Surly Troll Mountain/Touring/Commuting Bike with Rohloff SPEEDHUB500/14 and Schmidt Dynamo

This black and silver Surly Troll was built for a customer of ours in San Francisco who was looking for the ideal all-around bike for the many different kinds of riding he planned to do. He wanted to be able to ride comfortably both on road and off, ride around town to run errands, and go on some longer tours. As with many of our customers, versatility and durability were priorities for this build, which is why the bike was built around the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 drivetrain.

Surly's Troll frame fit the design criteria well. It is purpose-built for on and off road touring with mounts for racks, plenty of water bottle cages, Surly's trailers, and various cable routing options. The frame is built around 26 inch wheels and has a geometry similar to most cross country-oriented hardtail mountain bikes for neutral handling. It can be built as a cruiser, commuter, touring bike, mountain bike, or in almost any other configuration you can think of. Like all of Surly’s frames the Troll is made of steel, which is a resilient and shock absorbing material that is strong enough to last for decades.

For the wheel builds, we wanted them to be strong enough to handle the obstacles that our customer was likely to run into in the city and on tour. To achieve this we used Velocity’s thick-walled Cliffhanger rims, which our our go-to rims for heavy duty applications. They were laced to a silver Rohloff SPEEDHUB in the rear and a silver Schmidt SON28 dynamo hub in the front. Although our customer chose not to get a light to pair with the dynamo hub, he wanted the option to add a high-powered light or a USB charger in the future. To finish off the wheels, we mounted Schwalbe’s Marathon Mondial tires, which provide plenty of traction and cushioning to be comfortable both on road and off as well as good flat protection.

The Rohloff SPEEDHUB is a perfect compliment to the sturdy frame set and rims. The SPEEDHUB’s internally-housed 14 speed shift system is extremely robust and eliminates the possibility of bent derailleur hangers, damaged derailleurs, skipping cassettes, and other common drivetrain issues. The internal gearing makes for a very minimal maintenance drivetrain, and the large, symmetric hub flanges add to the rear wheel's strength and stiffness.

To ensure a comfortable ride, we selected parts that would put our customer in an ergonomic pedaling position. Salsa’s Bend 2 handlebars have more backsweep than most mountain bars to reduce strain on the wrists. Paired with Ergon’s GP1 grips, the handlebars provide a position that mimics most riders’ natural resting hand position. For seating, we chose Selle Anatomica’s Titanico leather saddle, which flexes slightly with the rider’s pedal stroke and conforms to their body shape over time. Our customer also wanted platform pedals to make it easy to transition on and off the bike, so we installed the wide and grippy VP 1 pedals.

Our customer was very pleased with the bike when he came to pick it up and took it for a quick spin. He said he was excited to take it home and start planning his first tour. If you’re looking for a versatile Rohloff-equipped bike of your own, contact us to discuss options that suit your needs.

Build Details:

• Frame: Surly Troll
• Fork: Surly Troll
• Headset: Chris King
• Stem: Race Face Evolve
• Handlebar: Salsa Bend 2
• Shifter: Rohloff
• Grips: Ergon GP1
• Seatpost: Thomson Elite
• Saddle: Selle Anatomica Titanico
• Seat Clamp: Surly
• Front Hub: Schmidt SON28 dynamo
• Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14
• Spokes: Sapim Race
• Nipples: Sapim Brass
• Rims: Velocity Cliffhanger
• Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Mondial
• Cranks: Sugino RD
• Pedals: VP 1
• Bottom Bracket: Sugino
• Chain ring: Sugino
• Rear Sprocket: Rohloff
• Chain: Wipperman 7R8
• Brakes: Avid BB7 Mountain
• Brake Levers: Avid Speed Dial 7
• Rotors: Magura Storm