Karate Monkey

Here I am again, to tell you great stories of life and prosperity. K so i gots me a new bike. I recently purchased a Surly Karate Monkey frame. The beauty of the Karate Monkey is that it isnt labeled as any specific style of bicycle, it is one of the most versatile frames on the planet. It can be used as a 29" mountain bike, or a road bike, or a touring bike with 26" slicks. It can be run as a single speed with its horizontal drop outs(solid axle or QR), or as a full geared bike with the derailer hanger and cable stops. It also has the option for canti, V, or disc brakes.
Well... I built mine up as a 29er single speed mountain bike. It took me one long night of blood, sweat, tears, and a six pack of brew, its a good thing I built the wheels first. Shes a great looking bike i must say.


So... onto the ride. well i have a single speed, so ive got a bit of experience in that arena, but this was only my second 29er, rigid, single speed ride, and the first one was a kona chewie let me borrow for only a few days. First off i will never ride another 26er again. with me being as slow as i am, the ability to handle through the rough stuff at slow speeds is incredible. You can run strait into rocky step ups and get right on up and over with out going over the handle bars. the same goes for downhill sections... rolls right over the biggest rocks with no problem. Onto the rigid part, it is amazing the acceleration of a bike with no bob at all; pedal down bike go. however even with 2.3" wide tires with low pressure the ride is still a little taxing on the body.


The coolest thing about this bike is its versatility, I am thinking about taking her on a touring trip. By throwing on some gears, smoother tires, and some racks im in business. ill post up pics of that build when it happens. For now heres a couple pics of the night of her build.


at right: this is shortly after installing the headset... i went with the solos just to be different. Everybody has a King. plus the fact that it says solo is pretty cool. ha.
Chris Kings on Salsa Delgado Cross rims. 3x with DT Champions. Red alloy nipples. I used the King hubs i had from my old Santa Cruz, so i spaced them out for the single speed. people scoff but if i want to run gears all i have to do is throw on a cassette, especially since i cant afford a king ss hub.

These wheels were built by my so i know they are a quality set. That is one of the coolest things about this bike. The build was done completely by me. I know if something is out of whack it is on me. no blaming it on anyone else, in the same manner its comforting. So hopefully out of this bike come many interesting stories and adventures. till next time.