Pffft pffff. CHECK ONE! CHECK ONE! Is this thing on?

Can you hear me in the back? Take a little high end out of the monitors. CHECK!!!

Skip Bernet here, reporting live from the floor of the beautiful, if overly expansive, floor of the Sands Convention Center in seductively sinful Las Vegas, America. All the bike geeks are here for the millionth annual Interbike trade show and guess what? Everything is made out of carbon fiber now! Including my underwear. Man, who woulda thunk it?

Let's go over to our man in the field - Kenny Bloggins. Kenny?

Thanks Skip. It's just mayhem down here. Chickens were flying everywhere around the plane and I think I have cillocosis from standing out in the desert for two days straight. Went to dinner last night with a huge crew from Japan, one of whom was handed a guitar and sang clapton better than Clapton. I tell you whut. Items to watch this year: well, there seems to be an increase in retro wool clothes, and as Skip reported you can't throw a dead cat without hitting something made of carbon fiber. Not that you'd want to throw a dead cat, because then people would gather around thinking it's some sort of promo and they expect to win something. Thaat's it for now frokm down on the floor. Let's check in with Dr. Swervy, our physical conditions consultant. Doctor?

Swervy here, our physical conditions seem good today. Even though I just found out Brother David found some trouble at the Breeze Bar(f) last night as saw his pillow for all of 3.5 hours, Skip and I both got a solid 8 hours of shut eye in. Amazing, considering I've been averaging 5 hours/night for the last week. Yes, he's a good snuggler. I even had a dream last night we were swimming in a lake. I pulled up to the dock, rested my arms on theplanks and proclaimed to my friends, "here come the bubbles" and I woke myself up with a nice morning fart.

After stopping by the Italian cafe for a few pine nut cookies and some fruit, we're at the booth an hour early and I find it impossible to resist a cold can of Guinness for breakfast. It actually tastes quite good with the cookies.

Brother David is working hard by showing our entire array of parts to our Japanese friends an...

Oops, we seem to have lost Swervy. He nodded out for a moment and farted.

Skip Bernet back on the case... and look who's dropped by! Chevil Knevil and the Bear. We here at Surly are lucky to have swindled so many cycling luminaries into being our bestest buddies. It makes me feel funny inside.

Bear wants you all to "come to his hotel room and rub his back with your hands... because it feels good." He's freindly.

Here comes Jeff Holt. He's tough as nails, but purrs like a kitty when you touch him right. You'd be a way better person if you knew him.

Big Jonny just rolled by with his new socks and t-shirt, so go check those out.

Otherwise, there's lots of Vegas left in us and it's tryin' to get out. If we survive, we'll report again. This is Skip Bernet signing off from the Sands. DOUBLE DOWN SALOON... TONIGHT!!!

Same message every year: we're on our way to Interbike, the U.S. national bicycle tradeshow, and we'll be there all next week. We will not be checking emails, voice mails, snail mails, toe nails, or jail bails, but we will be checking cocktails. In other words, feel free to write or call us but be advised you won't hear back for a while, like a week or two depending on how long it takes us to catch up. 'Kay? Bye.

We have a little something special cooking in the Surly kitchen these days. Check out our Large Marge/Endomorph/Magura-compatible unicycle...the Conundrum. It's offered in 2 sizes: 24" and 26"...this denotes the wheel size, not the length of the frame.




I won’t go into a ton of tech detail, because you can go to the Downloads section of our site and get that info from our fresh 2006 catalog file. I will point out the bearing clamps. These will be investment cast. Sexy, don't ya think?



The samples pictured were built up for the Interbike industry show, coming up next week. Industry folks, who are in Las Vegas for this blessed event, should stop by our booth (4414) and check ‘em out. Production units, sold as frames…not complete unis (at least, not yet), should be available late winter/early spring. We’re planning on putting together a build package, so bike dealers can call our distributor, QBP, and have one shipped to them complete with our build spec. or their own spec. utilizing parts sold through QBP. This program is available as an option with all of our bike frames, so it seems logical to offer it with the Conundrum, as well.



Here's my little unicycle pep talk for skeptics, self-doubters, and pessimists: Yes, you can learn to ride. Most people learn to ride a uni in 10-20 hours of practice. It depends on your individual balance, age, fitness, etc. It’s not something that you’ll learn in a day…though I’ve seen trials riders and BMXicans ride in a matter of minutes, not hours. They are anomalous freaks, though. They have honed their balance on bikes enough to gravitate to a uni with little difficulty. I learned at age 33. It probably took me 15 hours of practice. I cant' ride a wheelie on a bike to save my life, and I don't consider myself an exeptionally gifted technical rider. I just practiced next to a long row of pallet racking until the balance switch was turned on in my brain. It equates to the first time I rode a bike without training wheels. Same feeling. I’ve heard of kids riding at age 4 and adults learning well into their senior years. If you put in the time, you can learn to ride. Once you learn, you won’t forget…just like riding a bike.

I started to ride unicycles because I wanted to challenge myself physically in a relatively low-impact way. I can't roll big drops, ride down stairs, or bunny hop very high. Some of that will happen eventually, if I keep rollin' the solo regularly. But, I can put on miles, and I can negotiate a lot of on-road and off-road trail that seemed unridable a year ago. When I'm cruising on the flats, without a whole lot of headwind, I can average 7-8mph for 3-4 hours. It's faster than walking, so it's a viable means of short distance transportation. And, my bike handling skills have improved, because my balance has improved.

There are many reasons to ride a uni, lots of styles of riding, and many types of wheels and frames to choose from. The Conundrum is the base for a unicycle that will roll over most loose and/or slippery terrain better than anything else commercially available on the market right now...if you use an appropriately-plump tire and wide rim. This is our one-wheeled equivalent to Pugsley. More fat, round slicks are hitting the marketplace now that cruisers and choppers have become the big thing, so tire selection is vast and varied. We offer the 26 x 3.7" Endomorph at this time. This minimal-tread chevron-patterned tire rolls well on all surfaces. Both unicycle frame sizes were designed around the Endomorph tire casing profile on a Large Marge rim. A big 24" Surly tire will be offered in the future. 24" x 3.0" DH-style tires will work in the mean time. Regardless of the terrain, big cushy tires provide suspension and control. I no longer us a seat pad or air cushion on my saddle, because my suspension moved from the saddle to the tire.

For more info, check out the new catalog for specifics on the Conundrum, Large Marge rims, Endomorph tires, and updates on the other stuff we offer. More pics and changes will be added to the website in the upcoming weeks. Colin, our media slut and web guy, will be joining us in Vegas, so most of the changes and updates will happen when he returns to the land of 10,000 lakes.

This sounds fun, wish we could go.

Germany 2005- The Business

Dave and I travelled to Southern Germany along Lake Bodensee to attend and work the largest bicycle tradeshow in the world, Eurobike. Our German distributor, Cosmic Sports welcomed us into their booth to display a few of our products. Present were the 1x1, Long Haul Trucker with Nice Racks, an array of smaller products and the one and only Pugsley.

Let me say, this show is huge and the European market is much different than the US market. Having about 25% of my time to leave the booth to walk around and check out products, I saw some massive 40 x 60 foot booths filled with brand name bicycles I've never even heard of. Not just brand names of city bikes with fenders and generator lights, I mean brands with a full on selection of mountain, road, kids, BMX and city bikes. After 15 years in this business there are still so many things I don't know.

There is also a serious lack of creativity when it comes to many of these bikes. High tech, yes. Creative, no. I mean, aluminum this and carbon fiber that gets old. "nano technology" my ass, it's still carbon fiber to me and I know it would last me and my friends about 4 rides before we'd have to retire it to the bike parts garden. Even though I don't care for alot of the new technologies that are out there, it's still very cool that this industry is still moving in the direction of anything NEW. Which implies, at least in Europe, that people are still riding bikes and wanting some of the latest and greatest.

So when I wander back to Cosmic's booth to see people glaze over our Surly products, they finally catch glimpse of Pugsley, sitting there in it's purple glory with massive 3.7" Endomorph tires and Large Marge rims. "Vat is zis for?" they ask. I show them the video clip on my camera riding Pug through a local stream in a foot of water over slimy rocks. I reply, "you can ride it almost anywhere you want, rocks, snow, sand, logs". They are mildly freaked out, smiling, and probably have the gears going in their heads of all the local obstacles in their 'hood that they could blast over with this machine. At least we hope the gears are turning in their heads. Having Pugsley there made the entire trip worth it, as it got more attention than the 8 other Salsa Cycles bikes that were nearby and our other bikes combined. With a freaky and expensive project like Pugsley, we sure hope people catch on to it like we have.

We learned alot about the European cyclist and consumer. They are fickle, frugal, detail oriented and want to know how much EVERYTHING weighs and costs. Yet so many of them still ride broken down city bikes, hmmm? Part of us being there was to simply show people our name and brand. Here in the US, it seems many people have heard of Surly. Not so in Europe, and it was obvious by the way they pronounced it SH-ER-LEE. So we passed out over 1,000 catalogs and ran out before the 2nd of 3 days was over. We spoke to many people and hopefully enlightened them a little bit on the simplicities of bicycle, not the high-tech complexities. Somebody has to keep it simple. Just knowing there are Surly stickers being tagged throughout Europe right now makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Here are some not-so-bike related things we saw and ate while at Eurobike. I would've taken spy photos of bikes if I felt they were cool, so just think of fat-tubed aluminum or carbon fiber frames and splash some flashy colors on them. ZZZZ, wake up.

We were in apple growing country


Town of Ailingen


This is tradeshow food? Potatoes, sausage, onions with bacon and a beer for 6 Euros


Time to put our feet in the water


Mobile DJ

Germany 2005- The Pleasure

Hopping a train out of Munich for an hour to the town on Herrshing, I find my way through town via tiny road signs. They point me on a zig-zagged path through this little lakeside village and up through the forest. The creek runs with clear water as the grade steepens. It's lush, green, rooty and rocky. I'm in F'ing Germany and I love it.



After an hour hike, I come upon what appears to be the end of the trail. There is a gate and the noise of a group of people. As I walk through the gate, I'm instantly in a beergarden at my final destination, Andechs monastery and brewery. Let's see what the monks have brewed for me today.




Feeling the need to eat and sit, I plop down in front of the big church and eat my euro sandwich that's been festering in my backpack since I left Munich. Tasty! The churchbells begin to ring and I'm drawn inside. It's unbelievably ornate and huge inside. White walls, arching beams with gold ruffles, hand painted murals depicting scenes of what the catholics deem holy acts, and people kneeling down to honor their god. I'm feeling pretty good.



Then I see some people plop a Euro coin into a turnstyle and go through a little doorway. "What the H&<< ?" Oops, can't say that here. It's a doorway leading to the churchbell tower and I'm going to climb it. Have you ever been somewhere that keeps the less healthy and/or obese people from being able to go somewhere, like the boundary waters canoe area, for example? This is one of those places. The steps become so steep, my ectomorphic frame and backpack barely squeeze through. Everybody is breathing hard and taking breaks to get to the top. There is no way they could ever make this handicap accessible or throw a lazy man elevator in there. But it's all worth it for the view at the top. I can see the entire monastery, Lake Amersee and village below. Did I say I'm in F'ing Germany and I love it?



But where are the monks, I've only seen one and he was holding some smoking chamber down below in the church. I venture down to see where else I can play hide and seek with god. Ahaaaa, another beergarden. How can one like myself possibly forego two beergardens in a row? You're right, it's not possible. Beer me, or in German, "Ein masse bitte, dunkel doppelbock". I'm really not sure if I'm saying " one big ass mug of dark lager, please" correctly, but that saying has gotten me through a week already and now it's stuck in my head. It works again. Then I venture to the food line to pork out, literally. I point to what looks like fried pork and somehow utter the word for potato salad in German. Success again.



Taking my lunch onto the busy patio, I sit down and realize this patio is a frenzy of beer drinking activity. Grandmas and grandkids all joined together, raising mugs as if it were the last day to drink beer, ever. Two grandmas sit down across from me and don't speak a word of English. When they ask if I speak German, I answer with mug raised "PROST", and we laugh at my inadequacies. Stupid American! At least my Toucan Sam nose led me to the beer. Follow your nose, it always knows. It was obvious those monks knew what they were doing after downing that mug of heaven. But what was with the deepfried 2" thick slab of bacon they call pork knuckle?





There is more ground to cover, so I set out to find more monks and the brewery. I see hops growing at the bottom of a road, so I know the brewery is close. WOW, it looks like an old farmhouse, but inside is some very modern and sophisticated brewing equipment. My camera is working overtime because I'm buzzed and inspired, it's also a picture perfect blue sky and 80 degrees F outside. In addition to being a monk-run monastery and brewery, there are also other signs of self-sufficiency. The cows and sheep are probably some of the happiest animals in the world, since the get to eat all the spent barley from the brewery they want and roam freely through the green grassy pasture.





It's no wonder the monks settled here in the early 1400's. It's also no wonder that I'm thirsty again. So before I hike back down to the lake to soak my feet, I order a liter of "hell" lager beer, which means "light in color" in German. It's absolutely amazing, as I'd heard from a fellow homebrewer years ago. It's also very ironic that in a place "so close to heaven", there could be a monk created beverage called "hell".




Back at Lake Amersee, I soak my tired feet and watch the sunset. As much as my photos, recalled memories and stories of the trip will tell my friends, there is no way to capture how happy this place has made me feel. Go there someday.

Product ETAs

- Tuggnut chain tensioners went in stock earlier this week

- More cogs went in stock earlier this week

- Nice Racks, front or rear, silver or black, should be in stock 2nd week of October.

- Endomorph 3.7" tires, blackwall or tanwall, and huge inner tubes went in stock earlier this week

- 1x1, Pacer and Cross-Check framesets will be delayed at least a few weeks or until further notice. Trust me, I'm not happy about this delay, but we're cracking the whip to get shit done.

- Karate Monkeys ?? I'll know more tomorrow.

Thanks!

The Pug and I made our way out to the western ‘burbs on Saturday for a night of camping in the sticks. I like to try different packing systems. So, for this outing, I went with the Velocipac frame bag (found this on e-bay), a Headland seatpost rack (extended using pieces of Scott aluminum ski poles), and a #7 Granite Gear stuff sack. I was max’d for space, but I had enough food for 2 days…even though I was only going for one night. The Velocipac fits ok in the front triangle of my frame, but a Pug-specific frame pack would be better. I think it might be time to pull out the old sewing machine and see what I can come up with. The Headland aluminum seatpost rack works well, but I broke 2 seatpost racks last winter (not Headland). So, I’ll be a bit wary of these for extended off-road adventures. A steel version would be slightly heavier…maybe, but a bit more dependable if built correctly.

I slept in my Hennessy Hammock and used the big Hennessy hex fly. I still need to tweak my sleep system…more non-shifting insulation underneath me, but the hammock gets high marks for overall functionality. Everything gets hung from the hammock support rope (underneath the fly) at night, so it stays dry…free from dew. I’ll use the hammock until temps start dipping below freezing at night, then I’m back to my Kifaru 4-man tipi and collapsible wood stove. Staying warm around a campfire is doable, of course, but it’s much more efficient to keep my fire inside the stove in the tipi. The leaves are starting to fall, so tipi time is near.

I’ve been riding the Trucker a lot lately, so the Pug has been left alone for a while. I forgot how much I enjoy riding the fat bastard. And, despite its larger-than-average proportions, it can haul ass if I’m pedaling strong…after the tall mocha (no whip, please) and carrot cake muffin kick in.

I love late summer and autumn, but I’m more anxious than ever to see the snow this year. I started riding the Interbike show Pug, last fall, but Endomorph tires didn’t show up until late winter/early spring. This year, I have my rig dialed and ready for the first snowfall. Plus, I’ll have playmates on their own Pugs. It’s going to be a good winter.

"I'm growin' up quicker
and handlin' my liquor,
and, yeah..."
-The Dandy Warhols

Just got back from a trade show in Tokyo, Japan. Lately, it seems, we've been travelling the world to deliver into the hands of the unsuspecting public the Surly way o' life, even though that itself is a bit nebulous. I did wear my GeneO signature model orange jumpsuit and Boondocks USA hat for a 'photo op', and I ate things from which others recoil, such as pig teat, raw horse meat, and, I was told, "possibly squid entrails." Oh goody. I also found that although some local people will go out over lunch and get lit, almost no one will take even one swig of Glenmorangie 10 year old at the show itself (they're 'working'), but to be fair that may have been due to the fact that it was scotch.
Also at the dealer show we attended was Steve Crandall from FBM bmx outta New Yawk, who had the funniest line of the whole trip (and that's saying a lot). We went out to get some lunch and Steve, snapping photo after photo and still giddy with lack of sleep and the excitement of being in Japan for the first time, said "And you know what else? I love asian women and this country is FULL of them!" And how.
The important thing is that my camera batteries finally crapped out this morning so I cannot post any pictures, which is o.k. as it would seem a bit too much like watching your great aunt Olga's slideshow of her trip to Cancun ("this is a Mexican delicacy called a Taco Platter").
Things I saw in Japan:
>A stencil on a wall that said "Fuck Smoker" and had a cigarette in one of those circles with a line through it.
>Not 10 minutes later I spied a sticker on a motorcycle that said "Yes Smoker" and had a cigarette in a circle without the line through it.
>Saw a messenger in the streets of Tokyo riding a Dave gray steamroller with bullhorns. Went by too quick to get a photo.
>A hat- the single ugliest hat of all time- that said "Super Sexier Than You." I did not buy it.
>A shirt that said "Tropical Summer of the Funky." I did buy it. I also bought one that said "In the blossom of sunshine power." Makes me want to do an Surly engrish shirt too. I'm thinking "Let's long the haul trucker if it's a happy time juicy sensation." That makes sense.
>There are vending machines everywhere. On one, there was the usual selection window showing off the vitamin drinks and iced coffees, and also a small poster showing pictures of people leading active lives. One guy was on a bike in city traffic. Closer inspection revealed the bike to be a Steamroller in the old brown color. Yup, photos are in the camera cuz dat's how i roll dat. Faux shizzle.

One thing I do have a photo of is the new Surly socks we just got in. 2 designs, 3 foot sizes per design. All tall (Nerdlinger height). Yes, we're still doing the all black ones with the Surly logo at the ankle. But for those of you who like to be a bit less of a billboard for advertising (like me), we did these. They're part Merino wool/part nylon like our others, but the Surly logo is at the toe, and early tests indicate that even when wearing those 'apres race' sandals with the big strap across them, the logo is still invisible. Yay! I'll have some at Interbike to show off and sell.

Product ETAs. I know, you want stories about adventures and all you get is this boring in-stock status. Sorry, maybe next time.

- Steamroller framesets, all sizes, charcoal metallic color, now in stock, fairly limited supply (we're still catching up).

- Long Haul Trucker framesets, all sizes, sage green color, now in stock.

- Tuggnut chain tensioners, in stock later this week.

- More cogs in many sizes, both splined and threaded, in stock later this week.

- Nice Racks, front or rear, silver or black, in stock 2nd week of October.

- Endomorph 3.7" tires, blackwall or tanwall, in stock next week.

- 26 x 3-4" inner tubes for Endomorph in stock later this week.

- 1x1, Pacer and Instigator framesets, early next week.

-Karate Monkey framesets, all sizes, black or brown colors, in stock last week of September.

I think that's all.

Just letting you all know we've been a bit swamped, shorthanded and out-of-the-office lately. If we're not responding to your e-mails or phone messages in our normal timely manner, please forgive us. It's our busiest time of the year and we'll get back to normal in a few weeks. But the good news is, I'm quality control checking a crapload of stuff this week so we'll have more products back in stock shortly. Until then, go ride your bike.

Here's a link to the longer, detailed account of Pat and Kathy's Pugsley beach ride from Hope to Homer, AK. Great photos. Truly inspiring.

Zeke hit by car. Bike geeks unite.

Last Friday night after an evening of good times and Bear-Ninja-Cowboy standoffs in Kansas City, our good buddy Zeke Shepard rode himself in front of a car. He's hurt pretty bad and he needs our help.

The news from the docs is promising, but still dire - respirator, bleeding and swelling of the brain, not out of the woods yet. He is responsive, but still doped to the gills to keep him from yanking out all the tubes and such.

Zeke, for those who don't know him, is the guy who shows up at your race at 5:30am and sets up the stakes that tell you where to ride. He's the guy who works on the new trail section and then fights for more access. He wrenches on bikes at triathalons, road races, mountain bike races, and rides of all types. He works so you can go out an have fun. But you'd never hear it from him.

Now it's your turn to help Zeke. Despite having the stunning wages and insurance of a bike shop employee, Zeke is going to be responsible for 20% of a VERY large hospital bill - plus all the normal expenses he'll pile up while laid up for who knows how long.

But what can I do?

1) Race. Participate in the Rapture in Misery 6 and 12 hour race on Sept. 24th down near Kansas City. All proceeds from the race are going to help Zeke.

2) Give stuff. At the race, they're going to have an auction/raffle to raise cash for the Zeke fund. If you have stuff e-mail me and I'll let you know how to get it to the right place.

3) Give money. Go to Help Zeke and PayPal some dough into the fund.

4) One of the best yet - buy a "Save Zeke" (a la Ferris Bueller) t-shirt from this guy who will donate all the profits to Zeke's recovery fund. I smell a new "Frankie Says Relax" t-shirt fad.

We are part of a great community we cyclists. We look out for each other. It's moments like these where we get to give back a little for all the good times we've had on sweeping singletrack switchbacks, long fast asphalt stretches, and bar crawls where you laughed harder than you ever thought possible.

Give something back people. Now's the time.

Writing to you from fantastic southern Germany, where the Eurobike tradeshow is happening. Today was the first day of the show, which we've never been to before. Let me tell you, it's f'ing huge. We have a 1x1, Long Haul Trucker and Pugsley on display in our German distributors booth. This is the first time most people have seen or heard of Pugsley and so far it's been taken with a crazed reaction. Some people don't know what to think. Some people laugh and ask what it's used for. Some people say " I cannot wait to ride this thing in my town". I have some digital camera footage of myself riding down the Minnehaha creek through the flowing water with the Pugsley and they start to understand. You can actually ride this bike just about anywhere, if you dare.

The rest of the trip has led me to believe the Germans have got it all figured out. There are so many people that ride bikes, have baskets full of stuff, get respect from motorists and they are from all ages. It's a beautiful thing seeing granny's and grommets riding alongside eachother.

I must give some recognition to the fantastic beer that has helped inspire the trip so far. Yellow beer has never been so good. I'd also like you all to know, the Euro faux-hawk is alive and well, often times coming in swarms. It's not bad thing, as I've mentioned before, just a fad that seems a bit overdone. But I must say, there are enough variations of it, like the faux-hawk gel hell, the faux-hawk prep boy front style and the female mullet faux-hawk, that make it just plain entertainment. Who the hell am I to say with my thinning follicle flock? Keep it up.

Tommorrow is the second of 4 days of the show. Afterwards we'll travel to Ravensburg to watch a twilight criterium featuring Jens Voight and Jan Ullrich. Eat your hearts out Lance haters, Jan will be chugging away sans Armstrong for all the glory of a local crit. Let's see if that uberpower can sprint. Ya right.

Lets end this blog with a Thank You to those crazy Dutch 29" freaks that showed up today. Cloxxxki and friends are the ultimate bike geeks and we wouldn't be anywhere without people like you. Thanks for being nerdier than us.

I'm hearing chruchbells ringing once, meaning it's 1:00 a.m. here and time to catch some ZZZZZZZ's. Over and out from Duetschland. I'm going to be hurting tomorrow.