Oh, come now - the no-nonsense attitude is precisely how Surlys are marketed. There is definite, deliberate marketing in the image of Surly bicycles. Their message is, basically, "Hey, you - we know that you're a regular person who just wants an affordable, durable, quality bike that you can ride every day. You don't have illusions of grandeur or pretension to great speed, power or wealth. Well, we make the bike that you want."

There's nothing wrong with that, and my LHT is a fantastic bike that has proven to be very adaptable as I've had it set up for touring, as a countryside commuting bike and now as an urban commuting bike. But Surly sales are just as driven by marketing as are Jamis sales. It's kind of silly to deny that.