Surly ECR encounter at Buffalo Creek

A Surly ECR perfectly at home in Buffalo Creek along the Colorado Trail.

Update: I got home to discover that this little post was featured on the Official Surly Intergalactic Regional HQ Facebook page. I am more than a bit shocked and even more honored. As one of the 12 remaining humans who is not a denizen of Facebook, I can't comment there, but I welcome your visit by proxy. And yes, whiskey does enhance language. Thanks, Surly purveyors and enthusiasts!

Last year, the good folks at Surly, Salvagetti, and Basic Kneads teamed up to bring to life a little something that they termed the "Unicorn Petting Zoo" near my little corner of Colorado. I was fortunate enough to attend and spend a little quality time with a Surly Krampus. At the time, I was blown away with the Krampus' inherent groundbreaking features. The bike as a whole felt fast and nimble on the trail as it veritably flew on its cushion of 29+ tires. Everything about it seemed to deftly redefine what an all terrain bike could be in a nearly ideal form.

In total, the Krampus is a bike that I believe to be a central catalyst in changing the perceptions of what it means to ride off road. As evidence, a distinctly Krampus-flavored milieu permeated many of the best designs of this year's North American Handmade Bicycle Show. The 29+ concept is, in many ways, the most logical evolution of the genus duo luto via rota; it offers terrific traction, a smooth ride enabled by a large rolling diameter, and a nice cushion to take the edge off without the maintenance needs of mechanical suspension. About the only shortcoming of the Krampus that I noted last year to keep it from being an ideal adventure bike was its relative paucity of braze-ons.

Once again, last weekend the three generous entities of last year's event got together to show off a couple of new Surly models, in addition to drinking bear (edit: or beer, as the case may be), eating pizza, camping, and having a good time. Again, I was fortunate enough to attend, though for a shorter time. Just as nature abhors a vaccum, I am happy to report that lack of braze-ons is no longer a concern with the introduction of the Surly ECR, the seriously capable cousin of the Krampus.

The ECR is perhaps a little darker in color than my first generation Big Dummy, but it is a good color that blends in well with the forest. Personally, green is my favorite bike color, and Surly has a track record of delivering terrific verdant hues. 

The ECR stock parts spec is no-nonsense and highly dependable. Surly's new O.D. crank is very nice. 

Please note, that this is more of a conceptual reckoning of a bike, more than a practical review, as I didn't have adequate time to make thorough acquaintance. I borrowed a size medium ECR to test; a couple of sizes too small for me but the only one available at the time. A bit later, I tried out a size XL, which fit me very well. For reference, I'm about 6'2", have a 89.5cm PBH, and ride a Surly Big Dummy and Surly Pugsley, both in size XL. I'd already taken the photos shown here, so please note that all ECR photos on this page are of a size medium.

The ECR is very utilitarian in build quality and appearance. This is a bike that exudes an aura of solid dependability in much the same way as an International Scout, a Coleman stove, or a good Thermos; each imbued with timeless aesthetic and functional value. It is no nonsense in design, and is equipped with tried-and-true components known to be simple to repair and maintain. Dependability and value are qualities with great appeal when the going gets rough, more so than low weight at the expense of strength, or any other transitory flash factor. Though this rationale may not hold true for some people, if you have an interest in the ECR, you're probably not going to be disappointed.

As seems to have been the case with the initial design of the Krampus, the ECR also benefits from cross-pollination with other Surly bikes. Its Krampus-derived foundation is obvious, but the ECR is also equipped with the copious range of braze-ons and multifunctional dropouts found on the Troll and Ogre. With a lower fork and more similar angles, the ECR's ride is perhaps closer to a Pugsley than the Krampus; feeling somewhat less aggressive and speedy, though it does not feel at all slow.

The ECR features a Jones Loop H-bar, perfectly suited for holding devices or baggage, in addition to enabling a great riding position. The MicroShift thumb shifters  have become my favorite, as similarly equipped on my Pugsley. 

Cockpit view. A Garmin GPS mount is installed to place the unit directly in front of the stem. 

The stock Surly ECR build incorporates a Jones Loop H-bar. This bar plays an integral role in establishing the character of the bike, in much the same way that the super wide 780mm Salsa Whammy bar does on the stock Krampus. I loved the Whammy bar on the Krampus, and credited the bar as being the perfect feedback device for the intent of the bike. In much the same way, there could not be a better rider interface for the ECR than the Jones Loop H-bar. In addition, the loop section provides practical dashboard space for mounting lights, a GPS unit, bells, bags or any number of items that might be favored by stalwart adventurers.

Over the years, I've become a huge fan of highly backswept bars for a few key reasons. Highly swept bars are much more comfortable for long rides, with the more natural position contributing to reduced wrist, shoulder and neck strain. Swept bars also afford a more upright seating position, and as such a better view. A good view is essential to an adventure bike, as a primary purpose for riding to exotic or difficult to reach places is for the experience. It's not a coincidence that my most ridden bikes are equipped with either Nitto Albatross or Surly Open Bars, and Salsa backswept low rise bars are close behind. In the short time I spent with the H-bar equipped ECR, I was very impressed. Perhaps my Pugsley could benefit from an H-bar.

Big and fat 29x3 tires make a lot of contact with the ground.

The specially designed chainstay yoke that makes it possible to handle 29x3 with chainring clearance on a 73mm BB shell. The ECR has a one-piece yoke that is somewhat less artisanal than the early model Krampus I rode last year, but serves the purpose at least as well. 

In the end, the ECR is currently at the pinnacle of off-road touring bike technology. It is imminently capable, superbly outfitted, and a lot of fun to ride. I can't imagine a better platform for the dedicated off-road adventurers I've had the good fortune to encounter, such as this guy, this gal, or this other guy. But, for me, perhaps the most astounding feature of the bike is in how it creates ripples in the lineage of the emerging 29+ platform, and provides cues as to the future course of two-wheeled exploration.

I bought my first Surly (a bean green Cross-Check frameset) in January of 2002, when Surly was a quirky little offshoot specializing in odd bike-y things. Then, as now, Surly is part of QBP, a large juggernaut in the bike world, but mostly unknown to the public. I now own three Surly bikes, and am happy to know that even though as an organization Surly has grown quite a bit, it retains core values embracing quirkiness, and utilizes this character to continue to drive development of innovative and fun bike products within a broader context.

Not long ago, fatbikes were a mere oddity in the two-wheeled kingdom; objects of perplexed stares at their cartoonishly huge tires. Surly didn't invent fatbikes, but with the advent of the Pugsley and supporting rims and tires, the company made fatbike technology accessible to a much larger degree than ever before, contributing to an emerging normalization of huge volume tires. This year, two of the industry's largest players, Trek and Specialized, have fatbike models, which would have been unthinkable just a couple of years back. From the vantage point of the present, I can foresee the impact of 29+ resonating in much the same way.

The fact that Surly's revelry in what would be considered odd within the greater sphere of the bicycle industry has served as a bellwether to eventual change, is at the heart of what, to me, makes bicycles much more than just machines. The ECR is a precursor of the larger off-road bicycling landscape. It is a significant step along the way to the next big thing. Surly has been a bit evasive as to its intended meaning of the acronym ECR, but for me it means "Evolutionary Change Rocks!"

183 days and counting: Bike to Work Day

A little ride with Scout following the Bike to Work Day ride home.

Those of you who live outside the Denver area know that national Bike to Work Day occurred last month. However, for some reason the City of Denver traditionally conducts its Bike to Work Day in June, ostensibly because the weather is better in June than in May. Whatever the reason, today was Bike to Work Day in Denver. As is usually the case on this special day, there were a lot more people on bikes on the streets and trails around here. Curiously, bike to work day is one of the few days that many of the bike-y people I know are somewhat less likely to ride to work, mostly because many are working at bike-related events and may be required to drive vans or other motorized vehicles to haul tables and supplies. I, on the other hand, did no such thing. I rode my bike and talked with lots of bike-y people as they worked.

Activity at Civic Center Park just after Mayor Hancock spoke.  

Many snacks, stickers and other free goodies were to be had.

Coincidentally, today marked 183 consecutive days of me riding a bike. That means that I've officially hit half a year in my current streak that began late last year with the TSBC challenge. Today, like every day during the past six months, I rode in part for transportation, in part for convenience, and in part for fun. Early in the morning I was out the door with my single-speed Bean Green Surly Cross-Check, that I recently equipped with a new-to-me 16-tooth Surly cog to replace a 20-tooth antecedent. The new 16 seems to be well matched to work with the CC's 34-tooth Surly chainring. This gear combo returns a nice gain ratio to facilitate regular around-the-town riding.

Later, I went out with two of my girls; the babbling one and the fuzzy one. Along the trail we made a couple of discoveries. First, we found that people who use chainsaws can exhibit a sense of humor:

Happy stump.

Second, we made a trailside find of the canned liquid beverage variety:

These three survivors were rescued.

While making our way along a well-traveled trail, I spotted a tall Stella Artois can in the weeds along the side of the trail. I thought that the can looked like a good candidate for a new stove design featured on Vik's blog, which, as it turns out, was retired today. I picked it up, and to my surprise it was full and apparently untampered. A little farther along, I discovered another can, then another, and another. The cans looked as if they may have been either accidentally dropped or hastily ditched, as they had a few impact dents and scratches and one had been punctured. Considering the volume of traffic on the trail, it's unlikely they could have been there for too long. In any case, I'm chalking the three survivors up as a decent trailside find and will be enjoying them at some point in the future, once they have been properly chilled. Intact trailside found beer is free beer, and free beer is a cornerstone of our culture, after all. Not a bad conclusion to the day.

The riding of the green... and the red

Rolling on my green Surly Cross-Check.

Scout and I started off the day with a ride, per usual. It was only a bit more than coincidence that today, St. Patrick's Day, I was on a green bike. My Bean Green Cross-Check happened to be the closest bike to the door of the bike barn, so it was most convenient to be pressed into service.

A bit later, I was off for the fourth annual distribution ride to shuttle Denver B-cycle bikes into the system. About 300 people signed up to deliver bikes from the Denver Bike Sharing office North of downtown to the 56 stations currently operating in the city. While waiting for the official signal to go, I hung out with a lot of local bike people, took in some fine entertainment, and had some excellent food and drink, including the best kind of breakfast burrito: hot, tasty, serendipitous, and free.

Phil, Denver B-cycle's head mechanic, is always hard at work wrangling bikes

Proud B-cycle riders lined up for a photo.

Jared is an intrepid Denver B-cycle mechanic, elite bike polo player, and prodigious facial follicle cultivator.

This Worksman brand three-wheeled hauler is equipment for a new pedal-powered entrepreneurial enterprise, and owned by Jeff, another fine Denver B-cycle mechanic. 

This lucky lady was the winner of three hefty packs of high quality bacon as a door prize. 

After a while, everyone had been assigned a bike and a station to which it should be delivered. Following a bit of fanfare and some posing for the official photographers, we were off in a sea of dinging bells. The system opens for business tomorrow at 5:00 am. I, for one, am extremely happy to have the red bikes out and about once again.

If you live in the Denver area, get a membership here for a reduced rate until April 22nd. If you're going to visit Denver, a 24-hour subscription is simple to buy, and there is no better way to see the city. I hope to see you out there!

A crowd of people in red shirts on red bikes.

Yep. That's me.

Nearly under way.

Eric from Fort Collins, my riding buddy for the day, and I were the first ever check-ins at the brand-new Auraria Campus station. Along with many others, I've been working for nearly seven years to help Auraria become more bike friendly, so this station is a big achievement. 

Docked and ready for the next rider.

Lucky Number 234 was my steed for the ride. 

Unrelated extra photo: On the way home I saw this social media inspired sticker graffito.

81 days and counting

My Pugsley sporting a borrowed 29er wheel on the front for a test fitting.

I haven't had much time for the old blog as of recent, but that doesn't mean that I haven't had time to ride. In fact, I've now ridden a bike every day consecutively for the past 81 days. I don't have an established record of consecutive days of riding, as I've never previously kept track. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have by far surpassed this number, like this guy, but keeping up the streak has become enough of a game that I'm now angling to hit 100+ days in a row. This all started with the TSBC challenge toward the end of last year, which has, at least for me, been ongoing and wildly successful. Thanks again, Tarik!

As for the photo above, I have not yet jumped to acquisition of a set of 29er wheels for my Pugsley, but continue to weigh the possibilities as I gather funds. As the photo shows, I test fitted a symmetrical rear 29er wheel on the Moonlander fork of my Pugsley, and am happy to report that it all fit perfectly. By extension, I can also report that there is a new-to-us bike in the family. Nope, it's not mine. Julie enjoyed riding on dirt and gravel last year enough that she asked me to help her find a more suitable off-road machine than her venerable, but pavement-centric Breezer mommy bike. As you may have guessed, the new bike is a 29er, details of which are to follow in a subsequent post. As you may have also guessed, I'm probably even more excited than she is about the prospect of a future filled with dirt biking family rides.

Until next time, enjoy a few random images of things that I've seen or encountered since I last posted here.

I made a trip to Boulder, where their B-cycle system remains open year-around. It was nice to be back on the red bikes. 

Bike gawking opportunities abound in Boulder, where I spotted this ship-shape Kona Ute at a grocery store.

I was a fan of Peugeot mountain bikes in the old days, so I enjoyed seeing this one in Boulder, which is a cobbled together survivor with a 700c front wheel.

This is a bike blog, but there are a few motorized rigs I enjoy enough to include. I spotted this circa-mid '70s era International Scout during a ride.

I've long admired the simple utility of International four-wheel drives. I've written before about the lost prowess of quality American manufacturing of days gone by, of which vehicles like this are an enduring monument.  

Yesterday, I took part in a Denver B-cycle event to celebrate the opening of two new stations at the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Here, Mayor Hancock speaks just before the ride.

My inaugural Denver B-cycle ride of the season was on Number 045. The system officially opens for the year next Monday.

Here are some of the VIPs riding B-cycles to the event. Believe it or not, I'm one of them. Not shown: me in a suit. You'll have to take my word for it.

NAHBS 2013, Day 2. There with the girls.

A bike to suit her sense of style: shimmery, pink and fancy.

On Saturday, the second day of the 2013 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), Julie and the girls were along with me. I took a bit different approach on Saturday than I had during the previous day, when I had tried to ensure that I went to every booth and saw every bike. See my NAHBS 2013 Day 1 experience here. Instead, the plan for the day was to have fun, to talk with good people that we already knew or had just met, to make sure the girls had fun, and of course, to look at bikes.

We started off seeing old friends from Laramie, Miguel and Dewey, who we hadn't seen in years. As it turns out, Dewey had recently become the new owner of the Pedal House, a bike shop that's been a central hangout for the Laramie bike community beginning in about 1990, back in my undergraduate salad days. Tracy of I like bikes was along shortly thereafter. I had spent time with her perusing bikes at the show the previous day. She was back for more, and to do a little bling hunting.

Then, the show's attendee with perhaps the wildest arrival itinerary appeared. Gypsy Nicholas had worked the late shift the night before, got up while it was still dark, rode his girlfriend's borrowed bike to the Albuquerque airport, packed the bike in a garbage bag, and soon hopped off the plane in Denver just in time for the show.

Before this installment of NAHBS pics, I'll have to back up a bit, to when we arrived. I couldn't help but check out some of the bikes in the BikeDenver valet parking corral. This brings us to a special edition of Other People's Bikes: What Fellow Bike Nuts Ride to NAHBS.

Where I parked my 1984 Miyata Ridge Runner were several successive vintage mountain bikes, shown in the following photo. The photo is poor and there's a lot going on, so I'll map it out. Next to my Miyata was a mid-'80s Shogun ATB of unknown model with Esge fenders and a Nitto mustache bar. Next was a 1987 Stumpjumper Comp with a new-era Rivendell/Nitto bull moose bar, expertly fitted aluminum fenders, and a large Wald front basket. A Cannondale road bike is next. Then Nick's (Lael's) Cannondale Hooligan, a bike so unusual it almost defies description. Then, capped off at the end is Cass' '84 Stumpjumper Sport. That's quite a run. Amazingly, all the vintage bikes in the photo are around 22 to 23 inches in size, which, in my experience can be challenging to find. Another thing I liked was that all these bikes retained their full range of all-terrain gearing goodness, instead of being chopped down to a nice enough, but more limiting, townie-friendly single speed.

Vintage goodness. My apologies for the lousy photo.  

You'll have to trust me that this is a nice Shogun of undetermined variety. For some reason, my camera decided to hallucinate.

More camera hallucinating with this nicely reappointed '87 Stumpjumper Comp.

Nicholas' Hooligan and Cass' Stumpy.

I probably would have been happy to only look at the parked bikes of attendees. Maybe someone needs to organize a parallel show of what people rode to the show, for those of us with my particular affliction. After indulging my appetite for other people's bikes, on with the NAHBS show.

Nicholas and Scott chatting about Scott's new bag designs.

I have to note here, that for not being a builder of bikes, Scott Felter of Porcelain Rocket sure had a large presence of his handiwork at the show. A good chunk of the bikes shown by a range of manufacturers, that had anything to do with bikepacking or touring, were equipped with custom Porcelain Rocket packs. Scott's bags and packs are indeed works of art comparable to the bikes on which they are installed. It is no coincidence that of the cottage industry companies that didn't have actual bikes in the mix, Porcelain Rocket had among the largest presence. Beyond his impressive skill with fabric and thread, Scott couldn't have been a nicer guy. I look forward to seeing how his Canning Stock Route adventure turns out, beginning sometime around July. 

Nicholas shoots with attention to detail, while on the far side of Scott's Hunter is Gary, who often shows up on Cass' blog. Gary is an interesting character and a modest but sharply skilled bikepacker. 

She and I took some time to more fully investigate the camo painted Hunter that I'd seen the day before. A keen eye will note the super rare NOS parts, including a leather-skinned Avocet touring saddle and a chromo Deore XT seatpost.

This truly is a remarkable bike. It's an exceedingly well conceived 29er adventure tourer. Note the amazing smooth arcs in the rack's stays. That's a custom newfangled 6-speed cluster, imparting a vintage flavor with modern parts.

The design and implementation of the rear rack is superb. 

As is the front rack, and that beauty of a fork.

The Nitto bar features NOS Dura-Ace non-aero brake levers, and NOS Deore XTII top mount thumb shifters on special pod mounts that appeared on late '80s mountain bikes with drop bars. It is no small feat to compile a group of parts that are this rare, this old, and this perfect.

Along with the Moots IMBA bike that I wrote of in my previous post, for me, this Hunter adventure bike is perhaps the next closest bike in the whole show of embodying a compelling concept brought to physical form. The conceptual foundation of this bike is the direct linkage between the original adventuring spirit of the nascent mountain bike movement of the early '80s, to the newly renascent and growing adventure bike movement of the present. If a person were so inclined and equipped with a time machine, the best of the past and the best of the present could be no better assembled than as has been done in this bike.

Only the best and most solidly dependable components at both ends of the time continuum have been sourced for this bike. Likewise, the frame also reflects those same virtues. Its profile echoes that of the original klunkers, the likes of Schwinn Excelsiors and Admirals. The design mixes in other cues, such as a combined hat tip to Tom Ritchey's bi-plane fork and Chris Chance's Yo Eddy fork, Keith Bontrager's / Jeff Lindsay's wishbone seatstay, Charlie Cunningham's and Jacquie Phelan's bar choice, and the camo paint of the Ritchey Commando. The immensity of thought and planning that went into this bike may not be immediately apparent to the casual spectator. As I discovered in talking with Scott Felter, even the paint doesn't just approximate that of the Ritchey Commando; it was applied by the same painter that Ritchey used nearly 30 years ago. Yet, it is a no-compromise modern 29er, with upright angles, good tire clearances, a threadless headset and disc brakes.

It takes great skill and delicacy to integrate the best of the modern with the best of the past into an exceptional package that is respectful of both, while not becoming mired as either a tribute or replica. This bike is past, present and future simultaneously. It is a rolling history lesson; a two-wheeled timeline of where the off-road adventure lineage has been and where it is going.

Now, back to the show...

Boo won the best bamboo bike award. Colorado proud!

A well conducted road bike with clean lines from Alchemy. 

A sleek combo of contemporary parts and classic lines from Victoria Cycles.

A Rob English bike equipped for bikepacking. I like the cage mounts on both the front and rear of the fork blades.

More detail of the frame packs on the English. 

The shiny latex-like fabric of the dry bag under the handlebar is a little fetish-like. Note the scooped support  bracket under the bag.

I couldn't resist a couple more shots of the Moots IMBA bike.

This photo shows the blade of the shovel a bit better than the photo I took on Friday.

A side shot of the Moots IMBA for reference. This was probably my favorite bike of the show. 

She got her first mini bikepacking bag, the pink handlebar bag on the left. The Bailey Works people couldn't have been more nice. They gave her a well equipped wallet full of crayons and paper, on the right.

Nitto's table of highly polished bike jewelry.

A sleek all-rounder frame from Kohak of Japan equipped with a raft of braze-ons. Apologies for the poor contrast.

Julie tended to gravitate toward the mixtes, but was impressed with this gleaming screamer of a bike.

This Stinner 29er was a high-tech adventure bike, featuring a dynamo front hub and a Rolhoff rear, and driven by a Gates Carbon Drive belt. 

An Eriksen 29er that looks to be set up as a CDT machine. Terrific custom Porcelain Rocket bags adorn the frame. 

A titanium pump track/BMX bike from Black Sheep. I had to take a pic as there were very few similar bikes of similar purpose at the show.

At least two of my girls were big fans of this trio of colorful Independent Fabrications 29ers.

Another shot of the IF triplets. 

One of the bikes that she singled out. Perhaps not coincidentally, one of her good friends is named Owen.

This light green Victoria Cycles frame had a lot of interesting elements. It was a bit tough to get a clean shot, though.

The best product endorsement of any builder at the show.

Nicholas and pal checking out the display of candy-colored Chris King hubs. 

Enjoying spinning the hubs, too.

After a couple of hours, the girls were starting to let us know that the time was up. She had turned into a sticker predator, and amassed quite am impressive haul. We went downstairs a hung out for a while, as Lil Sis had a bottle. I let her have my camera for a bit, and she took a few photos of us as we talked. Not bad for her first time with something bigger than a point and shoot.

Her portrait of Cass.

Nicholas and his great shirt from Pie Town, NM. Gotta get one of those.

Me and my slick Wrangler night-on-the-town cowboy shirt.

After the girls left for home, I stuck around for a ride with Nicholas and Cass. Nicholas had been nearly apoplectic with envy when I got my Ridge Runner, so the least I could do was let him give it a spin. I rode his borrowed Cannondale Hooligan, which is a very cool little bike. If I traveled by plane more frequently than I do now (almost never), I would look into getting one. It's not a folder, but it's the first compact bike that I've ridden that actually seems to fit me, and rides much like a full-sized bike. Cass was on his newly found vintage Stumpjumper. Once again, here's a mini installment of Other People's Bikes: Klunkers Parked Next to Me Edition.

On the way out, I spotted this Schwinn Excelsior outfitted as a klunker with parts from a wide time range.

Modern wheels and tires, but with intact skip-tooth chain drivetrain. The cranks were Cook Brothers-ish tubular steel. 

Cass on the Ridge Runner, Nicholas on the Stumpjumper along a stretch of the Cherry Creek Trail.

Both of these guys are great photographers, and quickly went to work when we encountered a mural for a backdrop.

Ridge Runner in the sun.

This Hooligan is a great little bike, and as thoughtfully decked out by Nicholas with some minimalist bags, is a perfect  tool to drop in on any destination.

After riding around for a cursory tour of downtown Denver, we parted ways. The adventurers went back for more of the show, and I caught a train home. In all, it had been a great show and a fun experience. I'm hopeful that with the snow that followed overnight into Sunday, everyone made it back safely to where they need to be. 

Even with the valet parking inside, full racks and railings abounded all around the Convention Center.

My Ridge Runner on light rail, traveling homeward.