Time for the first of many product reviews! This time around, we'll be taking a look at the Surly Krampus Ops
We (somewhat) recently had a chance to ride this bike in conditions that could be described as less than ideal. However, these conditions were actually perfect to test out the full capabilities of the Krampus. Hardpack, loose dirt, jagged rocks, drop offs, loose gravel, river rocks, wild boar, tumbleweeds. Bootleg Canyon has it all and the Krampus handled it like it was rolling over pea gravel.
The Surly Knard 29x3" tires are really to blame for all this wonderful traction and, for lack of a better word, "suspension." With an incredible amount of air volume and contact patch, the size and shape of the tread is almost irrelevant, but the design they ended up using works pretty darn well! Match these up with the Surly Rabbit Hole 29x50mm rims, some top-notch mechanical disc brakes, and a Shimano 1x10 Drivetrain and you have yourself a bicycle very capable of some rock crawlin', mud boggin', and other skulduggery. But how does it handle "real" mountain biking?
In one word: Amazingly! Surly has done a great job in making a bike that should turn like a semi-truck and climb like a fully loaded VW Beetle into a mountain bike fully capable of shredding the gnar. On the smoother sections of singletrack the Krampus rides just as well as any fully suspended steed, but with a connection to the trail not felt when you are bouncing around on 5-6 inches of suspension travel. The direct connection between your body, the fork, the tire, and the ground makes you feel like a kid again. I was laughing my way down the trail like I did the first time I found a downhill trail on my BMX bike as a kid. Every drop and jump, every berm, every long straight stretch where you can't help but crank the pedals and see how fast you can get to the next corner were a joy. This bike brings you back to the roots of mountain biking.
The Surly Krampus is all about 1 thing: Having fun! With it's nimble geometry (relatively) light weight, and it's massive tires, it is a machine fully capable and getting you down the trail and putting a smile on your face while doing it. There may be lighter bikes out there, there may be fatter tires out there, and there may be cheaper bikes out there, but this bike brings everything together with very few compromises. Tire/tube prices are at the top of my list of drawbacks for this bike, but transportation/storage of a bike like this can also be a challenge. Make sure to set aside some money and space for these things and you are sure to thoroughly enjoy the Surly Krampus, and your life! That is if you're into having fun and riding mountain bikes and that sort of thing... you know.
