Got the frame, built the bike, and took it on a ride last night. I like it...a lot. The green is also much nicer in person than online. It's darker than the pics on Surly's site would indicate. Construction quality of the frame is quite good. Not as good as a high end custom, but excellent for a $440 MSRP frame/fork. I didn't have the bike computer hooked up, but I felt like I was taking the trails a bit faster. I was leading one of the rides last night and was asked to slow the pace a few times. Later, after the ride, one of the guys in my group said he felt like he got a good workout because his legs were a bit tired.
There were a couple negatives. First, this bike doesn't climb quite as well as the old one. That's not surprising considering the old frame was built for max power transfer to the rear wheel. You paid for that though in the form of a rougher riding bike. I felt less beat up after the ride, which makes up for the slight lack of climbing prowess. Second, the drop at the bottom bracket greater, putting the pedals closer to the ground. I run 180mm cranks, so I got a lot more pedal strikes than I normally get. However, being lower to the ground also means my center of gravity was lower, so I was able to carve turns more aggressively. The lower BB didn't cause any problems with log crossings though.
Even though the bike's geometry was a bit more "relaxed" than my previous bike, I felt faster overall. I think the ability to take turns harder and the shock absorbing nature of the steel frame let me move faster through sections that normally would slow my down, more than offsetting the reduced speed in other areas.
Chris
