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World firstSteel bike with wide tyres in 29+ format

Sebastian Brust

 · 27.03.2013

World first: steel bike with wide tyres in 29+ formatPhoto: Georg Grieshaber
World first: steel bike with wide tyres in 29+ format
The small US brand Surly is bucking the mainstream of lightweight construction, suspension travel and model changes. Can the unsprung Krampus compete with fullys thanks to its monstrous 30.5-inch tyres?

What have they put in their drinks at Surly again? A steel bike without suspension as a groundbreaking innovation? Or: How innovative can retro be? Admittedly, the degree of novelty of the purist Surly Krampus is not entirely obvious: zero suspension, a rustic tubular steel frame and not even a front derailleur. But there is something else: those huge wheels. The Krampus rolls on monstrous three-inch wide 29er tyres, which is why it's actually no longer a 29er, but a 30.5er! Or simply 29+. That's new. The Surly Krampus is the first large factory bike in the world to be optimised for the 29 x 3.0 tyre size.

The Krampus is a gentle challenge to full suspensions. Comfort and traction, but without expensive, failure-prone technology. Can it work? Read on to find out whether the Surly Krampus rocks or bucks. BIKE 5/2013, available from 2 April at newsstands.

More info on www.surlybikes.com and on the website of the German importer: www.cosmicsports.de

The smooth running of the Ferris wheels is incredible. The air pressure determines whether the Krampus bucks like a wild bull or glides along like a hovercraft.Photo: Ronny Kiaulehn The smooth running of the Ferris wheels is incredible. The air pressure determines whether the Krampus bucks like a wild bull or glides along like a hovercraft.

Sebastian Brust was born in 1979 and was originally socialised on his grandmother's folding bike, but has mainly been riding studded tyres since his fifth birthday. Loves all kinds of bikes - and merging with nature. Believes that disc brakes are much safer today than they were 15 years ago and thinks he has helped with his brake and pad tests. However, the trained vehicle technology engineer very much regrets that the bicycle industry is orientating itself on what he considers to be the wrong ideals of the car industry. At BIKE, he corrects, produces and organises digital content on the website.

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