10.10.2011

First Commute on the Surly Troll

Yesterday I finished the build to about 95%. I'm having a little trouble with my shifter for the front derailleur. It was a bit sticky the last time it was used and isn't shifting at all now. I just left the chain on the middle chainring and rode in today on the Troll anyway.

First impressions are great. The fit and ride feel very comfortable. I had my laptop, an iPad, a kindle and a change of clothes in my pannier. That's a lot of weight on a mountain bike. But it handled it with ease. I've still got to play with the H-Bars to get them adjusted perfectly. But as they are, they feel good. I just think they could feel better.

There wasn't enough time to switch out the tires. So today's ride was on knobbies. That'll make a difference when I switch those to the Schwalbes.

One thing I really like is the top tube slope. At first, I thought the little triangle coming down off of the seat tube was a little odd looking. Now I appreciate it. It makes it really easy to hop on and off of a loaded bike. The clearance for your leg is way more noticeable than I would have guessed.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I'm excited to ride it more.

Get out there.

4 comments:

  1. ok. Just have to ask. Why a Kindle and iPad?

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  2. @ Darrell - Ha! I love the iPad for everything but prefer the Kindle for reading. You can't beat Kindle's ease on the eyes. It's worth it for those long reading sessions.

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  3. Gotcha. They have new Fire coming out soon. I would like to get one of those for Misty. It's running a version of Android and with the Amazon Market for apps might be a great iPad alternative for us non fruit folks. :)

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  4. Wick off that shifter and we can do a thermal sonic cleaning - it restores 90% of them! The bike looks sweet....

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