Surly Sorceress 2

What hath Surly wrought this time?

The Surly Sorceress is a progressive steel trail hardtail built for riders who like their singletrack fast, loose, technical, and just a little bit rowdy. It’s the kind of bike that feels right at home diving into steep chutes, pumping through feature-rich trail, and charging rough descents with a big grin on your face.

At the heart of it all is Surly’s 100% Chromoly steel frame, built with Natch tubing and tuned specifically for Sorceress. That gives it the lively, springy ride feel steel fans love, while still delivering the kind of durability you want from a hardtail that’s going to be ridden properly. It has that classic steel character, just aimed squarely at modern trail riding rather than nostalgia.

The geometry is bang up to date too. A long front centre, slack head angle, and steep seat tube angle help Sorceress stay calm when the trail gets steep, efficient when the climb kicks up, and playful when the trail opens up. Add in generous standover clearance and room for longer droppers, and you’ve got a bike that encourages you to move around, get loose, and commit to the good line.

One of the more interesting tricks up its sleeve is Surly’s new DUH dropout system. Developed to work with SRAM UDH and Full-Mount setups, it also opens the door to single-speed use with the right conversion parts. So while this complete build comes set up as intended from the factory, the frame itself leaves plenty of room for future tinkering if that’s your thing.

This build keeps things sensible in all the right ways. A Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain gives you a huge gear range without unnecessary fuss, while Shimano MT420 four-piston brakes bring proper stopping power for steep trail riding. Big-volume Teravail Kessel 2.5” tyres add grip and confidence, and the SR Suntour Zeron36 Boost fork with 140mm travel keeps the front end composed when things get rough.

It’s also been designed with a wide range of riders in mind. Sorceress offers excellent standover clearance across the size range, fits riders from 146cm to 199cm, and includes bottle mounts on every size. XS and SM get one three-pack mount, while MD through XL get a standard bottle mount plus a three-pack.

In short, Sorceress is Surly doing a modern trail hardtail their own way. Steel, clever, adaptable, and ready to get a bit weird out on the trail.

Key Features

Frame 100% Surly Chromoly steel with modern, hard-charging trail geometry designed around a 140mm suspension fork

Dropouts DUH dropout system compatible with SRAM UDH, Full-Mount, and single-speed setups

Fit Excellent standover clearance and generous dropper insertion for riders from 146cm to 199cm

Mounts Bottle cage mounts on all sizes; one three-pack on XS–SM, one standard plus one three-pack on MD–XL

Fork SR Suntour Zeron36 Boost EQ, 140mm travel

Drivetrain Shimano Deore 12-speed

Brakes Shimano MT420 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes

Tires Teravail Kessel 29 x 2.5” tyres (27.5 x 2.5” on XS)