# My Surly Ogre Bikepacking Rig - Ridden & Reviewed



## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

Hi everyone. Been riding Surly bikes for 5 years now. I started with the Long Haul Trucker and rode that thing across the U.S. back in 2014. What a trip. Later on, I've taken the LHT to other places around the glob and transformed it in many ways. I retired the frame after it cracked at the chainstay. I then picked up the Surly Ogre and built it up custom. I rode it over the Valles Caldera Supervolcano and I wanted to give you my full breakdown and thoughts on the bike.

I wrote a full review with images and video on my blog about it. I'll answer any questions you may have regarding this bike. You can check out the blog post on the bike here... https://biketoursbymanualpedal.com/surly-ogre-bikepacking-rig-review/

Images of my bike in action below


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

Sweet write up and pics!! Getting me pumped for my first long ride ever next year...short by your standards, but long for me!! 

My Krampus that will be my ride...


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

str8edgMTBMXer said:


> Sweet write up and pics!! Getting me pumped for my first long ride ever next year...short by your standards, but long for me!!
> 
> My Krampus that will be my ride...


Thank you for the kind words! Yes, that sounds awesome. The Krampus is a great bike that I almost took on until they expanded the use of 27.5x3.0 on the newly designed Ogre's. Have a nice trip, my friend.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

bikeeverywhereny said:


> Thank you for the kind words! Yes, that sounds awesome. The Krampus is a great bike that I almost took on until they expanded the use of 27.5x3.0 on the newly designed Ogre's. Have a nice trip, my friend.


yep!! I am excited for some shorter prep rides this winter as well. I think my plan is to ride a trail up in Michigan in the spring...the White Pine Trail, or maybe the GAP/C&O trail from Pittsburgh to DC


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## Yeah right (Jun 1, 2019)

cowlickkid said:


> Nice post on the blog. One question for you, I noticed you are using flat mount calipers with mountain bike levers. What exact model of calipers and levers are you using and do they work well together?
> 
> I have a Kona Sutra LTD frame that I will be building up and it has flat mount brake fittings but I want to use mountain bike bars on it, not drops. So I want to find a flat mount caliper/mountain bike lever combo that will work well together.


The site specifically says TRP Spyre cable brakes and the pictures show post mount. I'd really doubt that an Ogre would have flat mount anyway. Levers are Avid. I assume Speed Dual levers. Though not really made for road cable pull, they apparently have enough leverage adjustment range for the road cable pull of the Spyres.

If you want to use mountain levers on your Kona, it's easy enough to find flat mount to post mount adapters.


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

str8edgMTBMXer said:


> yep!! I am excited for some shorter prep rides this winter as well. I think my plan is to ride a trail up in Michigan in the spring...the White Pine Trail, or maybe the GAP/C&O trail from Pittsburgh to DC


Great idea. I do this before taking on big and/or extended trips. I usually go to local state parks to do overnighters or weekend trips leading into the grand finale.


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

cowlickkid said:


> Nice post on the blog. One question for you, I noticed you are using flat mount calipers with mountain bike levers. What exact model of calipers and levers are you using and do they work well together?
> 
> I have a Kona Sutra LTD frame that I will be building up and it has flat mount brake fittings but I want to use mountain bike bars on it, not drops. So I want to find a flat mount caliper/mountain bike lever combo that will work well together.


Thanks for the kind words. Yeah so those levers are the Avid FR-5's which you can find here... https://amzn.to/2ASiN9t. I've had them for over 5 years and took them off my old Long Haul Trucker. They're great levers and still pull find today.


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

cowlickkid said:


> I looked closer at the photos and familiarized myself with the Spyre's and you are correct they aren't flat mount. I know I can use adapters and post mount calipers but was thinking it would be nice to eliminate the adapters and use flat mount calipers with mountain levers. Thanks for the input.


No problem. The TRP's are the way to go if you want a dual actuation mechanical setup. Hadn't had any problems with them yet. They're also very easy to adjust.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

bikeeverywhereny said:


> Great idea. I do this before taking on big and/or extended trips. I usually go to local state parks to do overnighters or weekend trips leading into the grand finale.


yep...already have my Thanksgiving weekend planned at the local SP for camping and riding. This is also going to let me test out some of my new camping gear as well. The wife is in Detroit the whole weekend for work, so I am free to be an "outdoor guy" for 4 days!!!


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## Surly in OZ (Aug 2, 2011)

Hi mate, thats one of the nicest looking Ogre's I have seen. If I ever make over to N.Y, I will look you up for a ride. Nice video of your Valles Caldera Supervolcano ride too.

OZ.


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