General Cycling Discussion - What's with Surly?

I've been looking to buy a new touring bike and the Surly LHT seems to be a decent ride for my budget. After checking their web page for dealers in my area, I'm coming up with zeroes! After looking up the dealers listed within say a 100 mile radius of my home in the Adirondacks of northern New York , I found only one that was actually selling Surly. Three or four other shops that I found web sites for don't even list Surly as one of their brands. The closest shop - just 20 miles - has no web site but emails to it have been repeatedly ignored with no response. When I contacted a shop in Vermont - 2 hours away - asking about a Surly LHT, he redirected me to a Salsa Fargo or Salsa Casserole Triple - nothing about a LHT.
So how does one go about buying a Surly with responses like that from their supposed dealers? Seems like these Surly dealers exist more on the web than in real life. Comments and suggestions?

Good Bikes Sell Out Fast.

Call up the LBS and ask them to order one for you.

Or

order a LHT from that online bicycle store and assemble it yourself. This is a much cheaper route, but I you'll need tools and mechanics know how.

Call up the LBS and ask them to order one for you.

Or

order a LHT from that online bicycle store and assemble it yourself. This is a much cheaper route, but I you'll need tools and mechanics know how.

Can a LBS order a Surly even if they're not a dealer? And what's "that online bicycle store" ?

Unless they're a dealer of a certain brand, I dont see why a bikeshop would not order a bike for you.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/

Did a quick online search and came up with a couple of "bike direct" outfits that have the LHT on hand. Price even includes shipping and setup - so may only need a minor adjustment at the lbs. Time to dig out the Plastic!:)

Can a LBS order a Surly even if they're not a dealer? And what's "that online bicycle store" ?

Yes, because they are sold through QBP and pretty much every bike store in the country has a QBP account.

Yes, because they are sold through QBP and pretty much every bike store in the country has a QBP account.
Correct, Surly does not have dealerships. All of their bikes are sold through QBP. Any shop that uses QBP (and that is a lot) can order you one.

I wanted an LHT and had the same problem. I went across town to the nearest Surly dealers and test rode them and had the fine folks there fit me to the correct size. I tipped them for their time, and went back home and had my LBS special order me an LHT, which they were happy to do.

The main problem for me was, knowing what size to order. Since it was a special order, I was stuck with what ever I ordered. The folks at my LBS are super nice to me, and maybe if I would have whined enough, they would have worked something out. But the normal policy for special orders is, you don't get to return it. At least at my LBS.

I also had my LBS fit me for a bike with similar geometry, just as a last check that I was buying the proper size. I reckon any LBS worth it's salt could size you on a similar bike and get you the right bike without having to actually see one in person. But I think it would be worth the trip to ride/drive out and see and ride one for yourself.

Also, I found a good bit of LHT sizing information and discussion in these forums that helped me decide.

-Cota

That's what you get for living in the virgin wilderness.

-City Dweller

:)OK, I've taken the plunge. Ordered my Surly LHT Saturday - from one of the on-line dealers, JensonUSA. They had a decent price, free shipping and no sales tax. But the big plus was they had the model (LHT) and size (58cm) in stock. I expect it to arrive late this week:). I'll post a pic when I get the bike. Cheers,

BigBird2

:)OK, I've taken the plunge. Ordered my Surly LHT Saturday - from one of the on-line dealers, JensonUSA. They had a decent price, free shipping and no sales tax. But the big plus was they had the model (LHT) and size (58cm) in stock. I expect it to arrive late this week:). I'll post a pic when I get the bike. Cheers,

BigBird2
Congratulations. Which color?

I just bought one. It was easy.

First I did my homework. The Surly site has a detailed geometry chart & I know what I like & don't like about my current bikes' fit, compared the Surlys to that. Narrowed it down to size 'n' and 'n+1'.

Next, pick the bike shop. Having patronized several of the bike shops in town & walked in to many of the others, I had some idea where to go. Picked a small shop with knowledgeable staff who'd treated me well before for small repair projects & the like. Called in advance and told the owner, "I want a Surly Long Haul Trucker; I just am not sure of what size, 'n' or 'n+1'." We set up an appointment & he did his best to fit me with measurements & the computer fitting program, also listened to me describing my riding habits (i.e., not as energetic as a club racer type). We picked size 'n+1'. We decided to leave the steerer at full length until I'm sure of the fit. Delivery only took a few days. Very happy. May need to trade out the stem but otherwise the bike feels great. I may have paid a little more but I think the service was worth it.

One year ago, went through this at one of the big shops & wasn't as happy. Tried to sell me a good bike they already had in stock that felt (and was) too small. Didn't seem interested in ordering a Surly. I didn't buy.

Congratulations. Which color?
Green.

Can a LBS order a Surly even if they're not a dealer? And what's "that online bicycle store" ?

Any shop that carries QBP can order Surly bikes and frames. That's probably most of them. Typically it's not advertised unless the shop guys are into Surly.

Note that Salsa is more expensive the Surly. So maybe that's why the shop was pushing them. Salsa and Surly are both owned by QBP. So any store that can get Salsa can get Surly as well.

I went to six different bike shops looking for Surly. (I went to several that were listed on the Surly site.)

First shop - "Oh yea, we sell tons of them online." When I asked to see one, he said that they did not have them in the shop and did not carry them in the shop. (Strange, I thought)

2nd shop - "Oh yea, we have several of our employees (mechanics and sales people) ride them. Sure we could order one for you, but we don't carry them in the shop. (Equally strange, I thought)

I must be missing something, but why are these bike shops not wanting to sell these bikes? I did find a shop that at least had one and did sell many of them. I eventually bought a LHT even though I was first looking for the Cross Check. I just happen to be petite and the LHT smaller frame fits me well.

After I purchased mine, I did finally come across another shop that also carried them. Of course they did not have any at the time. The mechanic I talked with had one and talked his boss in getting a few in. They sold within a month. ;)

-Sue

Just for your own knowledge there is a bike shop in Burlington, VT called old spokes home http://www.oldspokeshome.com/ that sells Surly Bikes. Would have taken 2 hours or so to get there but may have been worth it, its a fairly nice shop with tons of old bikes and new bikes.

I got mine from Universal Cycles, great price and fast delivery. I did, however, have to assemble it myself, which took a couple evenings. They do a thing where you get a certain percentage off any order over $300, so you can find that coupon code and apply it to get a very hefty dose off the MSRP listed......

One of my LBS's is advertised as a Surly dealer. When I asked about them they said they don't keep any on hand but could order one for me.

WTF?

Frankly if I'm dropping that much $$ on a bicycle, I'm test riding it before I order it.

I must be missing something, but why are these bike shops not wanting to sell these bikes? I did find a shop that at least had one and did sell many of them. I eventually bought a LHT even though I was first looking for the Cross Check. I just happen to be petite and the LHT smaller frame fits me well.

The average person has no idea what a Surly is. Also, the average roadie couldn't care less. That leaves bike geeks. I bet that is a very small percentage of their sales.

If you were a bike owner, what bike would you stock?

Bike A:

Everyone know this particular bike because they see a big name athlete on it. They are willing to spend thousands of dollars on it.

Bike B:

A bike that is pretty much unknown outside of bike enthusiasts. While it's very well made and will last a life time, it lack the latest marketing soundbites (Carbon Fiber!) and it looks rather plain.