Surly Straggler 650b Bikes

We think by now, most of you get what Straggler is. It’s a madly versatile bike that can be used for most types of riding and riding surfaces. Better still is that you now have the option of 650b wheel size. 650b wheels were popular for a long time many years ago on ‘Constructeur’ style bicycles and we all know how real shit was back in the day…. 650b wheels strike a nice balance between the benefits of both 26” and 700c sizes. The smaller wheel allows smaller riders to fit well on smaller frames, produces a stronger wheel, makes fitting big ass tires easier and are more agile than their larger counterparts.

Straggler has disc caliper mounts instead of rim brake studs. It’ll accept rotors up to 160mm. The rear dropouts are unique, too. They’re a partially closed horizontal design that accommodates singlespeed or geared drivetrains. They feature stop screws that thread in from the rear to further secure the wheel and to position the rear wheel for optimal shifting, plus a forward-mounted stop screw on the drive side to keep the wheel from slipping forward under the force of your gargantuan legs. The rear dropouts are spaced 135mm instead of 132.5mm like the Cross-Check simply because there are far more options for disc hubs in this spacing.

Straggler 650b has braze-ons for fenders, racks and bottle cages. The geometry is slightly different, with angles and tube lengths very close but not identical to the Cross-Check, but like the Cross-Check it's ready to take you just about anywhere. It’s a day tripper and a weekender. It’s a ‘rough road’ road bike. It’s a cyclocross bike with no pretense about racing. It’s a utilitarian townie. It’s a light-duty touring bike. It’s an all-weather commuter. And when you get tired of one set up, you can swap parts around and turn it into something else. We think that’s pretty neat.

Frameset

Frame Surly Straggler, 100% Surly proprietary 4130 CroMoly tubing.
Fork Surly Straggler, 4130 CroMoly, disc only, lugged and brazed.
Seatpost Clamp Surly Stainless, 30.0mm

Components

Headset Cane Creek 40, 1-1/8"
Brakes SRAM Avid BB7 Road, 160 rotors
Brake Levers SRAM Apex
Shifters SRAM Apex 1x11
Stem 31.8, 4-bolt
Handlebar Salsa Cowbell
Grip/Tape Black Cork
Saddle WTB Volt 142
Seatpost Promax SP-2016 offset on 54-64cm frames, 27.2 x 350mm

Drivetrain

Crankset SRAM FC Apex 42t
Bottom Bracket SRAM GXP
Front Derailleur N/A
Rear Derailleur SRAM Apex 1x11
Cog or Cassette SunRace CSMS7, 11–42t, 11-speed
Chain CNP1110

Wheels

Front Hub Novatec, 6 bolt Disc, 32H, QR
Rear Hub Novatec, 6 bolt Disc, 32H, QR
Rims Alex Adventurer 2, tubeless ready
Tires Surly Knard 700c x 41mm, 33 tpi & 650b x 41mm, 33 tp