Surly Grappler 27.5 Steel

The Grappler is Surly's drop-bar trail bike, which means mountain bike geometry with a drop bar rather than a gravel bike with extra clearance. It is lively on singletrack, doubletrack, and neglected fire roads, and the hand position suits long days better than a flat bar for a lot of riders. Frame and fork are 4130 chromoly with Surly's 'Natch tubing, a double-butted main triangle, TIG welding, and an E.D. coating inside and out so it does not rust from within.

The details are aimed at people who build bikes rather than just buy them. Gnot-Boost rear spacing accepts 142 or 148 mm hubs, horizontal slotted dropouts allow singlespeed or internally geared hub setups, and thru-axles front and rear keep things stiff. There is stealth dropper routing in the seat tube, three-pack mounts at the top and bottom of the down tube, and a full complement of rack and fender mounts on both the frame and fork, including low-rider mounts on the fork blades. Clearance runs to 27.5 by 2.8 inch tires. The bottom bracket is threaded BSA.