Surly Skid Loader
 

Has anyone ridden one?

Not yet but am quite interested. I had ridden the old Big Easy (which they should have called the "Big Dumm-E") and it was a great bike. The system is solid and Surly makes a good bike so it should be pretty fun. I think there are some things I might change about it but that is always the case with any bike.

It does look sweet,... :thumb:

I’ve been looking around for a replacement for my Rivindell Clem Smith Jr that I put a BBSHD on. It’s a great rig but I’m worried I’m going to work the frame to failure but maybe that’s not a reality. Anyway the seat tube on the Surly looks deceptively slack but the bb is located behind it so the effective seat angle is about the same as my Clem Smith and the super long chainstay is just a little longer than the Clem Smith. I’m no longer a fast rider and find the ClemSmith to have the best handling for my hilly, rural dirt riding.

I think the Surly would probably be perfect for you then. Reliable Bosch Motor designed to be in the bike and what looks to be a very comfortable position.

I rode a friend’s last week and ordered one. It should be at the shop Tuesday and I am hoping to get it built up before the long weekend.

I loved it on my test ride. It is only 20cm longer than my LHT and fits and rides just like my Troll. Although the slack seat tube looks funny (especially with the “effective bottom bracket” behind the seat tube), I think that this really helps with sizing flexibility. Being able to use the dropper to quickly adjust for me and my wife is a big selling point. Although we are exactly the same height, I usually ride a 48-50cm frame due to my short legs and she normally rides a 52 or 54 due to long legs.

I ordered the medium. It looks like the sizing for the Skid loader is XS, S, and L although the published sizing is S, M, and L. My guess is that the sizing is “tiny mom”, “regular mom/short dad”, and “Dad/Tall mom”. Fortunately, regular mom/short dad will fit both of us.

Don't forget to post a few pics after you break this baby in,...ENJOY!!! :beer:

Ok, I got my bike the day before Thanksgiving (Thursday the 24th in the US). I finished building it up Friday and took it for it’s first ride yesterday. I rode to “Coffee Outside” which was at Council Crest (highest spot in Portland OR) this weekend. This means that the first ride was about 15 miles with about 1,300 feet of climbing. I put battery lights on, two Arkel bags on one side of the rack with coffee gear and winter clothes and an open grocery pannier on the other side with a HEAVY lock and chain. I estimate my total load at 30 pounds plus my own 180 lb body weight.

Most of the ride was in “off” or “eco” mode (60% power multiplier). Off for flats and downhills and Eco for false flats and gentle climbs. I used “tour” mode (140%) for most of the climb and “sport” mode (240%) for the steepest parts of the climb (>12% grade). I am not a particularly strong rider (my FTP is about 150W) but at the end of the ride I was still on 4 out of 5 bars on the battery. I never used “turbo” mode, which puts out a whopping 400% of rider power up to 600W.

I also picked up a set of fenders yesterday and installed them last night. I got Honjo/Sim Works flat 65s. They barely cover the 2.5” tires that come on the Skid Loader and there isn’t a lot of room, especially at the seat stay bridge and the fork crown. You really should size the tires down to about 2.35 to have good clearance for full-coverage fenders. Kudos to Surly for putting mounts for fender stays on the rack. I have ordered lights but can get along fine for now with battery lights. I’ll post an update when I get those installed.

There are two bottle cages on the frame on the medium size, but the seat tube mount is worthless unless you have a side loading cage and only need a small bottle. The down tube mount is fine unless you decide to run a second battery. What I have not seen in any review or marketing copy is how versatile the rear rack is. Like with the Bill and Ted trailers and Surly forks, the rack is littered with braze-ons. I thought that they were primarily tie-downs and mounting points until I got the bike and realized that most of them are in pairs at 64mm spacing. So the rack could take six bottle cages without impacting one’s ability to run the largest panniers available. Carrying water will not be a problem.

Because the wheelbase is only 15cm longer than my LHT, the Skid Loader rides like a normal bike. Riding it felt natural the moment I started riding. This is my first ebike, and the one thing that I did not expect was the feeling of power from a standing start. I expect that this will take some getting used to. Yesterday, I decided to start with the power off then move to eco or tour mode as soon as I got both feet on the pedals and my butt in the seat. My start on a normal bike is: left foot on the ground, right foot on the pedal in the power position, and the inside of my right thigh on the top tube. To start, I stand on the right pedal to lift myself onto the seat and give myself a little bit of momentum to get my left foot on the pedal. This start in turbo mode would likely result in max power (600W) with only two hands and one foot on the bike.

The fit and finish are good, but not great. A M5 tap would be a good investment to make, because none of the holes on the frame or rack were plugged prior to powder coating. One of the triple mounts is slightly off axis, so one bolt hole will need a bit of Dremel work.

I will post more thoughts and some photos as I get more riding time.

Sounds very promising. Thx for the info.