The four season fun bike that’s going through some changes in preparation for this summer’s travels. As spec’d from Surly this is a great build, but there’s always room for improvement. Some of the noteworthy changes are:

• Surly Bud 4.8″ 120tpi front tire
• Chris King Headset
• Thomson Elite X4 90mm x 10° stem – I replaced the tiny 3mm bolts with 4mm stainless
• Jeff Jones 710mm Loop Bar cut to 690mm and taped for comfort
• Ergon GP1 BioKork grips
• Wellgo B144 platform pedals
• Hope FatSno 100mm stainless steel bottom bracket – I shortened the center sleeve to fit the Surly Mr. Whirly crankset
• Carver Ti seatpost
• Brooks B17 Special Edition saddle – well broken in from the past few years
• Shimano XT M772 GS medium cage rear derailleur

I understand why manufacturers equip bikes with generic seats, they are a personal choice and an easy cost cutting spot, but I wish a better seatpost came stock on an almost 2K bike. On the plus side, it came with a Mr. Whirly crankset, Avid BB7 brakes, and 9 speed Microshift thumb shifters, which I’ll take over any other derailleur shifter choice.

Bags are by Defiant Pack and Revelate Designs, downtube cage is a Blackburn Outpost Cargo Cage that fits a 48oz Nalgene, and the waterproof stuff sacks are US military surplus.