Tag: Long Haul Trucker

The New 2021 Surly Disc Trucker: My Honest Thoughts
The Surly Disc Trucker models are arguably the most recognisable touring bikes on the planet. Visit almost any popular cycling destination, and you’ll spot a few leaning against café walls or loaded up outside hostels. Scroll through Instagram, and you’ll see them carrying riders across continents. With so many happy users worldwide, there’s little doubt they’re proven machines.

Annnnd now, there’s a fresh update on the 2021 Surly Disc Trucker for us to analyse – the first update in eight years.

I’ve actually used a Surly Trucker to cycle across dozens of countries, covering in excess of 50,000km – so I am very familiar with the bike. In fact, my Trucker was the first touring bike I purchased as a 19-year-old, eager to start exploring the world!

This article will outline all of the changes, and I’ll provide my honest thoughts on the implications of this update.

The 2021 Surly Disc Trucker At A Glance

The 2021 update gets:
- 20-30mm taller frames
- 30mm taller handlebar
- 12mm thru-axles
- 5mm extra tyre clearance
- User-friendly STI shifters
- Additional fork mounting points
- Internal fork dynamo wiring
- TRP Spyre brakes
The 2021 update loses:
- Shimano 3X10 gearing with a Shimano XT derailleur
- Bar-end shifters
- 8mm standover height in smaller frame sizes
- The 11-36t cassette (now 11-34t)
- 36 spoke wheels (now 32)
- The $1550 price (now $1675)
Updated Frame Geometry

You can see that the geometry has changed very little overall, with the exception of the stack height.

The frame has seen a few geometry updates, the most noticeable being an increase in stack height.

Stack height is the vertical distance from the bottom bracket shell to the top of the head tube. On the 2021 Disc Trucker, this has gone up by about 20–30 mm (roughly 1″) across all sizes, which means you’ll need fewer headset spacers to get your handlebars into a comfortable, upright position.

It’s nice to see 48cm wide drop bars on the bigger bike sizes to squeeze a bit more steering leverage from the bike.

The 2021 Disc Trucker also comes stock with a Surly Truck Stop handlebar that has 30 mm of rise. Combined with the taller stack, this means you’ll need about 5–6 fewer headset spacers — always a welcome simplification.

Since a taller stack can increase frame standover, Surly added more top tube slope on the 700C models to keep standover consistent. That said, the standover has actually increased by roughly 8 mm for the frame sizes most used by smaller riders (42–56 cm), so smaller cyclists should take note.

Surly has also shortened the chainstays by 10 mm, making the bike a touch more agile. While this might not be a major advantage for loaded touring, it does make the bike feel slightly more responsive when riding unloaded.

Other than these tweaks, the frame geometry remains largely unchanged from previous versions.

12mm Thru Axles and Flat Mounts

Surly has followed Kona’s lead by updating the Disc Trucker from quick-release wheels to 12 mm thru-axles and flat-mount disc brake calipers. This setup is now standard on road and gravel bikes, and it looks like it’s becoming the norm for touring bikes as well.

Flat-mount brakes definitely look cleaner, but there is one limitation: you can’t use rotors larger than 160 mm. On a thru-axle bike, a 180 mm front rotor can be a nice upgrade, especially for riders carrying heavier loads of bike, body, and gear.

While 12 mm hubs aren’t yet common in developing countries, hub failures are rare, so this isn’t really a downside. Even if you do have a rim or spoke failure, you can rebuild your existing hubs into a new rim without issue.

A big plus with the new axle standard is that you can run the Shimano UR-705 dynamo hub. This hub has been tested to deliver the most output power at low speeds of any dynamo hub – perfect for lights and charging devices on tour.

The thru-axle design itself is user-friendly too: the Disc Trucker has one open dropout, letting you unscrew the axle a few turns and drop the wheel out without removing the axle completely.

Lots of Fork Luggage Options

The fork now comes with three-pack mounts for cargo cage bags and internal routing for a dynamo cable. You can also attach Surly Porteur racks to the fork crown, giving you plenty of options for carrying luggage up front – from baskets and porteur bags to panniers and cargo cages.

No Kickstand Frame Mounts

Unfortunately, the Disc Trucker still doesn’t come with a dedicated kickstand mount, though it does include an adapter plate to make fitting one possible.

While kickstand mounts are standard on almost every European touring bike, it’s unclear why North American brands often skip them. Personally, I use my kickstand dozens of times a day — for photos, packing, organising gear, or quickly parking the bike.

I don’t mind going without a kickstand on a bikepacking setup, since you can lean the bike on its handlebars. But when you’re carrying panniers, a kickstand becomes essential in my view.

Shimano 9-Speed Brifters

The Disc Trucker used to come with a 3×10 drivetrain, featuring a Shimano XT rear derailleur and bar-end shifters. For 2021, it’s unfortunately been downgraded to Shimano Alivio. To put that in perspective, here’s the Shimano hierarchy from top to bottom: XTR, XT, SLX, Deore, Alivio, Acera, Altus.

Alivio is fine if the goal is integrated, user-friendly shifters — and the Sora-style shifters these days are reliable — but I would have preferred the higher-spec 30-speed bar-end setup. It shifts smoother and, in my experience, handles harsh weather conditions much better.

Another option is to run Shimano 11-speed shifters with a GRX derailleur and a mix of SLX parts. This gives much lower gearing for climbing, though it would likely increase the bike’s price.

Speaking of climbing gears, the lowest gear on the Disc Trucker is 19.7″ with the 26″ wheels and 20.9″ with the 700C wheels. For touring, we usually aim for 20″ or less. If the stock gearing feels a bit tall, you can swap the front chainrings or upgrade the cassette to a 36-tooth cog – something that arguably should have been standard from the factory.

26″ and 700C Wheels

The rims on the new Disc Trucker now have an internal width of 21mm, which is 3mm wider than before. That makes them perfectly suited for 40–50mm touring tyres, and they’re tubeless-ready too.

On the downside, the wheels appear to have 32 spokes now (the photos show this, although the spec sheet still claims 36). This makes them a touch less burly than before, but in practice, the Alex Adventurer rims are solid enough that I wouldn’t call this a dealbreaker.

Surly continues to offer 26″ wheels on the smaller frame sizes – 42cm up to 56cm. While 26″ is often marketed as ideal for developing countries, my experience in Latin America shows that 27.5″ and 29″ wheels are much more common, especially on entry-level mountain bikes. High-quality 26″ tyres and rims exist, but finding them can be tricky – in one trip, we came back empty-handed looking for a good 26″ tyre.

For the 56cm frame, you can choose between two wheel sizes, then from 58cm to 64cm, you’re on 700C wheels. With fenders, the max tyre clearance is 26×2.1″ and 700C×47mm – a bit less than what you get on bikes like the Salsa Marrakesh or Kona Sutra.

One thing Surly still does extremely well is frame sizing. They offer 10 sizes, far more than the typical 4 to 6 sizes most brands provide. That means the 42cm frame is one of the smallest touring bikes available, while the 64cm frame now accommodates riders over 2 metres tall, making it one of the largest touring bikes on the market.

The 2021 Disc Trucker comes with TRP Spyre cable disc brakes, which are among the best cable-actuated brakes available. These are unique because they pull both brake pads simultaneously, giving more consistent stopping power than typical cable discs.

Other highlights include Surly ExtraTerrestrial tyres and a high-quality sealed-bearing Cane Creek headset.

The bike is priced at US $1,675, which puts it in line with similarly equipped touring bikes like the Salsa Marrakesh and Trek 520, though it’s a couple of hundred dollars higher than the Kona Sutra.

If you prefer to do your own build, the frameset alone is available for US $725.

The 2021 Surly Disc Trucker Summary

The 2021 update gets:
- 20-30mm taller frames
- 30mm taller handlebars
- 12mm thru-axles
- 5mm extra tyre clearance
- User-friendly STI shifters
- Additional fork mounting points
- TRP Spyre brakes
The 2021 update loses:
- Shimano 3X10 gearing with a Shimano XT derailleur
- Bar-end shifters
- 8mm standover height in smaller frame sizes
- The 11-36t cassette (now 11-34t)
- The $1550 price (now $1675)
My Honest Thoughts

The 2021 Surly Disc Trucker keeps the strong points we’ve always loved: the frame geometry is solid, it comes in a very wide size range, and the taller stack height now makes it much more comfortable for touring. The move to 12mm thru-axles also future-proofs the bike and allows it to pair nicely with the Shimano UR-705 dynamo hub.

That said, I think 27.5″ wheels might have been the smarter choice for the smaller frame sizes.

The Shimano Sora shifters are very reliable, but I prefer the previous 3×10 drivetrain for its performance at this price point. I understand why Surly opted for a lower-spec drivetrain with integrated shifters—they are user-friendly—but a 36-tooth rear cog should really have been carried over from the previous model.

The frame’s lateral stiffness has never been its strongest suit, so I would have liked larger-diameter steel tubes up front. A rear KSA-18 kickstand mount would have been very welcome, and a touch more tyre clearance with fenders would allow my favourite slick touring tyre, the 700c x 50mm Schwalbe Almotion, to fit comfortably.

All in all, the 2021 Disc Trucker is a great touring bike, and with its reputation, it will remain popular. That said, with a little more tyre clearance, a higher-spec drivetrain, and a slightly lower price, the Kona Sutra still edges it out as my top pick in this category.

Want To Compare The Surly Disc Trucker With Dozens of Others?

Check out The Touring Bicycle Buyer’s Guide, which compares touring bike steering, sizing, gear ratios, specifications, pricing and more. The Bikepacking Bike Buyer’s Guide does the same thing, however, with a focus on lighter bikes and models with more off-road capability. Both of these guides are updated annually with the latest models at no extra cost!

Helpful Resources

All About Touring Bike Brakes
Frame Materials for Bicycle Touring
How to Select Touring Bike Gearing
Understand Bicycle Frame Geometry
What’s the Difference between Cyclocross and Touring Bikes?

Touring & Bikepacking Bike Overview

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June 24, 2020
My Old Custom Touring Bike (Rohloff Hub and Gates Belt Drive)

This is the first touring bike I ever bought. It started life as a Surly Long Haul Trucker, but these days this custom touring bike is barely a semblance of the bike it once was.

Not only has it travelled well over 100,000km, but it’s been built with:
– Drop bars, butterfly bars, flat bars, riser bars and these alt bars
– Downtube shifters, barend shifters, MTB shifters and grip shifters
– Continental Gatorskin, Schwalbe Marathon Plus, XR, Extreme, Racer, Supreme, Mondial and Almotion tyres
– 10-speed road groupset, 10-speed MTB groupset and a Rohloff 14-speed internally geared hub
– Standard chains as well as Gates Centertrack Belt Drive and CDC
– Various Rohloff shifter locations with drop bars
– Velocity and Mavic touring rims
– B&M and Supernova dynamo lights
– Brooks, WTB and Giant saddles
– Pedal Power Plus and Cinq USB charging systems
– Cantilever brakes and v-brakes
– Planet Bike and SKS fenders
– Various clip-in and flat pedals

Basically, I’ve been tinkering with the specification since day dot.

After using the Rohloff hub for a number of years, I decided to take my bike to a local frame builder to get the frame modified to suit the hub. Through this process, the builder cut off the old dropouts, installed some Rohloff sliding dropouts, fitted some Rohloff cable guides and inserted a split in the seat stay so that I could try Gates Carbon Drive. I’ve been really happy with this combination over the last seven years.

I’ve recently switched from drop bars to Velo Orange Crazy Bars. What was really important to me was the ‘hood’ position from my drop bar. That’s where I like my hands to sit most, and this handlebar replicates it perfectly. I’m not 100% sure if I will use these handlebars in the long-term, but I’m really enjoying all the new positions at the moment. We’ll see over the next few tours.

Another thing that I am really liking is how easy it is to change my brake cables with standard v-brake levers (as opposed to road levers). I also find that these brakes offer much less cable friction than my outgoing road brake levers.

What Would I Change If I Built A Custom Touring Bike In 2017?

Having played around with so many setups, most of the parts that you see on the bike are as good as it gets for touring. After all, this bike has been refined over a really long time to suit my personal preferences.

I would definitely use disc brakes with my next frame. They are much more powerful, they work better in the wet, the pads last longer and I found them to be extremely reliable on my Co-Motion tandem on a two-year bike tour.

Since riding a handful of modern touring bikes, I’d also prefer a frame that is more laterally stiff. Frames with larger diameter / thicker gauge steel tubing will reduce the slight twist I find when I’ve got a heavy front and rear load. I may even try a nice triple-butted aluminium touring frame.

But otherwise, I like the geometry and fit of my custom touring bike.

Gates have a new belt system out called the Centertrack CDX:EXP and I’d love to give this a go on my next touring bike, along with a Pinion 18-speed gearbox. I’m also keen to try out some Velo Orange Mojave or Widefoot Litercage bidon cages with Nalgene or Kleen Kanteen bottles.

My Custom Touring Bike Specification

Frame: Modified 62cm Surly Long Haul Trucker
Fork: Surly Long Haul Trucker
Headset: Hope 1 1/8″
Stem: Thomson Elite 120mm
Handlebars: Velo Orange Casey’s Crazy Bar
Grips: ESI Silicone and Fizik Bartape
Seatpost: Thomson Elite 27.2mm
Saddle: Giant

Gears: Rohloff Speedhub 14 speed Internally Geared Hub
Shifter: Rohloff Grip Shifter
Front Hub: Schmidt SON28 Dynamo
Rims: Shimano A719 700c 32h
Spokes: DT Swiss Competition
Tyres: Schwalbe Almotion

Brake Levers: Avid SD5
Brakes: Shimano XT

Crankset: Shimano 105 Triple
Chainring: Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack 50t
Cog: Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack 20t
Pedals: Shimano XT T780

Fenders: SKS Chromoplastic P50
Charger: Tout Terrain The Plug III
Lights: Supernova E3 Pro Dynamo (not in photo)
Bidon Cages: BBB Fuel Tank XL
Phone Mount: Quadlock

Weight: 14kg or 30lbs

March 27, 2017
Review: Surly Long Haul Trucker Touring Bike

The Surly Long Haul Trucker and Surly Disc Trucker are some of the best off-the-shelf touring bikes you can buy. The Surly’s performance is exceptional, their price is right and they have great worldwide availability.

The Latest Surly Disc Trucker touring bike!

I originally purchased my Trucker as a frameset, as I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to build it up. My frame then went through many builds over the years as I experimented with parts: different brakes, different handlebars, different wheels and an evolution from derailleur gears to an internally geared hub. Basically, I used and abused bike parts and setups until I got the Trucker to a place that suits me.

When I’m loaded with gear, I liken my Trucker to a sailing boat: it seemingly floats over bumps, and the direction change is slow and gentle. This is the way a touring bike should feel. I think that the geometry of the bike is close to perfect. The steel tubing used in the frame’s construction allow the Trucker to excel as a touring bike.

The Surly Disc Trucker touring bike has been a solid performer for over a decade.

The Trucker’s geometry is relaxed, which allows the frame to handle panniers comfortably. The chainstays are longer than most touring bikes, which is important for both the bikes stability and for heel clearance from your pannier bags. To understand touring bike geometry further, check out my guide available HERE.

I haven’t managed to break my Trucker on the roughest roads. The only time I have seen damaged Truckers is when people over tighten kickstands to their bikes. Both Surly and I say, don’t do that. That said, 2017-onward Truckers come with a kickstand plate so this problem will now be few and far between on older model bikes.

The Surly Disc Trucker touring bike from above.

The Why

– 4130 steel frame; it’s comfortable and field repairable (to anyone who knows how to use a welder).
– It’s the ideal touring geometry: when fully-loaded the handling is stable and smooth to ride. The front end is nice and high too. More on geometry HERE.
– There are frame sizes for everyone – the smallest frame has a 50.5cm top-tube and the biggest a 62cm top-tube. There’s a size for all cyclists between 150cm through to 200cm.
– 26″ wheels are available in all sizes but 64cm.
– 700c wheels are available on frame sizes larger than 56cm, as toe overlap and bike proportion are less of an issue with bigger frames.
– It’s light on the wallet (Frame $500 USD / Bike $1275 USD)
– You have a choice of a rim OR disc brake frame (read about which brakes to choose HERE)
– Bar-end shifters are standard (read about why they’re great HERE)
– There’s a very wide range of gear ratios (26-32t the smallest gear)
– There are lots of mounting points for racks and mudguards on the frame and fork.
– The 36 spoke wheels are nice and strong.
– Shimano’s cup and cone bearing hubs are simple to rebuild when the time comes.
– The Shimano XT rear derailleur is durable and shifts well.
– There’s space for three water bottles on the frame.
– There’s a spoke holder for a few spares.
– The Trucker’s long chainstays make the bike feel stable and increase the heel clearance from your pannier bags. Surly chainstays are often 20-30mm longer than a lot of other touring bikes, but many manufacturers are now moving towards longer lengths.
– Surly’s don’t look flashy or expensive to potential thieves.
– I’ve never seen a warranty issue for one (not to say this doesn’t happen).

The Surly Disc Trucker touring bike from the front.

The Why Not

– The stock rim brakes on the Long Haul Trucker are truly terrible – I highly recommend an upgrade to v-brakes (read about brakes HERE) if you have to have rim brakes.
– The bar, stem and seat are of average quality. Easily interchangable.

The Surly Disc Trucker touring bike from behind.

Recommended Changes

– A handlebar change may suit you if you’re a beginner, you don’t like the feel of a road handlebar or you’d prefer a more upright positioning (read about touring handlebar setups HERE). Remember to buy one or two sizes up for flat handlebars.
– The brakes on the Long Haul Trucker do need to be swapped to a better quality cantilever, or v-brake setup (read more about touring brakes HERE).
– The Continental tyres are decent enough for touring, but when you next need a set you should ride with Schwalbe because they make the best tyres around.
– If you’re using the road handlebars, I recommend employing some ‘cross levers’ to have braking capability at the top of the handlebar.

My Long Haul Trucker

I loved my Trucker so much that I took it to a frame builder to add some frame features that suit a Rohloff hub and Gates Carbon Belt Drive. If you’re interested, you can read all the details about Rohloff hubs HERE and Gates Carbon Drive HERE.

The modifications I’ve made include:
– An extra bidon braze-on on the downtube to run two oversized water bottles on my frame (this is not necessary anymore with an adapter).
– Rohloff specific cable braze-ons along the down tube and chain-stay.
– A split in the seat-stay to fit a belt.
– Rohloff-specific sliding dropouts.

My modifications were carried out by Gellie Custom Bike Frames, but any reputable frame builder can add frame details as you like. If you’re thinking of doing a similar build to mine, I recommend also taking a look at the 2016 Specialized AWOL – it’s now Rohloff and Carbon Drive ready from the factory which will save you a dollar or two.

Long Haul Trucker or Disc Trucker?

If you’re wondering what I recommend between the Long Haul Trucker and the Disc Trucker; I’m a fan of disc brakes. I have cycled over 30,000km with Avid disc brakes on my tandem and have had no problems with their reliability. The extra stopping power is really handy on heavily loaded touring bikes in wet conditions. The Disc Trucker is the way to go!

If you need more convincing on disc brakes, you can read my brake article HERE.

Ride a Surly frame larger than 56cm?

You have a choice of 26″ and 700c wheels. I talk about the merits of both wheel sizes in my article HERE.

Summary

When taking into account the price, performance, and availability of the Trucker, I believe that Surly makes one the best off-the-shelf touring bikes. With minimal changes to the parts spec, you’ll have a very capable and durable touring bike.

If you’ve got any questions for us, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

December 3, 2011