The Surly Disc Trucker is as well regarded in the bicycle touring industry as the Toyota Land Cruiser is in the overlanding community. Thanks to a burly steel frame, relaxed touring geometry, and reliable components, the Trucker has created a following from die-hard world tourers and city commuters alike making it an ideal candidate to take along on overlanding adventures. New for 2020, Surly has redesigned the Disc Trucker to further improve on an already fantastic bicycle.
Photo: Surly
The first area that Surly tweaked to make the new Trucker more versatile is the geometry. By shortening the chainstays, Surly designers created a frame that was not only good at traveling a hundred miles per day with a heavy load, but also pick up groceries or go for a gravel ride. To help eliminate the need for a half-dozen headset spacers, the engineers at Surly increased stack and headtube height. More flexible geometry means the Trucker is a more comfortable all-around bike that will be a valuable addition to any overland adventure.
Photo: Surly
Thru-axles have become commonplace on nearly every trail bike, for good reason, as they provide stiffness and increase stability and confidence in handling. Twelve millimeter thru-axles were added front and rear with the addition of 100 millimeter hub spacing in the front and 142 millimeters in the rear. As has been the case with the first two versions of the Trucker, various wheel sizes are available depending on the frame size selected. For frame sizes 48 through 52 centimeters, the Trucker is available with a 26-inch wheel and for frame sizes 56 through 64 centimeters, bikes will come equipped with 700c wheels. All frame sizes of the Disc Trucker will accommodate up to 47 millimeter wide tires. Fat tires mixed with a more rigid axle makes extending your trip farther into the backcountry easier than ever.
Photo: Surly
Surly retained a couple of key features from the original model including a holder for extra spokes and the ability to run a 3-chainring setup for maximum gear range. A couple of extra features that tourers will appreciate include routing for a dynamo hub and the addition of 3-pack bosses on the front fork. These added conveniences make setting up a Disc Trucker easy for any type of adventure.
Header image: Surly
