I had a 10 minute test ride of the Midnight Special on the road over a year ago and my brain melted too. I thought it felt great, although it was only a short ride. Even perhaps more than the suppleness of the tyres, I thought the balance between butt and hands was more comfortable and even than any bike I'd previously ridden. It felt like riding a zippy bike on the clouds, while being perfectly balanced on the sadde/handlebars.
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, built it up from a frame for about $1600 . Went flat bar with mixed Xt/slx groupset. Went on my first long gravel ride yesterday and gotta say this thing shreds. Stayed planted on the super steep climbs and went down some really technical descents and it handled it all amazingly. Been hitting single track on my way to work everyday and it just eats it up. Love this thing.
That's a solid compliment. I live in the San Juan Mountains and have been looking at steel frames to build up. This and the Soma Fog Cutter are two of my top choices.
After riding all kinds of mountain bikes the Midnight Special is my main bike now. It feels great and is fun. Sometimes I make a detour so I can ride it a little longer…
My husband just upgraded to this bike. He swapped the fork to carbon from his old gestalt 2 Marin and it's a beast now. Don't think he'll be buying another bike anytime soon lots of room to grow with this rig
I build one up from the frame with a solid grx groupset and ritchey carbon parts (and a brooks b15 saddle😊). I use it as my comuter and I love this bike. It got all you need and a little bit more.
I currently have a midnight special set up with 2” cx race mountain bike tires and it’s a beast on single track! It’s a little slower and much louder on the pavement but I think the trade off is worth it if you want to get a little more gnarly in the woods. It’s pretty rocky and rooty where I live and it really opened up what’s “rideable” on a gravel bike. Great in muddy and sandy, loose stuff too. That being said I’ve also ride it with 700x38 tires and easily kept up on group road rides. Make it your own! Great platform/blank canvas. (I switched out the fork) I have a specialized sequoia carbon fork on with adventure mounts on it and often ride with anything cages and load it up for trips to the beach.
Solid review man. I got mine, as far as I know the first bought in Anchorage. Was totally pumped. Traveled to Florida and Vegas for work 3 days after I got it so I brought it with me. Put a broken in Brooks B-17 seat on it and some matching Brooks tape. I’ve done 3 century rides on it so far with no complaints. Rode a lot of mixed terrain and climates. It completely changed my outlook on “road bikes” if that’s what you’d consider it. I’d be interested to see your comparison between the Midnight Special/Kona Rove/All-City Guerrilla Monsoon and hear your thoughts on how they stack against each other.
Great review! This sounds like the bike I am looking for. I wanted a steel bike with nimble geometry. Short wheelbase and chainstays with a steep head angle A fast road/gravel bike with 650b wheels.
Thanks for the great review! After much research on the road plus platform, I ordered a 64cm through my LBS. Demos are rare in my size for anything so it was a bit of leap of faith. So far I'm really happy with the ride. I notice alot of the same characteristics you described. Glad to hear I'm not imagining things! I will add one bit of tall guy perspective. I used to own a first gen Fargo and Ogre, and a more recent Specialized AWOL. One big challenge with tour/gravel/commute bikes at 6'4" is that frames get really big! Obvious, but the other downside is they loose quickness, handling, springiness, and other benefits of steel. Those bikes in XXL size felt big and slow and dumpy. 650-road-plus for tall riders might seem counter-intuitive big the platform creates a compact and agile feel with all the stability I need. I hope that's useful to the taller folks considering this bike. Thanks again and I appreciate the work you do. Mark from Boulder CO.
Would you tell me your height please ? I know size doesn't matter but I'm 6'3 tall and 'still hesitate between the 60 cm and 64 cm frame. Greetings from nothern France ! Btw great review as usual!
@@moltam99 I finally go to the 60 cm. I think it's the best choice. I've not received it yet. It's still difficult to buy a bike without trying it... We'll see.
I have one for few weeks and I agree the ride is pretty unique experience - any small rocks, wood or holes, it doesn't even feel like going through but the bike is still fast as what I would expect from a road bike. I ride it in hilly Seattle for commute and took it last weekend to iron horse trail towards Snoqualmie pass - this thing flies at gravel. I was also surprised how much traction it had on the snow, didn't expect from slick tires. For sizing, I ride 54cm Roubaix, and 54cm Midnight special feels as perfect size.
@@jaredgood1642 sorry, didn't see the comment. It's awesome bike, pretty much the only one I ride in the last 2 years (except mtn bike) - all road - all purpose bike. I've done multiple upgrades - most notable new wheels - and with 42mm supple tires (sweet spot for this bike imho) this bike rides like a king.
@@MichalAntolik hi mate... just wondering how tall are you? Ive just put a deposit on a MS one of the local bike shop, Im 173cm short legs/insean 28-30ish im in between size & the staff recommend Il be fine with 54cm no available size for me to fit, but he let me sit on a bombtrack on a medium, so he said its almost same size as the Surly MS 54cm, hope its the correct fit for me or else i have to wait for september for the next batch... Thank you in advance!!
Excellent review Russ. Very thorough review regarding how the bike rides/performs and contrasting with other bikes in the market. Feels like I learn more from these reviews than my own test rides :). Had you opted for the size 50cm, you would have found the handling even quicker ( 72 vs 71.5 head angle). Waiting for your journeyman review!
I was looking to get into biking of sorts and I wasn’t sure what to get so I started to lean toward gravel bikes and I’ve been trying to narrow things down. Had my eyes on the Cannondale topstone until the other day I rode my buddies Surly Cross Check and kinda fell in love. Now the MS is calling me but considering the current limitations on inventory I’m considering just the frame and spec’ing it to my liking.
I want a bike that has longer chain stays(no more heal strikes), More room between the pedal and front tire(no more toe strikes) I want friction shifters, lots of braze-ons, I want it set up for disc and rim brakes. I could go on and on...
Not much to really know about through axles. It's a design intended to increase stiffness between the dropouts and hub, reducing suspension flex. But on rigid bikes, it isn't an issue. And with rear axle spacing and cassette body width increasing, it made sense in the rear as well. Plus, they're larger diameter, so they can be thinner wall, so lighter, and also stiffer. The other big advantage of through axle is disc brake security. On earlier disc brake bikes, front wheels had a small chance of slipping out of the dropout under hard braking. Lawyer lips usually prevented it, but still there were issues with quick releases not holding as well as they should. Through axles completely solve this potential problem. Kill a few birds with one stone.
Thanks for the review! I agree completely, it is an awesome time to be riding bikes! I see this bike as not just a fun weekend bike but an ultimate city/commuting and light touring/utility frame. This category may just result in another quiver bike or one to rule them all, only time will tell. Can't wait to get your opinion on the Journeyman! Cheers! #supplelife
Thank you. I don't know what to choose between a MS and a straggler. My main road is to work, 20kms/day (12 miles), with 90% asphalt (with beautiful potholes), and 10% lighty dirty road. I'm 1m85 size (6.05 feet). I search a cycle light, quite fast on asphalt with low/middle "climbs" and who can brings light saddlebags. And able to take cool dirty roads when necessary. The MS seems more strong than the straggle, but this last one seems more efficient on asphalt.
What would I be really missing out by getting the Straggler over the Midnight Special? Apart from the tyre clearance...which at 41mm is more than enough for me as a roadie my whole life, 28mm was massive lol. The Straggler is cheaper too...
Check out the 650b Straggler or the new 650b Nature Boy and Macho Man for a real head scratcher when it comes to smol wheel geometry. Sub 1000mm wheelbases and 405mm chainstays, so #tukt! They're a little slacker in the head tube than the MS but must still be real snappy- I hope I can ride one soon.
Usually, bikes like this are captivating at first glance, and that sparkle wears off.. I hated the MS for weeks, for months, made no sense to me after the Gorilla Monsoon, seemed like a cheap way out for peeps who couldn't swing a Cosmic Stallion... but more and more, this thing really shines. Unicrown for the braze-snobs to gtfo, little wheels for sharp handling, low center of gravity to balance the geometry.. hell yeah. This bike is designed to be a middle finger to the boutique niches of high end gravel. It's the most weirdly compelling bike in its 'category'. Pricey for the spec, though - go with a frameset and then hop onto Wiggle for the group.
Any obvious complication with going Di2 for this frame? With seat post battery or whatnot....... For swapping between 700x25-32 and 650x47-60 with minimal complication, electronic would seem more reliable. And Etap shifts differently from what I'm used to. In addition to being priced more like Dura Ace than Ultegra.....
i ride a singlespeed surly steamroller which is a track/road bike with 40 mm tires and it handles anything: touring, offroad, road, bikepacking etc. flexibility is the beauty of almost all surly bikes. i would be interested in the midnight special but 650b is maybe too small for me.
I've noticed on a couple of your reviews that you're approximating sized based on effective top tube, and it bit you on this one. The better metric is stack and reach.
On his youtube channel, Dustin Klein just rode an Opus Horizon 1. I think it would compare favorable with this Surly. Plus it is fully carbon, so much lighter. Both bikes can take a 700c x 42 tire, for us taller guys.
I just got one and I like it a lot so far. I discounted it at first but it really closely meets my needs. I had a Novara Verita before, which I liked a lot but just wanted to put some fatter tires on for the shock absorption even just on rough paved roads (we have some poorly maintained side streets in Portland). Come to find out there was just no way to make it happen. What the Midnight Special does for me is works great as a light weight fast (enough for me) road bike that feels so good to ride and which I can basically take anywhere. I've done some day gravel rides on it and it feels good. For me I think it could be my only bike, although if I really got into big week long bike packing trips, I might want something more specialized. I don't have the time for that any time soon though. The only thing is I'm starting to think 1x really might not be enough. Like you, I'll try to make it work and probably come to the same conclusion. I might try a slightly smaller chain ring on it because in stock form I don't use the top gear on flats. But maybe when I've worn this chain ring out (or get fed up) I'll make it a 2x. For me it's about the steep climbs.
Would be great if you could your hands on an Open U.P., Norco Search XR or even 3T Exploro. Would be interesting to compare all these bikes designed for 650B tires but for different purposes and varied frame materials.
Exactly my thoughts. Damn, how hard can it be to put some hydraulic disc brakes? Of course, you will have less profit, but wouldn't you also want to sell that damn bike? For that price, is nothing competitive for me. Why wouldn't you just buy a better equipped cylcocross bike?
The hydraulics is a deal breaker for me. Was not a big deal to replace on my troll with MTB type brakes but pretty pricey to upgrade brifters.... I'll stick with the Troll for now. Was hoping to get a more nimble, bullet proof bike I can use for a commute and then a quick gravel ride add-on when the mood hits.
You could get the frame and add the components you want but that also gets expensive. I was told that some people prefer mechanical brakes due to easier maintenance and repairs.
Russ, have you ever seen any sort of caps made to cover the cable stops on a traditional down-tube? I ran my 1x11 cable housing all the way back to the derailleur on my MS and don’t need the stops. Id like to dress the braze-ons up somehow.
How upright is the MS? I’m looking to sell my hardcore gravel as i just dont hit gravel but like 20-40 mile comfortable rides. Txs and keep up the reviews!
I don't know if you've thought about it yet, but try an Otso Warakin, it can run big tires (at 700c or 650b ) and, b/c of the stainless steel frame, it's a lovely ride.
Steel, yes. stainless, no. there are very few bikes with stainless frames and this is not one. 4130 is Chromoly steel, and it is still pretty good though.
I'm 169 cm and I don't know whether to choose size 46 or 50. 50 is a bit long. For me, 53 cm horizontally is ideal. on the 46 the seat tube is quite short. my saddle settings are 67.5 cm (leg 78.cm). Won't 46 be enough? I have gravel Bianchi via nirone 7 allroad size 50 and Rondo Ruut ST1 size S and its ideal.
Great review. This would be a good for the road. Those 650B tires make the ride smoother.I’m sure you would spend a lot of time over the bars on the gravel. I’m looking for you to do a review on the Bridge Club that just came out in the future.
I chose the 46 based on the dimensions of the bike I'm most comfortable with, the Vaya in a 54, which has a reach measurement within 2mm of each other. It's bizarre.
Think i have watched this review +30 times ...i bought a cheap Chinese TI CX frame ofr postmount and through axles (approx same price as this frameset) in 2015-16 but the geometry was never really what i wanted and also a to big for me with a gigantic stack and very tight standover height. Today i finally placed an order for a 54cm blue MS frameset 54cm, a Tubus Duo low-rider rack & Ortleib gravel-pack front panniers (along with a set of Campagnolo H11 brifters/discbrakes & a 14-34 cassette). Expect everthing to arrive in Copenhagen within 5-7 days and then ill pack tent, sleeping-bag and will ride south in direction of Gibraltar until Covid-19 numbers is too high for me. Right now it looks like approx the spanish border, but Southern Germany and France is nice too - and hopefully a lot warmer than Denmark this summer which has been more like autumn so far. Would have gotten the 56 if it had come with the 50mm fork for even lower trail, but it doesn't
What are your thoughts on using this bike for a 400 mile bike tour from Spokane to Seattle? I plan on renting it from a shop. They also have a Disc Trucker (would be the standard choice) but I want to spice things up a little.
This is a great question. I personally feel that the classic touring bikes like the Disk Trucker are way overbuilt than needed. Sure if you dont mind hauling the extra 10lbs these bike weigh then go for it. If you are going to carry less than 30lbs ... which is still a lot of gear! .... then bikes like the Midnight Special will do just fine .... and be more fun to ride when your not touring with it. Geese ... I rode across the country 30 years ago on a cheap steel frame (like everyone else at the time!) . Those bikes still weighed a lot less than modern touring bikes and never broke. More likely the racks broke! I just love seeing this new breed of bicycle that just makes so much sense. Gravel capable. Fun and still efficient to ride on roads. Eyelets for racks and fenders. Wider tires for cushier rides. There a lot of examples coming out now to look at to. I just picked up a Diamondback Haanjo for example. In any case. Dont think twice about Midnight Special for a bike tour.
@@lawrencecohen8248 Just took mine on a 10 day 1200km tour fitted with a Tubus Duo front lowrider rack and a pair of Ortlieb front panniers - it was a blast! I carried: 8kg in the Ortlibes (tent, pad, sleeping bag, towel and gas stove in one side - ipad, clothes, birkenstock's and toilet/hygeene stuff in the other side) 2kg in a 4L framebag for in-ride acessories, layers, powerbank, and food (incl the all essential night camp beer) 2kg in a 4L seatbag for tools, spare tyre, tubes and tools i might need - didn't need any of it. + 3 water bottles, the 3rd cage does really make a difference when its +30 degree celcius. The MS is a near perfect bike for this kind of touring - at least in densly populated west and northern europe where we don't have 200 miles of uninterrupted dirt roads and everything is mixed surface. 75km on the Elbe-Lübeck canal was the longest stretch of unpaved surface i managed to find.
I've not tried it personally yet, but would look at the Surly Packrat which is supposedly optimized for front loads. Otherwise, lower trail bikes like the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler.
So would you say this is the best on road like the Long Haul trucker and the best off-road like a gravel bike do you believe that this would be the best bike for both purposes when I get rid of my mountain bike and you know and I'm trying to buy that dual sport if you will so is this it would you be able to compare The Best of Both Worlds and the lht and also this did I ask the question properly
Hi Russ. As you talk about tourers. If you get any chance at all, do you want to think about reviewing the Kona Sutra? Both really, the Sutra and the LTD. All the best :)
How does this compare with something like the Cannondale Bad Boy 1 for suburban/rural commuting? They both have 650b wheels, allow for big tires, but the Cannondale has a belt drive system vs the traditional chain on this. How does the belt system work in a place like Oregon where it rains every day?
I have a Surly ogre with a Jones loop bar and love the riding position. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions regarding how well the Midnight Special would work with Jones bars? Is the geometry compatible or is this a ridiculous notion? On that note, I would love to see you do a review and hear your thoughts about what kind of bikes work best with a Jones style bar. Thanks.
From talking to Jeff Jones, bikes with shorter top tubes would work best. The bars are meant to be almost Dutch style upright. Planning to do a vid on recommended setup. It could technically work on the MS, but who knows how it would ride?!
Thanks. That is interesting information. The Ogre I purchased came stock from Surly with the Jones H Bar a couple of years ago. The top tube length for a large, which is what I have was 590mm on the Ogre and the top tube length on the Midnight Special (56cm) is 564. So the top tube is indeed shorter for the Midnight Special than it was for the Ogre (Assuming my large Ogre is equivalent to a 56 cm M.S.) This only makes me more curious as to how a Midnight Special would handle with the Jones. Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful reply and if you have any other thoughts regarding this, let us know. You Rock! (Suppley, of course).
Sooo if you were looking at a gravel/light bikepacking bike that's still alright in the road would you go for Midnight or Straggler? Maybe 700c? Thanks!
I personally wouldn't go 700c because I'm a shorter rider. Honestly, both those bikes are capable. I'd swap out the tires depending on the use. Of the two, the Midnight Special would be the better road bike at the end of the day.
You might be a genius! I have wanted a bike that was basically a road bike I could also take on gravel when I found a cool trail to try. It sounds like this might be the perfect bike for me. I'm a tall rider 6'5" or 6'3" so I have to start looking into the difference between 650 and 700 rims. Otherwise, this sounds like it could be the bike for me. Are there any others you would recommend that are like the Midnight Special and in this same price range or less?
Heyhey and greetings from Finland! I'm wondering about the same exact questions you were on this thread 2 years ago. May I ask for your experience with the 650b tires if you ended up getting them? How are they when cycling on the road? I'm thinking about getting a Surly midnight special with 650b 47mm tires and thinking if 700c and narrower tires (like 40mm) would fit my needs better. Hmm. I'm 191cm and will ride the bike probably like 70/30 onroad/offroad. I'm not looking forward to going the speed of light, but since I'll be riding on the road quite a lot, I'm looking for something that will ride as smooth as possible... The tires the Surly has are quite slick so not much of a resistance on that side, but overall I feel like the tires are quite wide. Thanks a lot for your time and I appreciate your answer!! :)
Nice channel, nice review, thanks. I’m looking to buy a Soma Wolverine with 650b, how does Midnight special, gorilla monsoon, and kona sutra/rove LTD compare? I’m going to be pavement commuting during the week, and bikepacking on weekends through woods, and longer road sections. Thanks!
Great review! Quite informative, and I noticed many of the same points when I test rode a 54! I did notice that the gearing seemed rather high, even for the city streets I tested on. Do you feel that a 46/30 crank with a wide range cassette would help take on more intense singletrack and/or hills? I'm planning a wierd bikepacking build and your insight would be appreciated.
Pretty cool reivew. Does anyone know which bag Russ has to the right of the stem in the videos? I have (& love) a revelate feed bag, curious how this one is designed.
Thanks for the review! I have the Gorilla Monsoon, but am thinking heavily about the MS. The GM at 30lbs is hefty, although it does ride better that my Van Dessel WTF Ltd (same weight). Im still torn, do I want a MS??? or stick with my GM???
Not sure what to make of this. Just a steel fork, no tapered steerer tube and it doesn't even have a replacable derailleur hanger!? Looks just kinda old. For about 2k I don't really see much appeal in this bike. Feels as if I'm missing something.
Thank you for the clarification. I'd still rather have a replacable derailleur hanger. And hydraulic disc brakes while I'm at it. Even if it was only on an Apex groupset.
A replaceable derailure hanger on a steel bike does not make sense (if it bends you just bend it back) - neither does a tapered steel fork. 1 1/8 steel is super stiff and you dont have challenges in terms of sharp edges and carbon layup as its TIG welded steel. Frame will fit a fork with a capered carbon steerer just fine.
Hey Russ, did you try putting a rack on those fork shoulder eyelets? if so, which rack? those braze-ons looked angled and like they'd only fit certain specific racks
right, because i guess the surly 8/24 pack racks mount don't mount to the hole in the crown of the fork. but the stock fork does that hole so it's a moot point.
Thank you for this review! :) When you say light touring, how light are you thinking? I currently have a AWOL (Specialized) that simply feels too heavy and slow for every day commuting and I only really go touring 2 or 3 times a year for no longer than 2 weeks (light touring with two rear panniers, reevaluate harness on the handlebars, and two king cages on the fork). Essentially, I’ve realized I don’t need a full blown touring bike and the amount of commuting I do every day out-ways the perks of a stable touring machine that I only really need a couple of times in the year. I like the road geometry, steel frame and relative quickness and responsiveness, but do you think it would handle well for a light touring trip (loaded, 4-6 hours daily rides for about two weeks at a time)?
@@PathLessPedaledTV Sorry to necro this thread - but would you want to do 50 miles a day on this bike? I assume from your answer that you think you could for a few weeks? I really want a Midnight Special, but I am beginning to do longer rides and 3-5 day bike-packing trips. Would you ride this for long miles a day?
Hi Russ, thanks very much for the review. I've only recently come across your channel but it's quickly become one of my favourites. I was just wondering if you could shed any more light on what went wrong with the sizing; do you know if Surly's geometry chart is correct? Any further info would be really appreciated, as I'm considering buying one but am not able to get to a dealership.
Hey Russ - I've made a spreadsheet of your bike reviews in order to summarized your points and because I'm a noob who can't remember specs from one video to another. The Midnight Special is near the top of my list (hoping to purchase a bike this winter/spring) and I'm hoping you can clarify what you mean by keeping the load "light". I'm able to backpack with a 20-22 lb pack and suspect my load weight would be similar for bike packing but I'm new to bike packing so I don't know for sure. Would that be a light enough load for the midnight special? What about up to 30 lbs? I'm picturing myself doing 3-day trips in the John Day/Eastern Oregon gravel road arena...thanks so much!!
Hi, really love you channel! I'm looking to get midnight special for my first full sized bike. The problem is, this bike is only available in other city, so try on is not possible. I'm 175cm tall (almost 5'9"), and the available size is only 50 and 54. Which one do you think is my best bet? Thanks before.
@@PathLessPedaledTV yup I guess I better go for 50, and later change the stem for longer one if I decided to go aggresive. Because I'm worried for the stand over height of 54, its not funny to get an injured crotch LOL thanks a lot for the advice.
Path Less Pedaled the only way I was able to demo one is I found a shop in Harrisonburg VA who let me test ride a custom build they just finished. I put my order in and it's a 5 week wait. It'll be worth it. Hopefully you guys get one soon I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it.
looks like its staying under the radar, still cannot find any reviews online.....im gonna take it from Amsterdam to Marocco and beyond....maybe put a review of it myself in a couple of weeks?, im totally in love with that thing!
any comment on the Packrat when unloaded? Still not many reviews online (this channel had one, not much else....). You seem to like it, I'd love to see your review, or even just comments here
Is a 47mm tire now a fat tire ? Rivendell bikes have had at least a few models forever to accommodate this size; and in 650B. Is it just the whole geometry/ride sensation that makes it special? Just wondering. Looks fun anyway. Thanks
Hey just wondering how tall you are to compare sizing ideas. I know I should go to a local shop and I've been to a fitter but just want your impression on the size you rode since I ride the same ballpark road frame. Thanks!
I'm very confused about about the sizing when I look at the geo charts for this bike, I want to buy a frameset but unsure what size to get, I'm 5" 7" and normally ride a 54cm road bike.
@@PathLessPedaledTV That's because reading the MS geometry chart, the effective top tube is 54 cm in "50 cm" size. (Traditional bike geometry has 1:1 top tube:seat tube ratio, but in MS the seat tube is angled so 50 cm seat tube becomes probably something like 53 cm, while retaining the 53 cm top tube).
No kidding, everyone mentions how this bike wouldn’t exactly be considered “light.” To me the fact that it weighs identical to the Cannondale top stone which is aluminum w/ carbon fork but offers the rugged properties of steel is amazing.
Corin J yeah but you can find specs on the weight of these bikes on the surly site and a complete set up isn’t far off from this even in bigger sizes. With a few different components on a surly frame set you won’t shed a ton of weight but you will definitely find a happy medium considering it’s chromoly.
Misquoted the MSRP. Actually $1800 not 2k as stated in the vid.
Path Less Pedaled $1800 is a ripoff.
You did not say if you'd pay your own money for it. :)
It's back up to $2,000 now.
Path Less Pedaled --> It's hard to find reviews & feedback from someone near my size. I feel we are similar in that. I'm ~5'7" w/ ~30" inseam.
Great bike but over priced... In the UK the frame alone is nearly a grand.
I had a 10 minute test ride of the Midnight Special on the road over a year ago and my brain melted too. I thought it felt great, although it was only a short ride. Even perhaps more than the suppleness of the tyres, I thought the balance between butt and hands was more comfortable and even than any bike I'd previously ridden. It felt like riding a zippy bike on the clouds, while being perfectly balanced on the sadde/handlebars.
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, built it up from a frame for about $1600 . Went flat bar with mixed Xt/slx groupset. Went on my first long gravel ride yesterday and gotta say this thing shreds. Stayed planted on the super steep climbs and went down some really technical descents and it handled it all amazingly. Been hitting single track on my way to work everyday and it just eats it up. Love this thing.
This has been my main bike for over a year. Did ride the Rockies on it last year. Most fun bike ever
That's a solid compliment. I live in the San Juan Mountains and have been looking at steel frames to build up. This and the Soma Fog Cutter are two of my top choices.
Awesome, looking at doing the same
After riding all kinds of mountain bikes the Midnight Special is my main bike now. It feels great and is fun. Sometimes I make a detour so I can ride it a little longer…
My husband just upgraded to this bike. He swapped the fork to carbon from his old gestalt 2 Marin and it's a beast now. Don't think he'll be buying another bike anytime soon lots of room to grow with this rig
I build one up from the frame with a solid grx groupset and ritchey carbon parts (and a brooks b15 saddle😊). I use it as my comuter and I love this bike. It got all you need and a little bit more.
I currently have a midnight special set up with 2” cx race mountain bike tires and it’s a beast on single track! It’s a little slower and much louder on the pavement but I think the trade off is worth it if you want to get a little more gnarly in the woods. It’s pretty rocky and rooty where I live and it really opened up what’s “rideable” on a gravel bike. Great in muddy and sandy, loose stuff too. That being said I’ve also ride it with 700x38 tires and easily kept up on group road rides. Make it your own! Great platform/blank canvas. (I switched out the fork) I have a specialized sequoia carbon fork on with adventure mounts on it and often ride with anything cages and load it up for trips to the beach.
Your review helped me decide on a MS. Just built one up from a frameset with SRAM Apex 1 and some custom wheels I built with wider WTB rims. Fun bike!
Solid review man. I got mine, as far as I know the first bought in Anchorage. Was totally pumped. Traveled to Florida and Vegas for work 3 days after I got it so I brought it with me. Put a broken in Brooks B-17 seat on it and some matching Brooks tape. I’ve done 3 century rides on it so far with no complaints. Rode a lot of mixed terrain and climates. It completely changed my outlook on “road bikes” if that’s what you’d consider it. I’d be interested to see your comparison between the Midnight Special/Kona Rove/All-City Guerrilla Monsoon and hear your thoughts on how they stack against each other.
Jonathan, how much weight have you carried on your Midnight Special?
Great review! This sounds like the bike I am looking for. I wanted a steel bike with nimble geometry. Short wheelbase and chainstays with a steep head angle A fast road/gravel bike with 650b wheels.
Did you end up getting the Mightnight Special?
Just got mine. Love it! Super zippy and supple! The metalic lilac is beautiful as well! The fork is fine 🤣
Yes what’s ur size?
I'm 5 ft 10 inches. I got a 56 cm frame. I'd recommend you try the 54 cm frame and see which of the two you prefer. The 56 works fine for me.
I just bought my frameset and the components.. super excited to build it up!
Thanks for the great review! After much research on the road plus platform, I ordered a 64cm through my LBS. Demos are rare in my size for anything so it was a bit of leap of faith. So far I'm really happy with the ride. I notice alot of the same characteristics you described. Glad to hear I'm not imagining things! I will add one bit of tall guy perspective. I used to own a first gen Fargo and Ogre, and a more recent Specialized AWOL. One big challenge with tour/gravel/commute bikes at 6'4" is that frames get really big! Obvious, but the other downside is they loose quickness, handling, springiness, and other benefits of steel. Those bikes in XXL size felt big and slow and dumpy. 650-road-plus for tall riders might seem counter-intuitive big the platform creates a compact and agile feel with all the stability I need. I hope that's useful to the taller folks considering this bike. Thanks again and I appreciate the work you do. Mark from Boulder CO.
markgershfeld great perspective- still have bike ? Do you feel it in your arms ? Is it too race oriented?
I’m 6’5” and haven’t been able to find one to try at a LBS. sounds like 64cm would be my size. What about 650b with a 64cm frame?
Just bought the last 60 cm frame you can find - this bike’s demand is insane. Set it up with 105 - love this channel
Would you tell me your height please ? I know size doesn't matter but I'm 6'3 tall and 'still hesitate between the 60 cm and 64 cm frame. Greetings from nothern France !
Btw great review as usual!
@@mathiskrawczyk7520 What did you get in the end? I'm 190cm and would never go above 58cm TT length :D Then again, i like them twisty turns too much.
@@moltam99 I finally go to the 60 cm. I think it's the best choice. I've not received it yet. It's still difficult to buy a bike without trying it... We'll see.
I have one for few weeks and I agree the ride is pretty unique experience - any small rocks, wood or holes, it doesn't even feel like going through but the bike is still fast as what I would expect from a road bike. I ride it in hilly Seattle for commute and took it last weekend to iron horse trail towards Snoqualmie pass - this thing flies at gravel. I was also surprised how much traction it had on the snow, didn't expect from slick tires. For sizing, I ride 54cm Roubaix, and 54cm Midnight special feels as perfect size.
Good to know on sizing. I have a tough fitting on Surly bikes for some reason.
Michal Antolik Hey Michal, I’m considering a Midnight Special, care to post a 1 year update?
@@jaredgood1642 sorry, didn't see the comment. It's awesome bike, pretty much the only one I ride in the last 2 years (except mtn bike) - all road - all purpose bike. I've done multiple upgrades - most notable new wheels - and with 42mm supple tires (sweet spot for this bike imho) this bike rides like a king.
@@MichalAntolik hi mate... just wondering how tall are you? Ive just put a deposit on a MS one of the local bike shop, Im 173cm short legs/insean 28-30ish im in between size & the staff recommend Il be fine with 54cm no available size for me to fit, but he let me sit on a bombtrack on a medium, so he said its almost same size as the Surly MS 54cm, hope its the correct fit for me or else i have to wait for september for the next batch... Thank you in advance!!
@@Baksan_Dog1988 I'm slightly taller - but I've tried 51 before ordering and it was way too small. Enjoy your new ponny, it sure will be awesome!
Excellent review Russ. Very thorough review regarding how the bike rides/performs and contrasting with other bikes in the market. Feels like I learn more from these reviews than my own test rides :). Had you opted for the size 50cm, you would have found the handling even quicker ( 72 vs 71.5 head angle).
Waiting for your journeyman review!
I was looking to get into biking of sorts and I wasn’t sure what to get so I started to lean toward gravel bikes and I’ve been trying to narrow things down. Had my eyes on the Cannondale topstone until the other day I rode my buddies Surly Cross Check and kinda fell in love. Now the MS is calling me but considering the current limitations on inventory I’m considering just the frame and spec’ing it to my liking.
I want a bike that has longer chain stays(no more heal strikes), More room between the pedal and front tire(no more toe strikes) I want friction shifters, lots of braze-ons, I want it set up for disc and rim brakes. I could go on and on...
Not much to really know about through axles. It's a design intended to increase stiffness between the dropouts and hub, reducing suspension flex. But on rigid bikes, it isn't an issue. And with rear axle spacing and cassette body width increasing, it made sense in the rear as well. Plus, they're larger diameter, so they can be thinner wall, so lighter, and also stiffer. The other big advantage of through axle is disc brake security. On earlier disc brake bikes, front wheels had a small chance of slipping out of the dropout under hard braking. Lawyer lips usually prevented it, but still there were issues with quick releases not holding as well as they should. Through axles completely solve this potential problem. Kill a few birds with one stone.
Thanks for the review! I agree completely, it is an awesome time to be riding bikes! I see this bike as not just a fun weekend bike but an ultimate city/commuting and light touring/utility frame. This category may just result in another quiver bike or one to rule them all, only time will tell. Can't wait to get your opinion on the Journeyman! Cheers! #supplelife
The fact you can’t pin it down is what makes it awesome. Like you said in one of your most recent videos - having the perfect bike isn’t fun!
Thank you. I don't know what to choose between a MS and a straggler. My main road is to work, 20kms/day (12 miles), with 90% asphalt (with beautiful potholes), and 10% lighty dirty road. I'm 1m85 size (6.05 feet). I search a cycle light, quite fast on asphalt with low/middle "climbs" and who can brings light saddlebags. And able to take cool dirty roads when necessary. The MS seems more strong than the straggle, but this last one seems more efficient on asphalt.
What would I be really missing out by getting the Straggler over the Midnight Special? Apart from the tyre clearance...which at 41mm is more than enough for me as a roadie my whole life, 28mm was massive lol. The Straggler is cheaper too...
really informative and thorough. Thanks Russ!
Check out the 650b Straggler or the new 650b Nature Boy and Macho Man for a real head scratcher when it comes to smol wheel geometry. Sub 1000mm wheelbases and 405mm chainstays, so #tukt! They're a little slacker in the head tube than the MS but must still be real snappy- I hope I can ride one soon.
Love your reviews! I have subscribed. You are awesome. Thank you!😍
Usually, bikes like this are captivating at first glance, and that sparkle wears off.. I hated the MS for weeks, for months, made no sense to me after the Gorilla Monsoon, seemed like a cheap way out for peeps who couldn't swing a Cosmic Stallion... but more and more, this thing really shines. Unicrown for the braze-snobs to gtfo, little wheels for sharp handling, low center of gravity to balance the geometry.. hell yeah. This bike is designed to be a middle finger to the boutique niches of high end gravel. It's the most weirdly compelling bike in its 'category'. Pricey for the spec, though - go with a frameset and then hop onto Wiggle for the group.
Any obvious complication with going Di2 for this frame? With seat post battery or whatnot....... For swapping between 700x25-32 and 650x47-60 with minimal complication, electronic would seem more reliable. And Etap shifts differently from what I'm used to. In addition to being priced more like Dura Ace than Ultegra.....
@@paulnorman8274 Its steel (and not thinn walled) you can drill it.
i ride a singlespeed surly steamroller which is a track/road bike with 40 mm tires and it handles anything: touring, offroad, road, bikepacking etc. flexibility is the beauty of almost all surly bikes. i would be interested in the midnight special but 650b is maybe too small for me.
650b and 700c end up being the same circumference usually.
Great review. I’ve been waiting for a video review. You need to review the Breezer Dopplar and Radar bikes!
I've noticed on a couple of your reviews that you're approximating sized based on effective top tube, and it bit you on this one. The better metric is stack and reach.
Just got mine. THis bike RIPS
what frame size you got and your height my friend???
@@Baksan_Dog1988 I’m 6’3 and got a 60...fits great
Excellent review! Very thorough. Thank you so much!
Now I want to see your opinion of the bridge club
This thing sounds awesome!
Your description of the ride qualities makes this sound like a ideal, albeit expensive commuter bike.
Top Shelf Hauler's dream gotta have her in my stable.... SURLY the best
On his youtube channel, Dustin Klein just rode an Opus Horizon 1. I think it would compare favorable with this Surly. Plus it is fully carbon, so much lighter. Both bikes can take a 700c x 42 tire, for us taller guys.
I just got one and I like it a lot so far. I discounted it at first but it really closely meets my needs. I had a Novara Verita before, which I liked a lot but just wanted to put some fatter tires on for the shock absorption even just on rough paved roads (we have some poorly maintained side streets in Portland). Come to find out there was just no way to make it happen.
What the Midnight Special does for me is works great as a light weight fast (enough for me) road bike that feels so good to ride and which I can basically take anywhere. I've done some day gravel rides on it and it feels good. For me I think it could be my only bike, although if I really got into big week long bike packing trips, I might want something more specialized. I don't have the time for that any time soon though.
The only thing is I'm starting to think 1x really might not be enough. Like you, I'll try to make it work and probably come to the same conclusion. I might try a slightly smaller chain ring on it because in stock form I don't use the top gear on flats. But maybe when I've worn this chain ring out (or get fed up) I'll make it a 2x. For me it's about the steep climbs.
Would be great if you could your hands on an Open U.P., Norco Search XR or even 3T Exploro. Would be interesting to compare all these bikes designed for 650B tires but for different purposes and varied frame materials.
Trying our best to get those to review!
I've got one, but set up with 700c wheels and 28mm Gatorskins. Definitely heavier than other road bikes, but a smooth, whisper-quiet ride.
How do the Gators ride? I opted for the Schawalbe instead.
Do you test with 38mm?
Love the aggressive geometry with fat tires, but the price is crazy. Mechanical disc brakes and a steel fork at 2k?
This exactly--unacceptable spec for this bike at the price point.
Exactly my thoughts.
Damn, how hard can it be to put some hydraulic disc brakes? Of course, you will have less profit, but wouldn't you also want to sell that damn bike?
For that price, is nothing competitive for me.
Why wouldn't you just buy a better equipped cylcocross bike?
But most surly riders want a steel fork
The hydraulics is a deal breaker for me. Was not a big deal to replace on my troll with MTB type brakes but pretty pricey to upgrade brifters.... I'll stick with the Troll for now. Was hoping to get a more nimble, bullet proof bike I can use for a commute and then a quick gravel ride add-on when the mood hits.
You could get the frame and add the components you want but that also gets expensive.
I was told that some people prefer mechanical brakes due to easier maintenance and repairs.
i test rode 2 hours. super sweet bike! the price isnt right though
Russ, have you ever seen any sort of caps made to cover the cable stops on a traditional down-tube? I ran my 1x11 cable housing all the way back to the derailleur on my MS and don’t need the stops. Id like to dress the braze-ons up somehow.
Can you tell me if the original wheels that come with it are tubeless?
Just curious how this compares to the salsa journeyman? Which is better performance for gravel/light touring/pavement? Thanks!
Keep on coming with those bike reviews!
What’s the size you used for the Surly Midnight Special?
How upright is the MS? I’m looking to sell my hardcore gravel as i just dont hit gravel but like 20-40 mile comfortable rides. Txs and keep up the reviews!
I don't know if you've thought about it yet, but try an Otso Warakin, it can run big tires (at 700c or 650b ) and, b/c of the stainless steel frame, it's a lovely ride.
Steel, yes. stainless, no. there are very few bikes with stainless frames and this is not one. 4130 is Chromoly steel, and it is still pretty good though.
Midnight Special vs Soma Wolverine? What do we think?
I'm surprised you haven't made a Disc Trucker review yet :)
That’s a good bike
I wish I could afford $ 2000.
I'm 169 cm and I don't know whether to choose size 46 or 50. 50 is a bit long. For me, 53 cm horizontally is ideal. on the 46 the seat tube is quite short. my saddle settings are 67.5 cm (leg 78.cm). Won't 46 be enough?
I have gravel Bianchi via nirone 7 allroad size 50 and Rondo Ruut ST1 size S and its ideal.
Great review, Russ, thanks! Sounds like an awesome and very versatile road/gravel/touring bike!
How does the ride compare to the crosscheck/straggler?
Great review. This would be a good for the road. Those 650B tires make the ride smoother.I’m sure you would spend a lot of time over the bars on the gravel. I’m looking for you to do a review on the Bridge Club that just came out in the future.
+1 for the Bridge Club
Since you are on so many bikes, I would suggest using the frame REACH dimension rather than TT length to choose your size. Enjoy your content.
I chose the 46 based on the dimensions of the bike I'm most comfortable with, the Vaya in a 54, which has a reach measurement within 2mm of each other. It's bizarre.
Think i have watched this review +30 times ...i bought a cheap Chinese TI CX frame ofr postmount and through axles (approx same price as this frameset) in 2015-16 but the geometry was never really what i wanted and also a to big for me with a gigantic stack and very tight standover height. Today i finally placed an order for a 54cm blue MS frameset 54cm, a Tubus Duo low-rider rack & Ortleib gravel-pack front panniers (along with a set of Campagnolo H11 brifters/discbrakes & a 14-34 cassette). Expect everthing to arrive in Copenhagen within 5-7 days and then ill pack tent, sleeping-bag and will ride south in direction of Gibraltar until Covid-19 numbers is too high for me. Right now it looks like approx the spanish border, but Southern Germany and France is nice too - and hopefully a lot warmer than Denmark this summer which has been more like autumn so far. Would have gotten the 56 if it had come with the 50mm fork for even lower trail, but it doesn't
Hi thanks for the review. In your experience would this bike become slower in the steering with 700x40s or just remain the same ?
I had mine set up with 700x38 gravel kings and it rode and handled great.
What are your thoughts on using this bike for a 400 mile bike tour from Spokane to Seattle?
I plan on renting it from a shop. They also have a Disc Trucker (would be the standard choice) but I want to spice things up a little.
Would be a blast. Would advise to pack as light as possible.
@@PathLessPedaledTV that's generally my philosophy... That rarely becomes reality. 😬
This is a great question. I personally feel that the classic touring bikes like the Disk Trucker are way overbuilt than needed. Sure if you dont mind hauling the extra 10lbs these bike weigh then go for it. If you are going to carry less than 30lbs ... which is still a lot of gear! .... then bikes like the Midnight Special will do just fine .... and be more fun to ride when your not touring with it. Geese ... I rode across the country 30 years ago on a cheap steel frame (like everyone else at the time!) . Those bikes still weighed a lot less than modern touring bikes and never broke. More likely the racks broke! I just love seeing this new breed of bicycle that just makes so much sense. Gravel capable. Fun and still efficient to ride on roads. Eyelets for racks and fenders. Wider tires for cushier rides. There a lot of examples coming out now to look at to. I just picked up a Diamondback Haanjo for example. In any case. Dont think twice about Midnight Special for a bike tour.
@@lawrencecohen8248 Just took mine on a 10 day 1200km tour fitted with a Tubus Duo front lowrider rack and a pair of Ortlieb front panniers - it was a blast!
I carried:
8kg in the Ortlibes (tent, pad, sleeping bag, towel and gas stove in one side - ipad, clothes, birkenstock's and toilet/hygeene stuff in the other side)
2kg in a 4L framebag for in-ride acessories, layers, powerbank, and food (incl the all essential night camp beer)
2kg in a 4L seatbag for tools, spare tyre, tubes and tools i might need - didn't need any of it.
+ 3 water bottles, the 3rd cage does really make a difference when its +30 degree celcius.
The MS is a near perfect bike for this kind of touring - at least in densly populated west and northern europe where we don't have 200 miles of uninterrupted dirt roads and everything is mixed surface. 75km on the Elbe-Lübeck canal was the longest stretch of unpaved surface i managed to find.
Do you find that the Midnight SpeciaL planes for you as mentioned in your Space Horse review?
For me the MS did not plane, but was still quick to accelerate and climb.
Bicycle Quarterly claimed it did plane to a small extent, but I believe their lead reviewer, Jan Heine, rides a larger frame size than Russ.
what's that bag on your bar?
Great content!👍
What sort of front end handling do you recommend for longer rides with a modest load in the front handlebar bags/forks?
I've not tried it personally yet, but would look at the Surly Packrat which is supposedly optimized for front loads. Otherwise, lower trail bikes like the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler.
I have a Rawland Ravn, which is awesome with a front load.
So would you say this is the best on road like the Long Haul trucker and the best off-road like a gravel bike do you believe that this would be the best bike for both purposes when I get rid of my mountain bike and you know and I'm trying to buy that dual sport if you will so is this it would you be able to compare The Best of Both Worlds and the lht and also this did I ask the question properly
It doesn’t replace a mountain bike on technical single track.
Hi Russ. As you talk about tourers. If you get any chance at all, do you want to think about reviewing the Kona Sutra? Both really, the Sutra and the LTD. All the best :)
I can always try!
How does this compare with something like the Cannondale Bad Boy 1 for suburban/rural commuting? They both have 650b wheels, allow for big tires, but the Cannondale has a belt drive system vs the traditional chain on this. How does the belt system work in a place like Oregon where it rains every day?
Good question. Haven’t ridden many belt drive bikes. Would contact Joe Bike in PDX. They sell a lot of them.
I have a Surly ogre with a Jones loop bar and love the riding position. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions regarding how well the Midnight Special would work with Jones bars? Is the geometry compatible or is this a ridiculous notion? On that note, I would love to see you do a review and hear your thoughts about what kind of bikes work best with a Jones style bar. Thanks.
From talking to Jeff Jones, bikes with shorter top tubes would work best. The bars are meant to be almost Dutch style upright. Planning to do a vid on recommended setup. It could technically work on the MS, but who knows how it would ride?!
Thanks. That is interesting information. The Ogre I purchased came stock from Surly with the Jones H Bar a couple of years ago. The top tube length for a large, which is what I have was 590mm on the Ogre and the top tube length on the Midnight Special (56cm) is 564. So the top tube is indeed shorter for the Midnight Special than it was for the Ogre (Assuming my large Ogre is equivalent to a 56 cm M.S.) This only makes me more curious as to how a Midnight Special would handle with the Jones. Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful reply and if you have any other thoughts regarding this, let us know. You Rock! (Suppley, of course).
You mentioned getting different gears for going up hills. What makes a gear set good for hills?
Lower the better.
What was the size of this Surly MS and your height? Just a reference and guide for buying the appropriate frame size. Thank you and stay safe
Sooo if you were looking at a gravel/light bikepacking bike that's still alright in the road would you go for Midnight or Straggler? Maybe 700c? Thanks!
I personally wouldn't go 700c because I'm a shorter rider. Honestly, both those bikes are capable. I'd swap out the tires depending on the use. Of the two, the Midnight Special would be the better road bike at the end of the day.
Path Less Pedaled thanks!! I enjoy your work 😊
You might be a genius! I have wanted a bike that was basically a road bike I could also take on gravel when I found a cool trail to try. It sounds like this might be the perfect bike for me. I'm a tall rider 6'5" or 6'3" so I have to start looking into the difference between 650 and 700 rims. Otherwise, this sounds like it could be the bike for me.
Are there any others you would recommend that are like the Midnight Special and in this same price range or less?
Heyhey and greetings from Finland! I'm wondering about the same exact questions you were on this thread 2 years ago. May I ask for your experience with the 650b tires if you ended up getting them? How are they when cycling on the road? I'm thinking about getting a Surly midnight special with 650b 47mm tires and thinking if 700c and narrower tires (like 40mm) would fit my needs better. Hmm. I'm 191cm and will ride the bike probably like 70/30 onroad/offroad. I'm not looking forward to going the speed of light, but since I'll be riding on the road quite a lot, I'm looking for something that will ride as smooth as possible... The tires the Surly has are quite slick so not much of a resistance on that side, but overall I feel like the tires are quite wide. Thanks a lot for your time and I appreciate your answer!! :)
Nice channel, nice review, thanks.
I’m looking to buy a Soma Wolverine with 650b, how does Midnight special, gorilla monsoon, and kona sutra/rove LTD compare? I’m going to be pavement commuting during the week, and bikepacking on weekends through woods, and longer road sections.
Thanks!
That’s a big question to answer in a comment. We can get in the weeds here. pathlesspedaled.bigcartel.com/category/consultation
Great review! Quite informative, and I noticed many of the same points when I test rode a 54! I did notice that the gearing seemed rather high, even for the city streets I tested on. Do you feel that a 46/30 crank with a wide range cassette would help take on more intense singletrack and/or hills? I'm planning a wierd bikepacking build and your insight would be appreciated.
Love the 46/30. I think that's the more appropriate crankset for most people not interested in racing.
Pretty cool reivew. Does anyone know which bag Russ has to the right of the stem in the videos? I have (& love) a revelate feed bag, curious how this one is designed.
Bedrock Tapeats. Love it!
Thanks for the review! I have the Gorilla Monsoon, but am thinking heavily about the MS.
The GM at 30lbs is hefty, although it does ride better that my Van Dessel WTF Ltd (same weight).
Im still torn, do I want a MS??? or stick with my GM???
MS is a lot more lively IMO. Would be a riot with 2.1s.
Was there any rotor rub with the TA/QR axles?
Not sure what to make of this. Just a steel fork, no tapered steerer tube and it doesn't even have a replacable derailleur hanger!? Looks just kinda old. For about 2k I don't really see much appeal in this bike. Feels as if I'm missing something.
It’s a lot for what it is, but the fat tires do make it interesting.
Misquote the MSRP. Actually 1800.
Thank you for the clarification. I'd still rather have a replacable derailleur hanger. And hydraulic disc brakes while I'm at it. Even if it was only on an Apex groupset.
You can put a tapered fork on it as it has a 44mm headtube.
A replaceable derailure hanger on a steel bike does not make sense (if it bends you just bend it back) - neither does a tapered steel fork. 1 1/8 steel is super stiff and you dont have challenges in terms of sharp edges and carbon layup as its TIG welded steel.
Frame will fit a fork with a capered carbon steerer just fine.
Hey Russ, did you try putting a rack on those fork shoulder eyelets? if so, which rack? those braze-ons looked angled and like they'd only fit certain specific racks
I didn’t. I think they are specific to Surly racks.
right, because i guess the surly 8/24 pack racks mount don't mount to the hole in the crown of the fork. but the stock fork does that hole so it's a moot point.
Tubus Duo and Tara's will fit perfectly fine on the Surly fork with the standart fittings - i expect other well known racks will fit fine too.
Great review, Im a 173 cm heigh is 54 frame good for me?
50cm mate I reckon..
Thank you for this review! :) When you say light touring, how light are you thinking? I currently have a AWOL (Specialized) that simply feels too heavy and slow for every day commuting and I only really go touring 2 or 3 times a year for no longer than 2 weeks (light touring with two rear panniers, reevaluate harness on the handlebars, and two king cages on the fork). Essentially, I’ve realized I don’t need a full blown touring bike and the amount of commuting I do every day out-ways the perks of a stable touring machine that I only really need a couple of times in the year.
I like the road geometry, steel frame and relative quickness and responsiveness, but do you think it would handle well for a light touring trip (loaded, 4-6 hours daily rides for about two weeks at a time)?
Light touring as in probably wouldn’t load it up with more than 30lbs. Would def handle a 2 week tour well.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Sorry to necro this thread - but would you want to do 50 miles a day on this bike? I assume from your answer that you think you could for a few weeks? I really want a Midnight Special, but I am beginning to do longer rides and 3-5 day bike-packing trips. Would you ride this for long miles a day?
@@MrMortrisha Yeah. It would be a fun bike for that. Really depends on getting it fit to how you like to ride.
Hi Russ, thanks very much for the review. I've only recently come across your channel but it's quickly become one of my favourites. I was just wondering if you could shed any more light on what went wrong with the sizing; do you know if Surly's geometry chart is correct? Any further info would be really appreciated, as I'm considering buying one but am not able to get to a dealership.
Surly is known for sort of long top tubes. Knowing this, I over corrected and requested one that was a size too small.
@@PathLessPedaledTV ahhh ok, sorry I didn't quite understand that from the video. Thanks for the clarification!
How does it perform if you install 700c wheels?
Great channel. Keep it up,
Thanks. Will do!
Hey Russ - I've made a spreadsheet of your bike reviews in order to summarized your points and because I'm a noob who can't remember specs from one video to another. The Midnight Special is near the top of my list (hoping to purchase a bike this winter/spring) and I'm hoping you can clarify what you mean by keeping the load "light". I'm able to backpack with a 20-22 lb pack and suspect my load weight would be similar for bike packing but I'm new to bike packing so I don't know for sure. Would that be a light enough load for the midnight special? What about up to 30 lbs? I'm picturing myself doing 3-day trips in the John Day/Eastern Oregon gravel road arena...thanks so much!!
Light IMO would be sub 30lbs.
@@PathLessPedaledTV thanks!
Is the Midnight Special *efficient* ? Is it going to make use of all the energy you deliver on a long ride or will the energy be sapped in frame flex?
Yes.
Love it, then ❤️
Hi, can you review the eddy mekz hageland? :D
Hi, really love you channel! I'm looking to get midnight special for my first full sized bike. The problem is, this bike is only available in other city, so try on is not possible. I'm 175cm tall (almost 5'9"), and the available size is only 50 and 54. Which one do you think is my best bet? Thanks before.
Depends how aggressive you ride. 50 would be the better fit if you want something more upright.
@@PathLessPedaledTV yup I guess I better go for 50, and later change the stem for longer one if I decided to go aggresive. Because I'm worried for the stand over height of 54, its not funny to get an injured crotch LOL thanks a lot for the advice.
Hey Russ have you guys looked at the Ibis Hakka MX?
Yes. They didn't have any demos available when we contacted them last.
Path Less Pedaled the only way I was able to demo one is I found a shop in Harrisonburg VA who let me test ride a custom build they just finished. I put my order in and it's a 5 week wait. It'll be worth it. Hopefully you guys get one soon I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it.
i have the Surly Packrat, crazy fun bike, would be interesting to see a comparison with the MN Special (both are 650b)...
Cool. Didn't realize the Packrat was 650b.
looks like its staying under the radar, still cannot find any reviews online.....im gonna take it from Amsterdam to Marocco and beyond....maybe put a review of it myself in a couple of weeks?, im totally in love with that thing!
Agreed! Along with the Straggler 650b
any comment on the Packrat when unloaded? Still not many reviews online (this channel had one, not much else....). You seem to like it, I'd love to see your review, or even just comments here
Is a 47mm tire now a fat tire ? Rivendell bikes have had at least a few models forever to accommodate this size; and in 650B. Is it just the whole geometry/ride sensation that makes it special? Just wondering. Looks fun anyway. Thanks
It’s “fat” for traditional roadies. Yes. It’s the combo of aggressive geo and fat tire that is unique.
Path Less Pedaled Ok, that’s what I thought. I tend to think of fat as ca’ 4”+ tire. Thanks
Hey just wondering how tall you are to compare sizing ideas. I know I should go to a local shop and I've been to a fitter but just want your impression on the size you rode since I ride the same ballpark road frame. Thanks!
I’m 5’8. The bike I tested was def a size too small.
Thanks! I'm the same height and was thinking a 50 frame would fit me better@@PathLessPedaledTV
I'm very confused about about the sizing when I look at the geo charts for this bike, I want to buy a frameset but unsure what size to get, I'm 5" 7" and normally ride a 54cm road bike.
I'm 5'8, 29" inseam and am usually a 52 on most road bikes but a 50 in Surly.
@@PathLessPedaledTV thanks Russ 👍👍
@@PathLessPedaledTV That's because reading the MS geometry chart, the effective top tube is 54 cm in "50 cm" size. (Traditional bike geometry has 1:1 top tube:seat tube ratio, but in MS the seat tube is angled so 50 cm seat tube becomes probably something like 53 cm, while retaining the 53 cm top tube).
Anyone tried this with flatbars? Is it too quick (in the steering) for that?
Russ have you had a chance to review a Fatback bike?
No. Haven’t.
Should come with Sram E Tap for that price.
What bike under 2k comes with SRAM Etap?
@@PathLessPedaledTV Was a joke but I love the channel. Good work.
@@phxrsx Ha! I never know. Some people have wild expectations for what a bike should cost and include :)
You always have so much attention to what's on your computer screen! Check out that Surley page!
What is that bag
23 pounds for a steel bike? wow
No kidding, everyone mentions how this bike wouldn’t exactly be considered “light.” To me the fact that it weighs identical to the Cannondale top stone which is aluminum w/ carbon fork but offers the rugged properties of steel is amazing.
But this was a really small frame
Corin J yeah but you can find specs on the weight of these bikes on the surly site and a complete set up isn’t far off from this even in bigger sizes. With a few different components on a surly frame set you won’t shed a ton of weight but you will definitely find a happy medium considering it’s chromoly.