Surly Troll - a tribute to Iohan Gueorguiev

I was wondering about this aspect. Didn't fancy a Paul Thumbie adapter? I don't think they actually make them anymore but pretty sure someone else does.

SJS have some:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/jtek-special-thumb-shifter-brackets-for-222-mm-bars-black/

I did definitely think about this, but I already had a Klunker kicking around (well, it was on my partner's bike, but she could do with something a little narrower anyway so we've swapped it out for some sort of Humpert cruiser bar that is a decent 590mm wide approximation of the VO one) and happened to find out they're bar end friendly.

It seemed a waste not to make use of the bar end stuff I already had, and I'm not planning on getting quite so shreddy on this that the bar end would pose any major danger should I crash. That being said, if I do switch bars in future (the VO prototype Granola Moose looks intriguing...) the SJS thumbies may come into play.

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That's a ... unique looking bar. Not sure I entirely see the point but bullmoose are a bit form over function. Disclaimer: I have them on two of my bikes. Ones like that are crying out for a custom snack bag to sit in the middle and saying that it does make for a very protected spot for a GPS to sit.

I had a bar end in some very swept bars and the issue I found was it was a pain to lean against walls, but being 1x I guess you just have to find walls on your left ;)

I assume the klunkers are steel, same with the stainless steel humperts I had, the thinner walls make them BE friendly.

Well yes, you're right - I've tried to find a reason to have some bullmooses, as I have similar visions of what is basically a feed bag right there...

Yeah the Klunkers are (heavy as hell) steel - switching out to the alloy Humperts on my partner's bike probably saved about 500g off an already pretty unwieldy front end.

Still waiting on the frame to come back - new ETA is next week, as they had to take it to Malmesbury to be chemically stripped.

In the meantime, I decided to fit the new axle to the rear wheel this lunchtime. Turns out that the freehub is buggered too, so I’m now waiting for a donor hub to arrive. These wheels are firmly on their way out, but I’m happy to nurse them along for a while longer.

I appeased myself by fitting the tyres, and they do look quite cool. I also really enjoyed discovering the original owner’s choice of rim tape… turns out this is the bike shop in Thailand where the bike was originally built up. Very cool. https://the-adventures-of-kangaroo-bike-shop.business.site/

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Good lookin.

This rear wheel is turning out to be a bit of a saga, particularly considering that it's a) on its last legs and b) not what I'd ideally want anyway.

The 'brand new' donor hub off eBay turned up today, and turns out that the bearings have been nicked and the freehub is just as crunchy as the one I was hoping to replace. Back it goes...

The next best option is to get an actually brand new M8000 hub as a donor, but this will be at least £50 and I then have to wrestle with removing the freehub from an unlaced hub without the benefit of a bench vice. The other option is to buy a new axle and a new freehub as parts, but this all comes to £85 - silly money.

Given that I want to eventually replace the wheelset with one that has wider rims and a dynamo up front, it does seem like a waste of time and money to throw all this at a wheelset with very worn rims.

My ideal wheelset (Shimano dynamo, Shimano rear hub, 6 bolt, Andra 40s) would cost about £200 to sort, so just over double the parts cost here, but I've run out of things to sell to fund this. More thought needed before I make a choice, clearly.

At least the lovely repainted frame isn't here to tempt me into a rushed solution...

I might have some freehub bodies lying around. Not sure if they'd work though. Probably off Computrainer hubs and 10spd and I only have old non-dyanamo road front hubs to get rid of.

Shimano rear MTB hubs are only £25-35 aren't they? ebay used wheelsets?

Ah cheers, very kind!

I think it's gonna be hard to find cheap spares, as it's one of the fancier XT hubs with the wide hollow axle and the matching freehub. The current equivalent is FH-M8000 but this is the specific one I have: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/deorext-m780/FH-M785.html

This is exactly why I'd want to go for something lower end/older if I'm switching the wheel - I have a bucket of basic Shimano spares kicking about that would've made this whole thing a lot easier!

Quick update - frame is finally back from powder coating. Not the best job but not the worst. Won't be going back in any case, on account of some spicy political views held by the owner. Gotta sort out the threads etc this weekend, but here's a brief glimpse

Spoiler: it's still blue.

In other news, finally bitten the bullet and sorted the wheel situation - heavy but durable is the name of the game here.

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sorted the wheel situation - heavy but durable is the name of the game here.

I didnt expect you to be running on 15" alloys but cool

You got me. Gonna be rad.

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Finally done…!

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There’s still some tinkering to do (mainly fitting a Tuggnut) but it’s tall and comfy and slightly silly. I’m very happy.

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Nice build! Any reason for a tuggnut over monkey nuts?

Cheers! Good question, as the Monkey Nuts would seem like the simpler solution - logic is just that the Tuggnut will allow for any future singlespeed messing around and/or emergency hack to singlespeed while out on tour if things go wrong. It's also shiny.

Oh yes this is it, lovely build

Can we get some more pictures of the entire bike! Looking real good.

that's v niceeeeeeeeeeee!

Thanks all! Here's the clearest side-on shot I got today - no bagless photos as yet

Will pull together a full build list shortly

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Here's the final build list too

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Looks nice. Great story and inspirational-that’s why we come here right?

Refreshing to see a bike built with quality components- but not “showy” parts.

But that paint job looks pretty fragile. It’s flaking and cracking off everywhere - surely that doesn’t bode well longer term(?)

Thanks! That’s the spirit of the thing - decent durable parts and nothing flashy.

Yeah the paint job is the one disappointment - I made the mistake of trusting a Bristol based company (that will remain unnamed), and it’s not ideal. I’ll likely get it redone in a few years once the finish has really suffered, but it’ll do for now!

It’s a shame, paint aint what it used to be. But lead sucks too!

You have turned me onto this Iohan fella, I’ve never heard of him - but now binge watching his YouTube channel. I did a tour around Seattle Washington and Northern California a few years back and this is bringing back a lot of memories. With all this footage, someone needs to put a feature length docu movie together.

How is the chain stay clearance with the Sugino xd cranks and the 110mm BB? I’m looking to buy a set for a road bike