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Karate Monkey, 29" Complete Bike, Single Speed, 2012
Charlie says... "I love these bikes, everything you need for a grand... "
29" wheels, as you may know, deliver greater traction than 26" wheels; they
smooth out terrain more effectively, hold inertia well, and in general they fit
taller riders better than 26" wheeled bikes. When it was introduced, the Karate
Monkey was one of the first (the first?) production 29’ers. Not only did the
Monkey put the 29" platform in front of a lot of people, it did so at a price
within reach of many a bike nerd. Back then there were only about three tire
options! Since then 29-inch has become a full-blown category, with entire bike
companies dedicated to the platform.
Even now, however, the Karate Monkey continues to amaze people even though it’s nearly the same as when it was
introduced: our own custom 4130 CroMoly steel tubing make the frame and fork,
butted where it matters to provide a durable yet resilient ride. The seat tube
is curved forward, allowing the rear wheel to tuck under, shortening the
wheelbase and increasing rear wheel traction. The crank height provides plenty
of ground clearance. The rear “dropouts” are horizontal rear-load style, but
with a derailleur hanger. Hmmm, tricky. We offer the complete bike version of
the Karate Monkey as a singlespeed but you could turn it into a geared bike if
you wanted. Or monster cross it. Fixed-gear off-road it. The Karate Monkey
sticks to trail like peanut butter to a dog’s mouth. It rides great. That’s not
just us talking, that’s what we hear from customers. You’ll see.
We have made some changes though. With the introduction of our Ogre frameset and
complete bike, the Karate Monkey is no longer the only 29-inch wheeled model in
our stable, so we took the opportunity to refine it a bit. First, we took off
the cantilever studs. Yep, Karate Monkey is now disc brake only. And the fork,
still suspension corrected for 80mm travel, has been redesigned to be more
resilient and forgiving.
The Karate Monkey retains threaded barrel
mounts on its stays. You can run a rear rack, but if what you really want is an
expedition-type 29’er we advise the Ogre. Ogre shares the KM geometry but is
designed to run fenders, discs and racks at the same time. If you want a lighter
and faster 29’er that can do other stuff from time to time, the Karate Monkey is
the way to go. There’s a reason the Karate Monkey is still around: Because it
rips.
Frame
Surly Karate Monkey, Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. TIG-welded. Main triangle double butted
Fork Surly Karate Monkey, Surly 4130 CroMoly
steel. TIG-welded. 1-1/8" threadless steer tube, uncut
Drivetrain
Crankset & BB TruVativ FireX 1.1 , 33t ring w/ring guard. Forged. Black
Cog or Cogset Shimano single-speed freewheel , 17t. 3/32"
Chain KMC X8.9 ,
Components
Headset Cane Creek 40 , 1-1/8" threadless. Black
Brakes Avid BB7 , Cable actuated. 160mm rotors front & rear
Brake Levers Avid FR-5 , Black
Stem Kalloy AS-008 , 25.4mm bar clamp. Aluminum. 4-bolt face. Black
Handlebar Salsa Moto Ace , 660mm width. 17° bend. Black
Saddle WTB SST Comp , Steel rails. Black vinyl. Feels pretty o.k.
Seatpost Kalloy SP-342 , 27.2mm. 350mm. Black
Extras
Surly stainless steel post clamp,
14g DT Swiss spokes
Wheels
Hubs Surly New model , 32h. Black.
Rims WTB Speed Disc 29 , 32h. Black. Machined sidewalls
Tires WTB Exiwolf DNA , 29 x 2.3". Steel bead. Black
RRP: £999.00
Our Price: £990.00
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