Surly Karate Monkey 29er Frameset 2011

We decided to produce a 29er because we thought we could make improvements on the current designs from other manufacturers, while offering a unique, quality frameset at a Surly price. Mission accomplished. Frameset geometry is the key to the handling characteristics of any bike.

It doesn't matter how pretty it is, or how many braze-ons it has, if it rides like crap. We want you to use the Karate Monkey on singletrack, as well as fire roads and pavement, so we spent time figuring out the best ways to make our rig handle like a mountain bike...not like a tractor. The most obvious frame component of the Karate Monkey is the curved seat tube.

This feature allows us to use shorter chainstays without worrying about the rear tire rubbing on the seat tube when the wheel is jammed all the way forward in the dropouts. Shorter chainstays mean quicker handling and better traction at the rear. Toe overlap is another concern with big-wheeled bikes. We tweaked our measurements to eliminate overlap, while maintaining the riding characteristics of a mountain bike.

Options galore. Single-speed? Sure. Like gears? Use some. The Karate Monkey will accommodate a standard or compact mountain triple up front, and a cassette full o'cogs in the 135mm-spaced rear. Our Surly horizontal dropouts are cast with a derailleur hanger, so you have several drivetrain options. Disc brakes or cantilevers? Once again, it's up to you.

The Karate Monkey comes with International Standard disc mounts and removable canti pivots. Rigid or suspended front end? We provide a unicrown, tapered straight blade, suspension-corrected rigid fork. Do as you wish.

Like all Surly frames and forks, the Karate Monkey is built with Surly 4130 cro-moly. The butted tubes are thick enough to withstand a derby circle beating, but thin enough to deliver the fine ride characteristics that steel is known for. Careful Surly design, allows the Karate Monkey to handle like a Mountain bike (and not a tractor !). Big wheels used to be for the fun fair.... now, with the Karate Monkey you can just stick to the fun factor!