Surly's Turning 21!

What an exciting time of year down here at the bikery! The weather's starting to turn, we're laying plans for some epic summer adventures, and one of our favorite manufacturers is having a big birthday bash. That's right September 21st is Intergalactic Surly Day and we couldn't be more excited to join in on the festivities. We'll be hosting the Wellington celebration, but before that here's a bit about why Surly's have long been near and dear to our hearts.

The History

For twenty-one years now Surly has been the bike company by the people, for the people. Over the years they've always intentionally kept their portfolio trim and unique, never chased trends for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses, always sought to make each bike as versatile as it could possibly be, and never took themselves too seriously while they were at it. It's the reason why every bike nerd you've ever met owns a Surly (if not a couple).

Like all bike companies, Surly has built up a core expertise with its bikes: adventure. Whether it's touring across the Mongolian Steppe, riding the Rocky Mountain Divide, tackling Tour Aotearoa, or just finding some extra pedaling on the way home from work Surly's are always designed to go beyond the call of duty to make you want to ride more every day. As a bunch of self-professed bike maniacs, this ethos calls directly to our souls and is probably why more of the staff here at Bicycle Junction ride Surly's than any other brand.

Now, with twenty-one years of experience Surly has built up some incredible expertise and is offering more incredible bikes than ever before. With summer adventure season around the corner, we've brought a slew of these bikes into the shop for your perusing pleasure!

The Stable

The Straggler:  Arguably the most classic of the bunch the Straggler has been around for years and have been built up in such a variety of ways it'll really make your head spin. At its core, the Straggler is a tour-ready road stallion that's also ready to do double duty as the world's best commuter. Build it with heavy-duty racks to haul all your touring gear, or strip it back for long weekend rides and cruises over to the pub. Best of all the Straggler now comes in 700c and 650b variants giving you even more choice when it comes to nippy road wheels or a wheel that will leave you plenty of room for gravel-munching tyres.

The Midnight Special:  Possibly the least "Surly" of the bunch, by which we mean it has the fewest braze-ons; the Midnight Special was built as their "Road Plus" ride, it's ready to go out and punish the pavement all day long. But that doesn't mean it's not ready to head off the beaten path when the time comes for it. With plenty of clearance for big tires and a smooth steely ride, it's a road bike done Surly way.

The Bridge Club:  The newest steed in the stable is the Bridge Club, built to blur the line between an on-road touring bike and an off-road "bikepacking" rig it hits a sweet spot makes us grin. It rides on 650b wheels and has room for true mountain tyres, but it's also fully ready to don some slick rubber and hit the highway if that's what you're keen for. Importantly as well, the Bridge Club shaves some dollars off the price by keeping things simple in terms of braze-ons and fancy dropouts making it the ideal first adventure bike that'll last for years and years.

The Troll:  Now this is classic Surly a million braze-ons, stout wheels, an almost incomprehensible amount of versatility, and a name to match it all The Troll. This is one of Surly's two premier off-road touring rigs, the frame itself employs every engineering trick available to let you put just about any parts on it you could want. Looking to tour with a fancy Rolhoff hub? No problem. Hoping to use your old mountain thru-axle hubs? All good. Want to carry a gazillion frame packs? Bring it on. The one defining feature of the Troll is it's 26-inch wheel, meaning the wheels are stout and replacement parts come cheap and easy.

The Ogre: Just like its companion the Troll, the Ogre is built to be a do it all off-road touring machine, what makes it different is that it rides on 29-inch wheels. So if you're looking for the smoothest possible ride on your tour grab an Ogre put some 2.5" tyres on there and ride away on a cloud.

The Karate Monkey:  Years ago the original Karate Monkey was an experiment that helped kickstart the 29-inch revolution in the world of mountain bikes. Today the Karate Monkey is still Surly's versatile mountain bike frame but has more options than ever. We carry their 27.5 plus version for maximum cush and traction when the going gets really rough. It's ready to rock for a day up at Makara Peak just as much as it's ready to get loaded up with all your camping gear for a couple days' pedal through the bush.

The Big 2-1!

This September Surly's turning 21 and that's a big birthday for everyone, bike companies included. They're celebrating with Intergalactic Surly Day a party for bike-lovers of all stripes; it's happening around the world (and galaxy presumably) and we're proud to be hosting the Wellington chapter on Saturday, September 21st at 6 PM. Come on down to the bikery for a mixed-terrain cycle around the city. We'll be joined by our friends from Whistling Sister's Brewing who'll haul along some of our collaboration the Rad Cycler, and who knows what else. It's Intergalactic Surly Day, if it's outlandish and on two wheels it can happen!

Join the festivities for Surly's 21st!

Checkout our lineup of Surly's