# Surly Lowside



## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

New to the forum, but not to biking and not to single speeds, so I thought a good way to introduce myself is share one of my favorite single speeds.

Hi, I'm a grandmother in her early 70s and a lifelong bike addict. Got the single speed bug about 5 or 6 years, back and now run 7 single speeds which I use both for road work and trail work.

One of my favs is the Surly Lowside. It's advertised by Surly as the ultimate pub cruiser or an adult BMX bike, given it's high rise steel handlebars. Don't know about the pub cruiser, because that's not my thing, but I do know that the Lowside is a wonderful combination of fun and comfort, either on the trail or the road. You can use the Lowside as a urban bomber or neighborhood cruiser or, as with any BMX bike, an all out aggressive trail cruncher. In fact, I have two Lowsides, one Lowside geared for my trail riding and one Lowside for my neighborhood cruises and runs into town for shopping.

This current version with the 26x3 wheels is the one I use for trails (I have built a system of trails on our property and can go trail riding, right outside my door). Changed out the factory supplied Dirt Wizards for the much faster and smoother rolling 26x3 Knards, because my trails are mostly hard pack dirt. Aggressive dirt and mud tires are way overkill. Set the Knards up tubeless, of course. 


At one point, I swapped out the heavy cast stem and uber heavy Surly Sunrise steel high rise handlebars for a Diety aluminum 80 mm rise bar and a light stem to reduce weight on both bikes. Doing so definitely reduced weight and made the steering quicker, but I found that I really missed the ride feel of the steel Sunrise bar. Just wasn't the same bike, either in ride feel or handling without those Surly Sunrise bars.

Back went the Sunrise handlebars, but I did compromise and went with a Paul special edition 22.2mm Boxcar stem. Voila! Reduced weight, but no loss of ride feel and handling via the Sunrise bars. For grips and even more comfort, I use Wolf Tooth Mega Fatpaw grips.

The Lowside I use for road cruising is the previous year's version of the Lowside (2019) . It runs 27.5x2.8" wheels and tires. Came with the very good Maxxis Rekon 2.8s, but since this is mostly a roadie and townie, I now run the very smooth rolling Schwalbe 27.5x2.8 Allrounds. 


It really is hard to avoid playing when riding the Surly Lowside. Just bike that makes you want to do the fun stuff. Keeps right up with my fully geared bikes on the techy trail stuff and I often go 20 plus miles on my road cruises. No kidding, if I still lived in the Chicago suburbs as I once did, I could easily use my Surly Lowside as my only bike or even my only means of transportation.


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## ranier (Sep 9, 2003)

I call BS. 70 yo grandma riding a SS Surly? Link to TikTok vid of you shredding????

btw- Surly Sunrise bars rock if a tad heavy.


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Call it whatever you want.  Sorry, I don't do videos, but come on up for a visit and try some of our excellent riding, up here, both trail and road.

I've been riding a bike ever since I was eight years old and I have NEVER stopped. When I turned 70, last year, I set out to prove I could still ride some big miles. I did 5,726 miles for the year. Almost 2000 of those miles were trail miles. Another 1000 miles were snow miles out on the road with a fat bike and, oh yes, a full third of those miles were single speed miles.

There's nothing fundamentally harder about single speeding than going fully geared. Get the gearing right on your single speed for your particular area and style of riding and learn the needed techniques to make up the difference. And, of course, I know how to change chain rings and cogs as needed. Every single speeder should know that. A local mechanic who is also a single speeder took the time to teach me.

Pic is two years, ago.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

Way to go, North woods! 

Here's a custom bar maker's story. They do some nice work in steel. There are a couple frame builders out there that will do similar in Ti for the groovy bar lightness and appearance.
Meanwhile, keep on keepin on with those Surlys!


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Thank you. I never would have believed that I would like those big heavy steel bars so much until my experience on the Lowside. Have always been a Surly fan.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Love my Lowside. Waited two years to get it because I kept missing the order window. Mods include talle steering stem - I told the dealer not to cut it so I could take several test rides and set it up myself, dropper post, Surfas seat, Chester pedals, 22t cog and beautiful gold chain.


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Nice setup. I have other single speeds and, some fully geared mtbs, but the Lowside is special. Not quite like any other ride.


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## ssalinas (Mar 31, 2011)

You’re living the dream, I hope to be 70 and still shredding with a stable of bikes to look after


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Thanks. I have four other bikes in the shed and two more in the garage from SS to 12speed from fully ridged to hardtail to FS. The simple Lowside get ridden a LOT. I had three surgeries btwn Oct and Jan. I did not believe I would make it to my 58th birthday last Tues. But I did and Im walking, running and biking again. Hope to be doing it all at 70+ as well. 👍🏻


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

rkwfxd, isn't it great to be a special care cat? One with bikes!! Glad you made the best of healing and are back to riding bikes.

To this day, I hold out on a Lowside for an irresistible color offering. Something in the class of the Moonlit Swamp of the Krampus would do it.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

If color is that important to you I say buy a bike and have it painted. Something NO ONE ELSE HAS.  I let my wife decide which color to get and to my surprise, she picked grey which I love. I also wanted the 26" wheels. I would have preferred the mechanical disks that come on the green 27.5 because I think they are more in line with what the Lowside is but I'll get over it.

Ride safe and stay healthy.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

rkwfxd said:


> If color is that important to you I say buy a bike and have it painted. Something NO ONE ELSE HAS.  I let my wife decide which color to get and to my surprise, she picked grey which I love. I also wanted the 26" wheels. I would have preferred the mechanical disks that come on the green 27.5 because I think they are more in line with what the Lowside is but I'll get over it.
> 
> Ride safe and stay healthy.


Pfft! be sure to shout out!?!?! Cannot justify this bike when the Middlechild was hired to fill the singlespeed opening! 
As for paint options, ever heard of House of Color? Yus, color is paramount in life! 
26" is a non issue other than tire choice is limited in the larger sizes anymore. What I do have is several pair of WTB Timberwolf 2.7's on mothballs. These are for the 06 Turner Sixpack along with a few 3.0 options on the shelf.

Gray... That would be mutual since my hair is mostly that! Go figure...


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## 28dayslater (Jul 28, 2013)

There's one of these on Craigslist right now...the guy says he bought the wrong size and it has less than 5 miles on it, he's at $900 right now. I was in the market for a new Kona Unit....obviously that's a fully rigid 29er vs 26+...but does anyone know how comparable this would be as a trail only bike compared to the unit?


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

28dayslater said:


> There's one of these on Craigslist right now...the guy says he bought the wrong size and it has less than 5 miles on it, he's at $900 right now. I was in the market for a new Kona Unit....obviously that's a fully rigid 29er vs 26+...but does anyone know how comparable this would be as a trail only bike compared to the unit?


It's more of a 'knock around' bike than a trail bike. Yes you can ride trails on a Lowside, but the Unit is more of a trail bike.


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## 28dayslater (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks for the info, I figured as much, the lowside just seemed like such a good deal that I figured I could make it work and do the same things that I know a unit can do


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Hey, don't rule out the Lowside as a trail bike. The one I started this thread about gets a LOT of trail time, every bit as much as any of my trail bikes. Remember, this is a BMX style bike and if you ride it BMX style on the trail you can do some really fun stuff with technical single track. Just depends on how willing you are to adapt your riding style. No, it's not a standard trail or XC bike, so if you're looking for that kind of bike, get that kind of bike. The Lowside is different. This current version with the 26x3 tires and hydraulic brakes climbs like a monkey and turns on a dime, though. It's one of my favorite trail bikes, in fact. Honestly, you just have to ride a Lowside to get what it's all about. Be worth taking one for a test ride.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

Where's that North woods gal? 

I would echo the sentiment of "don't rule out the Lowside as a trail bike" since that is a narrow minded view. I could rock one on any of my local haunts and have a smokin' good time doing so! I have built many frames on this style in Ti and 4140 both for my clientele.


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## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

ranier said:


> I call BS. 70 yo grandma riding a SS Surly? Link to TikTok vid of you shredding????
> 
> btw- Surly Sunrise bars rock if a tad heavy.


Don't be so quick to judge based on your own possible shortcomings. "Tiktok" reference gives your own BS away.


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

I'm still here and still riding as much as ever, though this summer it's been mostly trail riding (always my favorite). I still have the gray Lowside and it is still getting plenty of trail use and that's the way I have it geared. Love the 26x3 wheel size on the gray Lowside for trail work, but I know that the 26 plus size is in danger of going extinct. Too bad it never caught on. I did get crazy lucky, though, early this spring when I walked into my local shop for a visit. While there, my bike guy friend asked me if I had any interest in an oddball set of tires that he'd let me have at cost because he couldn't move them. Sure enough, he puts a brand new pair of Knard 26x3 tires on the counter. Grabbed them, of course. I run the Knards on the gray Lowside. They're all I need for my hardback dirt trails. Now I have a backup set, ready to go which is great, because the 26x3 Knards have been discontinued.

I did mod my other 27.5x2.8" green Lowside (yes, I have two Lowsides) to a fully geared bike, though, for the sake of being able to use the Lowside as more than a single speed. Now I can go with that Lowside riding experience for even more riding, anywhere and having any gear I need. I used a near new NX 11 speed derailleur and shifter that I had after upgrading another bike, then found an XT 11-46 cassette, locally. Shifts great! Love being able to go Lowside back and forth between trails and roads on the spur of the moment and having the right gears.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

Northwood, Love the two Lowside collection! One geared and one SS is a great way to go. Those G-Ones are purdy sweet too! I have a pair of the liteskin version that are a pleasure to street session with.

As for the plus thing, it was a limited market from the word go and the industry knew it going in. They got stupid, thinking that it would be mainstream, which it never was, nor would be. Had they not become greedy and say dollar signs, we would still have the choices that once were available. The Gazzalodi is a prime example of where this has gone and why the Furor is shoving 2.6 into any orifice they can find on our person. C'est La Vie!

For that reason, I have been buying my favorite 3.fuckyeah tires and carefully storing them for the time of need. With three plussers, I need to keep them in shoes and socks! Socks are Q-Tubes SL 26 x 2.4/2.7 that fit 27.5 with zero drama. 

Ranier has no idea of what rubbish that comment was! Frankly, I know several people that are well into their 70's that ride like teenagers... So, for that reason, I can call BS on that comment day after day!


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Thank-you. I still ride with the same passion, but the miles and stats aren't there, anymore, and after a couple of really nasty injuries, I promised my husband no more of the risky stuff, especially the jumps. I'm okay with that, because at my age it just takes so long to get back into riding shape after an injury.I did take the green Lowside for a nice 23.1 mile ride up along the Wisconsin river, today, and stopped along one of my favorite roads to eat some wild raspberries. Life is good.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

Pfft! Promises, promises as you launch from a nice little feature, sailing through the air, stick the landing like a pro and pedal like hell, pickinup speed down the trail.


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

I've been pretty good at keeping my promise to keep at least one wheel on the ground. Still having loads of fun. Just have to get a little more creative.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

Nothwoods, my scoliosis has progressed over the recent past. So has the blown knees. Singlespeed action has been therapeutic, 
I must say. My bike named Sunspot cause the pithy little bastage is either Tennis Ball Yellow or Highlighter Yellow, depending on whom is opining, has kept riding a thing. Some of the local trails have lovely, banked turns that are a real hoot to pass through at a good pace. Sometimes, that minor compression of my spine is enough to tame it down some. Pills are just not the answer at this point. 

Glad you are out on the trails, having a good time and playing on a couple very nice bikes. Keep it up, my friend!


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## North woods gal (Apr 26, 2021)

Thank-you. Riding is the best way to stay young, for sure. Enjoy.


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## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

North woods gal said:


> Thank-you. Riding is the best way to stay young, for sure. Enjoy.


Yep, 63 here, still do some stupid stuff but not as stupid as I used to and don't see stopping SS for many years.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

socal_jack said:


> Yep, 63 here, still do some stupid stuff but not as stupid as I used to and don't see stopping SS for many years.


So, you are a 63 year old kid on a bike!


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