The Grappler has a new adjustable dropout that can be set up single speed or with an internally geared hub. It has an internally routed dropper post, all the bottle and rack mounts one might expect from Surly, and two additional pairs you might not. It has a Surly Natch chromoly steel frame, of course, which is built around Boost-spaced 148 and 110mm wheels. To catch up those who didn’t get the memo and haven’t had their ear to the rumor mill, the Ghost Grappler is a uniquely long, rigid-specific drop-bar bike specced with beefy 27.5” tires. Still, someone recognized it every time and made sure to out it in the comments. I posted a couple of rack and bag reviews that included ghostly hints of the frame, each with carefully placed buttery bokeh intended to disguise the Grappler. There were multiple photo leaks on Reddit, then a web page and video slip, all revealing at least the general shape and semblance of this drop-bar apparition. So, what exactly is the Surly Ghost Grappler? A lot of folks already have some inkling or pretense. Long live risk-taking, which is one of the first things that came to mind as I was standing there admiring the oddity that is the Ghost Grappler. Of course, that diluted Surly’s original concepts-and maybe even blotted out their historical contributions-but I think their mission was successful. No doubt, 29+, the Krampus, ECR, Pugsley, Long Haul Trucker, and 1×1 all played a part in this, and each spun off new ideas, tire sizes, and even entire bike categories that were ultimately co-opted by larger companies and introduced to the mainstream. I would even venture to say that much of what they did helped create a culture and attract a lot of people to bikepacking, alt cycling, dirt-road touring, fat bikes, ATBing, and other eccentric styles of pedal-powered dirt shenanigans. It’s been a while, but during the prog bicycle renaissance that began sometime in the late aughts or early 10s, Surly took some real risks and essentially invented several interesting cycling subgenres. It was about time that Surly tossed their hat into the ring-or a wrench into the spokes, rather. After unboxing the embargoed Surly Ghost Grappler in February of last year, I propped it up against a wall, stepped back, and scratched my head, wondering, what’s Surly up to here? Is this just another reimagined Fargo or merely a variation on the en vogue drop-bar mountain bike theme? Then I reminded myself that it’s probably been in the works for a long while, studied its lines and parts a bit more, and grinned.
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