Surly Troll commuter build
 

The new frame is here at last! 20" Surly Troll.
I plan to build it this weekend, with more pics and ride reports to follow.


http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...SC_01091-1.jpg

I look forward to seeing this build. Bautieri and I were having a discussion regarding this frame and he mentioned it looks a lot like the Salsa "Fargo" frame. The Surly blog http://www.surlybikes.com/blog/ has a nice looking pre-production build.

V

...with 26 inch wheels.

Nice man, that's a cool little frame

A couple of my friends seem to like that frame a bit much.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=186913

Nice, alan. The Troll is a nice looking frame. I like the orange, too. Have fun with the build and the bike! Looking fwd to the pics!

Sweet!

What kinda parts are you going to use?

and that's a very good thing.

Love the orange too!

Sweet! I am eyeballing a 14" for when my 9.5 yr old grows into that size...

I'm basically moving everything over from my 8-year old Giant aluminum MTB frame that has seen heavy commuting and trail use over the years. The components are a mix of fairly new XT and SLX for a 3x9 set up. I'll replace the shifter cables with Jagwire Ripcord that has full length housing.

The LBS installed a new Cane Creek S-3 headset, applied Framesaver and faced/chased the frame, so everything is ready to go.

IG hub compatible too.

Subscribed to this thread awaiting build pics and ride impressions....

In my best Jeff Spicoli voice..."I know those dudes"

Mutt

I think that frame is everything-compatible

It rode with the guy who bought the on in the picture I posted earlier. It is one SWEEEET ride. He has some really narrow road bars on it right now. He's getting a couple of other bars so he can switch things up for whatever rides he's doing. That is a real do-anything bike.

Here are some pictures of the build. Moving the components over from my other bike was completely straightforward. The guides for the brake and shifter housings are great. The rear dropouts made installing the rack and fender really easy.

The only minor issue I had was installing the front derailleur. The seat tube is a fairly small diameter, and I didn’t have a large enough shim, but the LBS came through with this. I left the steerer uncut for now, and will adjust after a few rides.

The rear wheel is more difficult to remove with the horizontal dropouts. It’s a little tight getting around the rear derailleur. Also, the rear fender stays need to be loosened to remove the wheel, but I plan to cut off part of the fender to eliminate that issue.

I rode around the block a couple times to make sure everything works properly. The temps were in the single digits this morning, so I didn’t ride to work. A complete build list and ride reports to follow.

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0134.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0135.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0136.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0142.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0143.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC_0147.jpg

Nice build!

Very jealous. Nice ride...now go get it dirty.

Nice all business looking ride.

Every time I look at your pics I can't help but think your bike is what my Kona wants to be when it grows up...
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...00319-2342.jpg
I'm very interested in seeing the build list.

Ride Report: I rode 13 miles to work today on just about every type of surface, and I must say the ride is awesome! I used the Speedcity wheelset with 700x28 Gatorskins on the rear and 700x25 4 Seasons on the front, both at max inflation. Compared to the aluminum MTB with a Surly steel fork I was riding, all the harshness is gone. The frame has exceeded my expectations.

I rode on the C&O Canal Towpath which is dirt and rocks, paved MUP with lots of root ridges, streets, wooden boardwalk-style bridges and even crossed railroad tracks, and the Troll handled it all exceptionally well. Handling was also very good, as was climbing out of the saddle.

I don't know if the improvement in ride quality is due entirely to steel, but the geometry of my old frame is nearly identical, so that's all I can think of.

Thanks for all of the nice comments from everyone.

Congrats! I am planning to bring my SSFG crosscheck to the C&O next spring.

Very nice!

Yup, yup.