FRAME & FORKS £349

 The Steamroller was designed as a dedicated fixed-gear, but its geometry is closer to a road bike than a track bike. It’ll take tyres up to about 38mm. Its got nothing in the way of braze-ons except a set of water bottle cage mounts.

The frame, like all Surly frames, is made of 4130 CroMoly steel. Steel is springy and durable, providing a ride feel you don’t get from aluminium or carbon fibre, at a price titanium can’t match. True, Surly frames are not the lightest out there, but then they’re not supposed to be. Instead, they’re a balance of excellent ride quality and durability.

As you’ve probably noticed, there are a whole bunch of fixed-gears out there nowadays, most of them either actual track bikes (not especially suited to streets and definitely not suited to paths) or modified fixed-gears that people ride like BMX bikes. The Steamroller is more like an all terrain fixed-gear, an updated version of bikes from the old days, long ago, when all bikes were fixed-gears, when people raced on flat oval dirt tracks, and when bad roads were the norm. The Steamroller is right at home in these conditions.

• frame & fork  £349 
• complete bike £499

COMPLETE BIKE £999

A cyclocross bike by category, the Cross-Check has proven itself over and over in the real world, on the streets, in the dirt, through muck and sleet, blazing sun and dark of night, over exhilarating trails, through hectic traffic and long stretches of uninterrupted back road boredom. Think of the Cross-Check like an army jeep: tough as nails and used for everything. It’s been changed very little over the years because it works great as it is.

The Cross-Check  was the third frame Surly ever offered, and they offered it as a complete bike a year after the introduction of the frame. Neither the frame nor the component spec of the bike have changed much since it was introduced  almost a decade ago because…well, why should it? Surly have made a few changes and updates over the years when those changes were either necessary or just plain a good idea. For instance, this year they've added mid-blade eyelets to the fork for mounting a front rack. This isn’t a touring bike per se, but it will handle lighter touring loads, and a front rack can make that easier.   But that begs the question: what is this bike for? It’s a cyclocross bike by category, but Surly try to design a lot of versatility into their stuff. You can build this frame with gears or as a singlespeed or fixed-gear. You can ride it on the road or off. It’s got lots of space for fat tyres and for mudguards. It does as good a job getting you across the country as it does getting you across town.   For the complete bike Surly picked out components that set the standard for their other completes, stuff that works well and doesn’t dent your piggy bank too bad. The frame is comfy and tough as nails, and versatile too. We continue to hear from people who have made the Cross-Check their default go-to bike simply because it performs so astonishingly well. It’s one of the best riding, most versatile bikes around. Now you’ve heard about it. Go try one

• frame & fork  £329 
• complete bike £999

FRAME & FORK £329

The Cross-Check is a great bike and for us a real star of the Surly range. It was the third frame Surly ever offered, and they offered it as a complete bike a year after the introduction of the frame. Neither the frame nor the component spec of the bike have changed much since they introduced it almost a decade ago because…well, why should it? Surly have made a few changes and updates over the years when those changes were either necessary or just plain a good idea. For instance, this year they’ve added mid-blade eyelets to the fork for mounting a front rack. This isn’t a touring bike per se, but it will handle lighter touring loads, and a front rack can make that easier.

 But that begs the question: what is this bike for? It’s a cyclocross bike by category, but Surly try to design a lot of versatility into their stuff. You can build this frame with gears or as a singlespeed or fixed-gear. You can ride it on the road or off. It’s got lots of space for fat tyres and for mudguards. It does as good a job getting you across the country as it does getting you across town.

 For the complete bike Surly have picked out components that set the standard for our other completes, stuff that works well and doesn’t dent your piggy bank too bad. The frame is comfy and tough as nails, and versatile too. We continue to hear from people who have made the Cross-Check their default go-to bike simply because it performs so astonishingly well. It’s one of the best riding, most versatile bikes around.

• frame & fork  £329 
• complete bike £999

COMPLETE BIKE £1199

The Pacer isn’t the fastest or lightest bike you’ll ever ride, but then again, it isn’t trying to be. This frame was designed as an all-day bike, which means comfort and reliability. The 4130 TIG-welded frame and brazed fork are designed to take the edge off the bumps and cracks in the road, but remain laterally stiff for those out-of-the-saddle sprints and climbs.

The Pacer also isn’t trying to be the most fashionable bike on the circuit, but the new colour and freshly changed graphics add a classic styling to this frame that just might turn a few heads for how unrevolutionary it is. The understated beauty of this bike allows you to ride it without worrying what you look like. Lycra full team kit? Sure. Cutoff jeans, sleeveless tee and sandals? Absolutely! Whatever, you could even show up sporting purple tires and not look out of place. Everyone is welcome here.

Though vertical compliance is definitely a goal when designing a frame, tyre clearance is just as important. The casings of your tires flex before your frame and fork do, and wide tires generally flex more than narrow ones, giving you a softer ride. Wide tyres can be faster than skinnies on a lot of surfaces that you will encounter on your rig. So, the Pacer was designed to accept 700 x 28 tires with mudguards or 700 x 32 tyres without.

The Pacer is spec’d with a 1-1/8" threadless fork because of the wide selection of headsets and stems available to accommodate it. Like most Surly frames, this one uses commonly available components: 27.2mm seatpost, 68mm bottom bracket, 130mm rear hub...and Surly recommend using standard-reach (47-57mm) brakes, but most short reach (40-50mm) fit.

The durability and versatility of the Pacer make it an ideal commuter, day-tripper, and vehicle for exploration. The frame is offered in 9 sizes (42-62cm), so there should be a Pacer that fits you.

• frame & fork  £374 
• complete bike £1199