard-laden, bikepacking beast. Apart from the Krampus it looks like the Surly E.C.R. has slightly more long-ride friendly geometry, all the brazons you would ever need and the swiss-army knife of dropouts that is used on the Troll. I can’t wait to put my Rohloff on this “Expedition Centric Rambler”.
Photo above by QBP.

The New Surly Straggler

Maybe should have been called the ‘Disco-cheque’ as it is basically a Disc-brake enabled Crosscheck with a new dropout. Very nice bicycle however; folks have been requesting a Crosscheck with disc brake capabilities for a while now and Surly answered. It looks like the Straggler has all the necessary bosses for a light tour, long gravel grinder or even a single track romp through the woods. And, those sweet tires are the new 700c/41mm Knards.

Here are a few classics that make Surly’s catalogue the best in the business for adventure:

The Long Haul Trucker and Trucker Deluxe

The LHT is pretty much the go-to steed for a long-distance bicycle tour. Most folks you see on tour are riding the 26″ version as it is a little easier to find 26″ tires in a lot of countries. The Trucker has classic lines that somewhat resemble mountain bikes of the 80’s and the perfect geometry for long rides. This is the bike that fueled the steel frame revolution.

The Trucker Deluxe is built with S&S Couplers (stainless steel threaded sleeves) to allow the bike to be taken apart to fit in an airline friendly case to avoid oversized luggage fees (which are now through the roof — I paid $200 to fly back from Panama).

The Surly Troll

I love my Troll. This is pretty much the do-all, rough-roads riding, dirt track touring machine. The Troll broke ground with the innovative slot-dropout that easily accommodates the Rohloff, disc brakes and a trailer. It basically serves as a damn good option for anyone doing a long tour where 26″ tires are a must and there will be rough, mountain style riding.

The Cross-Check

While the Surly Troll is a perfect bike for hauling big loads of gear through second and third world conditions, Mike wanted a lighter, more classically styled 700c bike for a light-load European tour. Enter the Cross-check:

The Ogre

The Ogre is basically the Troll in 29er format. Touring through a country where 29er wheel size is not a worry, or a shorter tour where wheel maintenance is a non-issue, the Ogre is a great option. All the bosses and mounts one could ever need as well as the versatile rear slot dropouts. The Ogre seems like the one-bike/do-all option.

The Pugley and Pug Ops

The Pugley is a very unique bicycle. Basically created to go anywhere with bar-none floatation and traction afforded by the stock 26×3.8″ Nate tires. Winter touring, coastal touring, mud, ice and snow… this bike can take you where other bikes don’t even dream. And it has all of the mounts to rig racks, panniers, fork cages, whatever. Joe Cruz at Pedaling in Place has done some very cool stuff with his Pugs.

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.