Surly just announced their 2021 Surly Karate Monkey, which includes a suspension build in High-Fiber Green and fully rigid version in Fool’s Gold. Find photos and complete build kits here…

The Surly Karate Monkey is a chromoly steel trail bike that offers loads of versatility. It’s totally capable of riding rowdy singletrack and doesn’t shudder at the idea of being loaded down on a massive bikepacking expedition. It has clearance for 29 x 2.5” or 27.5 x 3” tires, is kitted out with loads of different mounts for racks and cages, and is offered in a build with a 140mm travel fork, their rigid steel fork, or as a frameset. The Karate Monkey will always be a personal favorite of mine as I found it a little more suitable for singletrack than my beloved Surly Krampus, but it offered all the versatility that Surly’s steel frames are known for.

Surly just announced their 2021 Karate Monkey specs and colors, which includes a suspension build in High-Fiber Green and rigid build in Fool’s Gold. Both are specced with modern 1×12 drivetrains, chunky 27.5+ tires, and hydraulic brakes. Find a complete breakdown on both builds below.

  • 2021 Surly Karate Monkey
  • 2021 Surly Karate Monkey
  • 2021 Surly Karate Monkey
  • 2021 Surly Karate Monkey
  • 2021 Surly Karate Monkey

Surly Karate Monkey – High Fiber Green

The High Fiber Green suspension build comes with a RockShox 35 Gold RL 140mm travel fork, Deore XT 1×12 drivetrain, TranzX dropper post, and Surly Dirt Wizard 27 x 2.8″ tires. It’s a pretty well-rounded build and appears to be well suited for daily trail riding and longer singletrack-heavy bikepacking routes. The complete build retails for $2,299 USD.

2021 Surly Karate Monkey

Build Kit

  • Frame Surly Chromoly Steel
  • Fork RockShox 35 Gold RL 140mm
  • Crankset Shimano Deore FC-M6100-1, 30t
  • Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore XT, RD-M8100, 12-speed
  • Cassette SunRace CSMZ800, 11-51t, 12-Speed
  • Chain KMC X12
  • Shifter Shimano Deore XT, SL-M8100
  • Brakes Tektro Gemini HD-M520
  • Rotors Tektro 180/160mm
  • Front Hub 110mm, Novatec, 32h, Thru-Axle
  • Rear Hub 148mm, Novatec, 32h, Thru-Axle
  • Rims WTB ST i35 TCS
  • Tires Surly Dirt Wizard 27 x 2.8″, 60tpi Tubeless Ready
  • Seatpost TranzX SP15, dropper post 120mm travel, 30.9mm
  • Headset Cane Creek 15
  • Bottom Bracket Shimano 73mm Threaded
  • Grips Velo – lock on
  • Saddle WTB Volt 142

Surly Karate Monkey – Fool’s Gold

The Fool’s Gold rigid build comes with Surly’s matching chromoly steel fork, which has nearly all the mounting points you could ever want. It has a more affordable build with a Deore 12-speed drivetrain, no dropper post, and slightly lower end hydraulic brakes—but that sparkly gold paint job makes up for all of that. The complete build retails for $1,675 USD.

2021 Surly Karate Monkey

Build Kit

  • Frame Surly Chromoly Steel
  • Fork Surly Chromoly Steel
  • Crankset Shimano Deore FC-MT510-1, 30t
  • Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore RD-M6100, 12-speed
  • Cassette SunRace CSMZ800, 11-51t, 12-Speed
  • Chain KMC X12
  • Shifter Shimano Deore SL-M6100
  • Brakes Tektro HD-M275
  • Rotors Tektro 180/160mm
  • Front Hub 110mm, Novatec, 32h, Thru-Axle
  • Rear Hub 148mm, Novatec, 32h, Thru-Axle
  • Rims WTB ST i40 TCS
  • Tires Surly Dirt Wizard 27 x 3″, 60 tpi, Tubeless Ready
  • Seatpost Promax 30.9
  • Headset Cane Creek 15
  • Bottom Bracket Shimano 73mm Threaded
  • Grips Velo – lock on
  • Saddle WTB Volt 142

Both color ways are also available as a frameset (frame + fork) for $785 USD and come in five different sizes from Extra-Small to Extra-Large. Find more information at SurlyBikes.com or head to your local Surly dealer.

FILED IN (CATEGORIES & TAGS)

Dispatch

New Bikes

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