Last week we released our newest bike, the Wednesday:
http://surlybikes.com/blog/post/wednesday_new_bike_same_old_hump_day
Wednesday is our new do-close-to-anything fat bike that we hope most people in the market can afford to buy into.
Today I’d like to address a few common and understandable questions about the new sled:
Is the Wednesday a progression from the Pug and the ICT?
Kind of. Is it different? Yes. Is it better? No. The Wednesday isn’t better than the Pug or ICT, but it offers a good portion of what they each offer at a lower price.
Are you killing the Pug or the ICT?
No. The Wednesday is a great bike, but still isn’t as good at what those bikes do respectively.
What is the MSRP again?
$1500
Why the 4.6" tire clearance rating?
4.6” is the biggest tire we could fit with legal clearance on an 80mm rim with a 100mm threaded shell and 177mm rear spacing at a tasty chainstay length. And 4.6” tires happen to kick ass. Win!
What is the front fork tire clearance?
Like our other centered Omni forks, the Wednesday fork will fit up to 26x 5.25" tire
Will 29+ tires fit?
Yes, by a mile. A 29x3” Surly Knard on a Rabbit Hole rim will fit with the wheel pulled back 10mm in the dropout (445 chainstay length). You’ll have to lace your rear rim to a 177mm hub to work in this frame and then it’s GAME ON!
How much does it weigh?
What’s up with that new dropout? Still with the Track Ends???
The Wednesday has a new one-piece cast Surly Dropout:
It’s a horizontal dropout designed around a 12mm through axle hub. At first glance it looks like a thru-axle version of the Karate Monkey dropout. But if you can get a better look at it, you’ll see an additional hub slot that lets you dump your wheel out vertically once your axle is removed:
Hallelujah!
This dropout will be compatible with all Shimano and SRAM derailleurs, and even 170mm QR hubs with these special Surly Adaptor Washers we will be releasing soon after the bikes:
The washer is up in there,colored blue. They slide over the hub catch on your QR hub and take up the space in OLD and diameter so everything snugs up nicely. And you thought we didnt' care about you...
This new dropout has 20mm of fore-aft adjustment, meaning the chainstay length of your Wednesday is adjustable from 435mm to 455mm. Also notice the new updated brake tab optimized for this dropout!
Why a 468mm rigid fork length?
The 468mm rigid fork length was chosen because it was a little bit shorter than the 100mm suspension fork the bike was designed around. This difference in fork length allows the Wednesday to ride totally kick ass as a rigid bike OR with a 100mm suspension fork.
The Wednesday frame’s geometry is balanced enough to swing either way depending on the fork you choose – short and snappy as a rigid bike or a bit slacker with the right sus fork - check out the numbers below to see how the geometry will stack up for you:
Why not make the rigid fork the same length as the intended sus fork length?
First - There are many benefits of a longer travel suspension fork, but the benefits of lengthening a rigid fork are few and far between. A shorter rigid fork is lighter and stiffer than a longer fork, allows for a lighter frame, and increases potential for standover and reduced stack on the smaller sizes. If you're taller, just rock a set of risers. Remember those sweet bars that look like moto bangers? Us too!
Second - Because suspension forks move! If a 100mm sus fork is 489mm long at 25% sag, it’ll be about 411mm long when it’s bottomed out. You’ll be somewhere in between there most of the time you are hitting sweet jumps and bumps and, you know, actually riding. If done intentionally, keeping the rigid fork length slightly shorter than the sus fork length is a great way to get all the benefits of a shorter fork and the keep awesome riding geometry both rigid and sus fork crowds want. 468mm was that magic number for this bike.
Can I run a 120mm sus fork?
Sounds rad, right? But NO. You’ll shoot your eye out with that thing. The Wednesday frame was designed for and has passed all compliance testing at 100mm fork length, and anything longer than that is putting your warranty AND your face in jeopardy.
Is it a trail bike?
It can be. With a short stem, a 100mm Bluto, a dropper, and some chunky tires, this thing is at 68 deg HTA and 435 stays. It rips.
See exhibit A:
Is it a touring bike?
It can be. With the adjustable rear dropout, you can pull the wheel back a bit for some homebrew fenders and racks. The extra tire clearance means you’ll get a little more float if you need it. Centered spacing means rack mounting is light years easier. And hell the Wednesday is so peppered with braze-ons your imagination will be the only thing holding you back. Racks? Fenders? Frame bags? Why choose? Bolt it on, strap it on, get it on. We dare you.
See exhibit B:
Why did you spec the parts you spec’d on this bike?
Spec’ing parts is hard and not unlike buying beer for a party: It’s hard to please everybody. If you just get decent beer and keep it cold most people will be happy - fancy beer is tempting but oh so risky because some people might not like it. Or they might like it too much, barf all over your yard, and crash on your couch. So if you buy cheap beer and keep it cold, the people who just came to party will do so, and the picky people will bring their own. Everybody wins.
We spec’d this bike so everyone could afford to come to the party and still be pumped once they got here. If you don’t like the look of the stock parts, you’re in luck because chances are the ones you like better will fit on this frame too!
What's up with these new tubeless My Other Brother Daryl Rims?
These are our new 80mm-wide tubeless compatible rims. What makes them tubeless compatible? Well, lots of things! But mainly the bead hook is optimized to work with tubeless tires and the rim valley depth is much shallower to ease initial tire inflation. To all of you early tubeless adaptors: Our hats go off to you! We know how much messing around you had to do to get those old rims to seal up. These will work much better. They are lighter and stiffer than 82mm Rolling Darryls, to boot. The Wednesday will come stock with a pinned version, but look for a welded aftermarket version, in offset AND centered spacing. Keep your eyes peeled for a blog going further into depth on these new rims!
This bike is cheaper than your other fatbikes. How did you cut the cost?
Parts Spec: Quality fatbike parts are cheaper than they used to be. We tried everything out there and found out what works. We’ve spent a lot of time on this build kit and know it’s a great value-level kit that will last a long time.
Frame design: This frame is still hand welded by the same people who’ve always made our frames, but over the years they’ve gotten better and so have we. We’ve learned what is awesome on paper but a pain in the ass for them drives the frame price up, so we found cheaper ways to offer similar versatility. The Wednesday frame is easier to miter, fixture, weld, align, and paint than any other fatbike frame we’ve made and the price reflects that Make no mistake - this frame is every bit as tough (if not tougher) than our other frames. It offers insane versatility and should last you a long way down that dusty, snowy trail. And it's designed well enough that you should want to keep it that long, too.
So there you have it- I'm sure there will be more questions, but let's just let this settle for a while and see how everybody feels.
Have a great week out there everybody