Surly Ogre

Sure thing.

1. I much prefer disc brakes for off-road riding. Decent, well set up v brakes offer plenty of stopping power, but the rims can get worn through in no time at all in bad conditions.
   
   

So, for Ogre 1 ( mtb ), I already had a nice pair of Hope hubs taken from a previous bike which I could build some wheels from. The only things I think I had to buy were rims, spokes, tyres and tubes and the BB7's which were going cheap at the time.

For Ogre 2 ( cargo bike ), most components were switched directly from my LHT and out of the spares box(es). I think the only new bits I bought for that were tyres and handlebars.

I also think that V brakes are a less obvious thief magnet than discs. Living somewhere relatively flat and having only about 5 - 6 sets of traffic lights means that I don't really use the brakes much anyway. The Avid Arch Rivals on there pretty powerful should I have to make an emergency stop ( or skid )

1. I'm really enjoying riding singlespeed at the moment, but if I was pulling that trailer up any hills, then I wouldn't hesitate to convert the bike to 1 x 9, or possibly an Alfine 8spd internal hub gear. I have a 11 - 34 cassette + XT 9spd shifter & derailleur on standby for if/when I need some geary assistance.
   
   

So basically my choices were heavily influenced by what components I already had available and the local terrain. It should be a simple task to build an Ogre that fulfils the role of both of mine with nothing but the occasional tyre swap.

I think what heavily influenced my purchase of a second frame was the worry that Surly might decide to stop making the 24" size. Though judging by it's popularity this shouldn't happen anytime soon :-)