Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Graham Berry in London, who shares his audax-ready Surly Midnight Special that he hand-stripped down to its raw steel frame. Learn more about Graham and his bike here…
Words and photos by Graham Berry (@bezzard74)
Hi, I’m Graham, a government worker and sometimes photographer. I live in London but hail originally from the wilds of West Yorkshire, in the north of England.
I commute, ride in the city/countryside, ride Audax events, and ride gravel when I can. Bikepacking happens when I get the chance, though I foresee some overnighters when taking part in next year’s 400-kilometre events. I ride primarily with the Heavy Metal Cycling Club, a decentralised club based mostly in London but with chapters across the globe. We’re an outgrowth of the Heavy Metal Truants, a charity organisation raising money for four charities benefitting kids and young people, which was co-founded by the ex-editor of Metal Hammer magazine and the manager of Iron Maiden.
My descent towards becoming an endurance cyclist is partly inspired by my clubmate Jack Davey, who thought nothing of an 80-kilometre ride to the start of a club run! I completed my first 200 and 300-kilometre Audax UK events, both organised by Kingston Wheelers Cycling Club, along with Jack at the start of this year. I have since completed a solo calendar event and plan to ride some solo permanent events, with a view to attaining my RRtY (Randonneur Round the Year) award. I have two 400-kilometre events already booked for next April/May, with my eyes on longer and longer rides to get me ready for London-Edinburgh-London in 2025.
The Surly was a lockdown purchase. I was lucky enough to have a clubmate who worked at the time for the distributor of Surly in the UK and was able to give me a heads-up when a Midnight Special appeared in my size. He was also able to help me source the wheels, bars, and seat post, leaving me to sort the gruppo, tyres, etc. He also managed to build it in a morning with a broken finger!
- Frame Surly Midnight Special
- Fork Fyxation Sparta
- Rims Mason X Hunt 4 season
- Hubs HUNT 4 Season Disc
- Tires Schwalbe G-One bite 700 x 38mm
- Handlebars Whisky No.7 24F
- Headset Cane Creek ten Upper/Gusset lower
- Crankset SRAM Rival & 42T ring
- Pedals Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100
- Cassette SRAM PG 1130 11-42
- Derailleur SRAM Rival 1X
- Brakes TRP HY/RD
- Shifter(s) SRAM Rival
- Saddle Fizik Terra Argo X3
- Seatpost Genetic Syngenic
- Stem Genetic SLR
- Front bags Apidura Back country 1.2L food pouch
- Fork bags Salsa EXP Anything 3.35L
- Lights Exposure Strada Mk10 SB / Blaze Mk3
- Other accessories eda Elementi Parabolica Due Clip On Bars, Voile straps
It came in a majestic light blue, Perry Winkle’s Sparkle blue, and so was aptly named “Princess Periwinkle.” Two winters of riding, plus lots of off-road, and it had become pretty scratched up, so I made the decision to strip it back to the raw steel and lacquer it. The stripping took approximately 20 hours!
I was initially freaked out when rust started to appear, but upon talking to wiser, more experienced clubmates, they said this was fine and nothing to worry about. It’s now rusting nicely and looks pretty stately, so a new name was called for. I gathered suggestions and put it to a vote: “The Duchess” won, hands down!
You can follow Graham on Instagram @bezzard74.
Send Us Your Bikepacking Rig
Use the form below to submit your bikepacking rig. We’ll choose one per week to feature in a Reader’s Rig Dispatch and on Instagram. To enter, email us your best photo of the bike (preferably at a 90° angle), your Instagram username (optional), and a short description of you and your rig. If your bike is selected, we’ll need a total of five photos and a little bit more info.
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