Which Surly Bike Should I Buy?

Want to buy a Surly? Good choice! Surly's range fills in the gaps between mass-market Road and Mountain bikes. At first glance, they all look quite similar, and it can be hard to figure out which one best suits your intended use when you're looking at a niche-within-a-niche. Here's a quick guide to the 2026 Surly lineup (excluding some of the weirder stuff like the fat bikes or cargo bikes – sure, they're brilliant, but they're a bit more clearly specialised so easier to understand). They're roughly in order of off-road capability, but they'll all be pretty versatile either side of their intended use.

If you're still not quite sure what type of bike you should be looking at to suit your riding, check out our guide to gravel bikes first; it'll give you a good overview of the main strengths and weaknesses of each main type of bike.

About Surly

There are lots of steel bike brands out there these days, but Surly's appeal still endures for good reason. Surly were one of the few mass-production brands (alongside a few others like Genesis and Cinelli) to really get behind steel bikes when they were completely out of fashion, helping drive a resurgence in the tough, repairable, characterful and (relatively) sustainable frame material. A Surly will never be the lightest, fastest or fanciest bike. It will however be a comfortable, reliable and durable bike with a surprisingly sporty character for its weight.

As for the Steel itself, Surly use "Natch" tubing. What's that? Why don't they use Reynolds 725? wHaT aRe ThEy HiDiNg FrOm Us? Quite simply, Natch is Surly's way of saying they're not committed to any particular tubesets. Rather than picking a manufacturer or a particular tubeset and going with it, they pick different 4130 Cromoly tubes from different ranges for each part of their frames. This gives Surly the ability to fine-tune the ride of each frame, without the need to develop expensive custom tubesets for each model or frame size - they simply pick existing tubes that they know work well for specific situations (such as the beefy, oversized downtube in the Disc Trucker). It's a cost-effective way to get the job done well.

Important Note on Specifications:

Most Surly bikes sold in the UK are imported as framesets, then built up by the UK importer, ISON Distribution. As such, the specifications you see on the Surly website are often quite different to the specifications of the bikes sold in the UK. This is actually quite a good thing - ISON supply some great brands, like HALO Wheels, Hayes brakes and GUSSET components, so the UK spec is often better than the stock Surly offering of OE-spec parts for other markets. If you're not sure on the UK spec of a particular model, get in touch with us, we'll clarify for you.

Of course, a custom build is always a good option to get exactly what you're looking for, and we'll happily help with that too. As for colours, most models are offered in both a colour and black each year.

The Bikes

Surly Preamble

The Preamble is Surly's entry-level Road and Gravel frame. It's available in both a flat bar and drop bar spec. There are mounts for mudguards and panniers, but it lacks the usual encrusting of "barnacles" you'll find on most other Surly frames – you'll just find the bare minimum to do the job here, to keep the price down. The stock builds are on the basic side, but the frameset is good value. With quick-release wheels and IS brake mounts, the frame isn't compatible with many new road or gravel components, but it is a great way to use up old components if you don't mind a little mix-and-match. It makes a great Parts Bin Special bike.

Pros: Great entry-level steel frame for commuting, light touring and mixed surface riding.

Cons: More basic frame design, limited mounting points (for a Surly).

Surly Midnight Special

Is it a gravel bike? Sort of. Descended from the old rim brake Pacer road bike, Surly sell the Midnight Special more as a road bike with fat tyres than as a gravel bike; the bike makes a lot more sense if you view it from that perspective. The frame is a step-up in quality from the Preamble, and it features modern standards such as 12mm Thru Axles and Flat Mount disc brakes. While it was originally marketed with 650b wheels, most custom builds tend to use 700c wheels instead – tyre clearance is limited to 700x42mm without mudguards.

The frame geometry is fairly road-oriented, with steep angles and quite a long, low riding position. If you want a road bike which can comfortably handle poor road surfaces and mixed terrain, while retaining fairly sporty handling and ride quality, the Midnight Special is the one for you. The tyre clearance and rack mounts also make it a good candidate for a light touring/audax bike, or winter training bike, and the oversize headtube allows you to fit a carbon fork with a tapered steerer tube, should you wish for a slightly lighter, sportier ride. If you're planning on some rougher gravel or singletrack riding, consider the new Straggler, or even the Grappler.

Pros: Great bike for roads, country lanes, canal towpaths and light gravel. Sporty ride quality and option to upgrade to a carbon fork.

Cons: Limited tyre clearance and steep angles restrict off-road handling and performance.

Surly Disc Trucker

Now with Thru Axles and Flat Mount brakes, the Disc Trucker has finally been dragged kicking and screaming into the 2020s (although you can still buy it with 26" wheels in some sizes). While the stock builds still favour robust, basic, cable-operated components, these new standards open up your options for a custom build with hydraulic brakes. The Disc Trucker is a terrible bike for everything except long distance touring, but if you're going to load up your bike and disappear over the horizon for weeks on end, it is one of the best bikes you can get.

The frame is heavily overbuilt, with large diameter tubes and girder-like dropouts. The headtube is long, allowing for a very upright riding position without the need for loads of spacers or a big riser stem. The chunky chainstays are long, keeping the handling sedate and stable. If you ride the Disc Trucker un-loaded, you'll find yourself on a very ponderous, heavy bike with a harsh ride quality. Load it up with two weeks worth of gear, and it's the opposite story: while most bikes start to feel floppy with more than about 10kg of stuff, the Disc Trucker is in its element: the handling is stable and predictable, the riding position is perfect for long hauls, and the ride quality becomes a little smoother.

Sizes 42 to 56cm are available with 26" wheels, while 56 - 64cm come with 700c wheels, with clearance for 47mm tyres and mudguards. Riders around 5'9/5'10 get the choice of either size. 26" wheels are great if you're planning to head miles off the beaten track in Central Asia or Central Africa, where 26" may be the only commonly available tyre size. This bike is also a strong contender as a day-to-day bike for very tall riders of a more powerful build - if you break normal bikes, consider a Disc Trucker: it won't be fast, but it shouldn't break.

Pros: A fantastic dedicated touring bike, in an impressive range of sizes, suited to heavy loads and heavy riders.

Cons: Not great at anything except touring - if it's only for occasional short tours, consider a Straggler instead; it'll be a more versatile bike that can still handle a bit of weight when necessary.

Surly Straggler

Updated for 2025, the new Straggler has evolved from an old-school cyclocross machine to a modern gravel bike. It has a low bottom bracket, slack angles and a nice relaxed riding position. The headtube is oversized, so you have the option to fit a carbon fork with a tapered steerer tube, should you wish to do so. There are plenty of mounting options scattered across the bike, with one notable omission -  no 3-bolt cage mounts on the fork legs (why, Surly, why?). Aside from this, the new Straggler is a capable and well-considered gravel bike, with balanced geometry and good tyre clearance up to 50mm, or 45mm with mudguards. Frame sizes 46 - 52cm are designed around 650b wheels to keep the bike looking and feeling proportional, while 54cm and up are built for 700c - there's no confusing overlap in the middle any more.

You might still see a few of the old model Straggler hanging around, this is more like the Midnight Special, but with racier geometry, quick-release wheels and Post Mount brakes. It's a good option if you want a disc brake singlespeed frameset.

The Straggler's ride will be a tad less lively on the road than the Midnight Special, and it definitely won't be as fun on road descents, but it makes up for that with greater stability and control off-road. Fit a carbon fork with some 3-bolt mounts, and you have a great all-round gravel and bikepacking bike.

Pros: Versatility, tyre clearance, relaxed geometry

Cons: No 3-bolt fork mounts, quite sedate on road rides.

Surly Grappler

Now we're geting to the more chunky stuff: the Grappler is Surly's Monstercross bike, and it's where things start to get a little weird. It sits somewhere in between a gravel bike and a mountain bike, with massive tyres, a quite upright position, no suspension and drop bars. The Grappler features a mix of road/gravel and mountain bike standards, which is both a blessing and a curse. You'll find all the mounts you could ever use, and some more that you probably won't, making it a great potential bikepacking rig – it's capable enough for some moderately chunky off-road riding, while keeping the benefits of drop bars for longer, smoother sections.

The rear end features Surly's Gnot Boost spacing, which can accommodate 142 or 148mm wheels (don't try this on other bikes, they won't like it). It will fit 29 x 2.1" tyres, or 27.5 x 2.8" if you want to tackle some more exciting terrain. It'll also work with singlespeed hubs and internally geared hubs, allowing you to adjut the wheel position to set the chain tension. The frame is not suspension-corrected, and the headtube will only fit 1 1/8" steerer tubes, so if you're thinking of whacking a suspension fork in, this is probably not the bike for you (check out the Genesis Vagabond for a similar bike with a tapered headtube). It does have internal cable routing for a dropper post, however, so you'll be able to tackle some steeper off-road descents in relative comfort.

Building a Grappler will require a little more thought - you can't just buy a GRX groupset and call it a day. The frame is designed around MTB chainline, so you'll need some suitable cranks, and it has IS brake mounts, so you'll be limited to using a Post Mount caliper – this means either using cable brakes, or using a third party hydraulic calliper, unless you can get your hands on an increasingly rare SRAM Post Mount groupset. Hope offer their RX4+ callipers in Post Mount fitting, for both DOT 5.1 and Mineral brake fluid, so there's an option for Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM users.

Pros: Versatility, mounting points, relaxed geometry and comfortable ride.

Cons: This bike is a complete compromise - everything from the hodge-podge spec to the unusual geometry. It'll never be completely at home, but then it's not the sort of bike for staying at home anyway.

Surly Ogre

The Ogre is a difficult bike to categorise. Surly refer to it as a "Steel Utility Vehicle", and honestly that's about as good as we're going to get. If you have fond memories of early mountain bikes (back when they were more likely to be called all-terrain bikes), then the Ogre might just be the bike for you. It has clearance for up to 29 x 2.5" tyres or 27.5 x 3", but the handling works well with tyres down to around 2" (50mm) if you want an all-weather commuter. The frame is thoroughly encrusted with barnacles, making it a great contender for year round commuting, off-road touring and bikepacking use. The riding position is somewhere between sporty and upright, so it'll work well for some more spirited riding on your commute – it isn't just a plodding packhorse.

The frame is designed around Thru Axles, using Surly's Gnot Boost system to accommodate 148 or 142mm rear wheels (or 135 quick release with adaptors). The rear end is adjustable to allow for singlespeed use, and there's a dedicated mounting point for a Rohloff torque arm. It also has an integrated trailer mount. If you want a simple, lively and capable bike for daily use or travel, which can handle a mixture of different terrain without being overkill on the roads, the Ogre will be a great bike.

Pros: Versatility, mounting points, lively ride quality

Cons: Limited off-road capability versus Krampus or Karate Monkey, not as fast on-road as a Straggler.

Surly Lowside

Imagine a BMX, but bigger. You've got yourself a Surly Lowside. This might possibly be the most niche of the niche Surly models. It'll fit up to 27.5 x 2.8" or 26 x 3" tyres, and there's an oversize headtube to allow you to fit a suspension fork should you wish (up to 100mm travel). It will fit a dropper post and a rear derailleur, but most Lowside builds tend to be BMX-style with a singlespeed drivetrain and a low rigid seatpost. Lowside lacks most of the usual Surly barnacles: it's very much a bike designed for playful riding and short urban commutes, rather than serious mountain biking or any kind of distance. If you want to visit the pump track on your way home from work, the Lowside might just be the bike for you.

Pros: Fun, Low Standover, Minimalist

Cons: Limited Versatility, No Mounts

Surly Bridge Club

The Bridge Club is Surly's starter model off-road touring bike – it's sort of the MTB equivalent of the Preamble. If you're looking for an off-road touring bike for occasional use, or you have budget constraints, then the Bridge Club is a great option. It has all the mounting points you're likely to need, but none of the extras. The frame is built around 27.5 x 2.8" tyres, and classic quick-release wheels. The off-the-shelf spec of the Bridge Club in the UK is particularly good value, with a consistent level of reliable, quality components for a reasonable price.

If you're looking to go further afield on longer expeditions, or plan to use it very regularly on rough terrain as a general purpose MTB, the Krampus or Karate Monkey might be better options - the straight head tube and quick release wheels will hold back the Bridge Club's off-road capability on anything beyond tame singletrack.

Pros: Price, touring capability, comfort on rough terrain

Cons: Technical off-road capability, wheel options, lack of suspension compatibility

Surly Karate Monkey

Karate Monkey is Surly's take on a modern trail hardtail, designed around 29 x 2.5" or 27.5 x 3" tyres. It features an oversized headtube and suspension-corrected geometry, so you can run up to a 140mm suspension fork with a tapered steerer tube. Rear spacing is Surly's Gnot Boost standard, fitting both 142 and 148mm rear wheels, with the option to run the bike as a singlespeed or with a hub gear system if you want something heavy-duty. The stock steel fork features 110mm Boost spacing and plenty of mounts, with a more conventional closed thru-axle dropout rather than the open dropouts which Surly use on their more road-oriented models.

With the stock rigid fork, the Karate Monkey makes for a capable off-road tourer or all-weather mountain bike. Add in a suspension fork, and you have a great trail hardtail which can still handle being loaded up for the occasional bikepacking trip. As all of the cabling is external, swapping between forks is quite a simple procedure, so you could easily purchase both and alternate as necessary: two bikes in one. While the Krampus has larger 29+ wheels, it'll only accept up to a 120mm suspension fork, so the Karate Monkey is arguably the most capable mountain bike in Surly's range (excluding the fat bikes). While it isn't the lightest bike ever, the Karate Monkey has a surprisingly lively ride, with the large-diameter steel tubing providing a very efficient pedalling platform and a fun, responsive ride.

Pros: Capable mountain bike with a sprightly ride quality, capable touring bike, fork swap is an appealing option.

Cons: A bit on the heavy side, not great on the tarmac.

Surly Krampus

Krampus is a 29+ bike designed to run 29 x 3" tyres, because more is better. In most other respects, it's very similar to the Karate Monkey (see above) - same mounting points and frame features, but with longer wheelbase and chainstays giving a more sedate, stable ride. You're limited to just 120mm of travel if you fit a suspension fork – the standover height starts to get a bit wild with longer travel and big tyres. Whle the Krampus is still a capable off-road machine, it's better suited to longer cross-country rides and loaded touring, while the Karate Monkey has a bit more of a wild side, good for trail riding too. Krampus is great for winter too; fat tyres and a rigid fork provide a good compromise between comfort and servicing requirements. Of course, as with all Surly models, there's plenty of overlap between what they can do – they just all have their own niche strengths. If a Krampus and a Karate Monkey went for a ride together, neither would particularly hold the other back.

Pros: Mountain tourer with great practicality and rollover.

Cons: Slightly more sluggish ride than the Karate Monkey, high standover height for shorter riders.

What about the Fat Bikes?

That's as far as we're going to go today, as the Fat Bikes and Cargo Bikes are niche even by Surly standards – especially the Moonlander. However, if you've got a question about one of these bikes, feel free to get in touch, or drop us a message in the comments below.

For more info on any of these models, or to discuss a custom build, you're welcome to give us a call or drop us an email. It may also be possible to slightly tweak the specs of some of the off-the-shelf bikes too, as many of them are built to order by ISON anyway – if you need a different stem length or handlebar shape than the default, that may be something we can arrange for you (subject to availability etc).

The "Info Hole" section of Surly's website is also well worth a visit – it explains some of the design decisions in a bit more detail.