The Karate Monkey is our 29" wheeled do-everything mountain bike. The Karate Monkey is not just an off-road specific bike though, it is versatile like all Surly bikes. We use horizontal dropouts with a derailleur hanger so you can ride it single-speed, fixed gear, internally geared or with derailleur multi-gear drivetrains. We also spec it with International Standard disc brake tabs and removable cantilever bosses, so you have all possible brake options. Want a beefy touring/commuting/cyclocross/all-around bike? Just swap the tires for some 700c skinnies and go.

Like all Surly frames and forks, the Karate Monkey frameset is built with Surly 4130 CroMoly steel tubing. The main triangle is butted to shave some weight and offer a silky ride, yet is tough enough to withstand the rigors of everyday thrashing. The tough fork has tapered straight blades that suck up the little bumps and is suspension corrected if you choose to swap it out for a suspension fork. Both frame and fork have enough tire clearance for the largest 29" fatties on the market.

The premise behind Pugsley’s design is the allowance of tires with a larger-than-average footprint. It was created to go where other bikes may flounder. Our frame and fork will accept 4" tires on 26" rims. The floatation and traction gained by using largevolume, low-pressure tires (we highly recommend the Surly Endomorph 3.7 tires) can get you over and through otherwiseunrideable terrain: ice, snow, sand, mud, wet rocks and roots. In many conditions, bigger is better.

There are design problems associated with using wide tires, however: the tire can rub on the chain, the chainstays, and the front derailleur. We’ve addressed these issues by using a 100mm-wide bottom bracket shell and providing an E-type front derailleur mount. The 100mm shell allows us to widen the chainstays for more tire/frame clearance, and it moves the chainrings outward for more chain/tire clearance. An E-type bottom bracket-mounted front derailleur positions the derailleur cage outboard of the tire. In order to maintain a good chainline with this setup, we offset the rear hub 17.5mm to the drive side...the same distance that the chainrings moved outward (compared to the chainline of a bike using a 68mm or 73mm bottom bracket shell). The result is a straight chainline and the ability to use a standard drivetrain (compact mountain triple crankset with a full cassette of cogs on a 135mm-spaced hub) without chain/tire/front derailleur interference. Pugsley has horizontal rear drops (sometimes called track ends) with a derailleur hanger, so you can set it up as a singlespeed or internally-geared rig if you don’t want to use derailleurs.

Listen to veteran fixed gear riders long enough and they’ll start to wax philosophic about fixies, how the bike is an extension of one’s body, how the simplicity and the silence are pleasing to the senses, how riding one is at first unnerving and later addictive. As we have said since we introduced the Steamroller frameset, we won’t try to convince you that riding ‘fixed’ is better or special or why you should try it. You’ll have to determine that for yourself. But whether you’re old school or new hat, you’d be hard pressed to find a better canvas to build your ideal street machine.

It’s made from Surly 4130 CroMoly steel because steel is durable and responsive, things we like and we’re pretty sure you do too. Its geometry is tight compared to road frames and relaxed compared to twitchy track frames. It takes big tires because big tires make sensetire casings flex before the frame. It’s got almost no ‘features’, no pump peg, no housing stops, no cell phone or GPS mount. Just a set of water bottle braze-ons. Well, it does also have a nice brazed fork crown we think looks pretty snazzy. If you’re like us, you may consider less tangible elements (such as ride quality) to be features, and it’s got these in spades. This is a frame meant for riding. Everyday. It was designed by cyclists for cyclists. It’s most at home on the street, but it’s also track legal and does a pretty fair job on trails too. It’s a fixed gear frame in the tradition of fixed gears, before there were freewheels or handbrakes (effective ones, anyway), harkening back to a time when big tires weren’t a design feature but a necessity, when a ride was an adventure

But hey, don’t let us convince you. Try one out. It may just become your favorite bike. .

The chromoly Big Dummy hauls your groceries, human and animal friends, surfboard, camping gear and more. With just 2 wheels, it’s lighter and rolls faster than a bike+trailer combo. It has more cargo capacity than a bike rack system, while keeping the weight low and centred. It rides like a bike, on- and off-road and includes disc and cantilever mounts. It takes up to 26x2.5" tyres, and is supplied with a chromoly fork. Compatible with Xtracycle accessories (sold separately). • Sizes: 16-18-20-22".