Surly ECR: Built and Packed in 2 Days

As of last Friday, I had given up on the Surly ECR being shipped in time and resigned myself to quickly building another bike for our trip…

On Monday I got the news that it would be at my door that Wednesday; on Tuesday it arrived (a day early) and I started twirling allen wrenches; on Wednesday I whipped up a framebag; on Thursday I tested it and packed it; today it gets on a plane. Whew. More to come, but here are a few pics and details:

Surly ECR - Rohloff dropout
The same fantastic dropout as my Troll. It’s amazing how much cleaner factory paint is than powder coat.
Surly ECR - ED Coated
The ECR is ED coated, which means no framesaver! Definitely saved me some time.
Surly ECR - Bikepacking, Tubus racks, framebag
Set up bush-packing style using the Salsa Minimalist in front and the Tubus Vega in the back. In these photos the ECR is rolling on Smart Sam Plus tires, but Knards are on her now. The Tubus Vega Rack also works with Knards, see below.
Surly ECR - Bikepacking, framebag
I am testing out a product called Shelter for the bag contact points. I’ll be interested to see if it holds up. On the last tour I just threw a strip of Gorilla tape across my top tube.
Surly ECR - Tubus racks, modifications, water bottle cage
I made some rack mods to the Vega to hold a bottle cage on each side.
Surly ECR - Tubus racks, modifications, water bottle cage
Cut aluminum stock with rivnuts to make the braces; and bent 1/2″ pipe-clamps to make the brackets; a little spot welding, some paint and they are ready to roll. Only time and bumpy tracks will tell if the hold up.
Surly ECR - DIY framebag
Template for the frame bag.
Surly ECR - DIY frame bag
The bag design features a map pocket on the side to hold NG trail maps or ITMB travel maps.
Surly ECR - DIY frame bag
The top panel has two straps to carry a pump and keep it out of the way.
Surly ECR - Rohloff, Bikepacking, Racks
Velocity Blunt 35s held Sams, and now Knards. More cages on the fork offer extra space and more hydration.
Surly ECR Rohloff
The Rohloff got a fresh oil change and is ready for a few thousand more miles.
Sury ECR, Blackspire pedals
I am digging these Blackspire Big Slim MKII pedals.
Surly ECR Knards
27 TPI Knards came last night at 7:30 via UPS. Noticed the cryptic message above the bead: WIZARD SPEAK KNOWLEDGE BOMB PUT THE TIRE DOWN AND PICK UP A BEER. So I did, then a quick install, test, and about an hour of deliberation whether to take them or the Sams. Knards won the battle; maybe not the most practical choice, but certainly the most fun. We’ll see.
Surly ECR for bikepacking and Bike Touring, Racks
A crappy night shot of the ECR sporting Knards.

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