Fatbikes are nothing new for Surly, but a “trail” fatbike certainly is. As one of the most talked about items at this year’s Frostbike show, Surly’s new symmetrical, fatter, trail bike points towards the evolving future of fat bikes. More and more riders are taking to the bigger tires for more than just snow, and using them for every day riding. Based on the geometry of the Krampus with some DNA from the Instigator, the Ice Cream Truck is built to rip, just with really fat tires.
When we heard the Ice Cream Truck coming we went running. Check out the details plus the actual weight after the break!
There have been quite a few companies doing symmetric trail oriented fatbikes now, but few are offering them in steel. If that sounds good to you, you’ll feel right at home with the CroMoly frame and fork. Geometry is slacker than that of Surly’s other fatbikes and is purposely designed for stiffer ride.
Compared to the Moonlander or Pugsley, the ICT has a number of modern frame appointments including Surly’s MDS dropouts, a 44mm head tube, and a pressfit bottom bracket to keep the Q-factor as tight as possible. Surly’s Modular Dropout System allows for both geared with Shimano Direct Mount and single speed gearing options and will work with 190 quick release or 197mm thru axle.
Interestingly, the front uses a standard symmetric open dropout, though this version was running a bolt on wheel. Why not go thru axle on the front? This is pure speculation, but we’re wondering if there might be another fork option available for the Ice Cream Truck by the time it is released. With trail geometry and a 44mm tapered compatible head tube you can start putting the pieces together…
Of course you can’t talk about the ice cream truck without talking about the fact that it is the first symmetric fatbike design to come from the world of Surly. The offset design was more or less created due to the lack of wider hubs available back in fat bike’s infancy, and while it still works quite well, symmetric designs offer improved stiffness and easier wheel changes – both good things for a “trail” fatbike. The Ice Cream Truck has plenty of clearance for 5″ tires on 100mm rims and will come in two versions, the $2700 5″ model with Clown shoe rims and Bud 4.8″ tires and the $2450 Ops version which will downsize to Rolling Darryl rims and 3.8″ Nates. Other spec differences include SRAM Hydro brakes for the 5″, and Avid BB7s for the Ops, and a Shimano Deore XT/SLX vs Deore/LX with Microshift shifters for the drivetrain. Frame and fork will also be available for $850.
And of course, what everyone wants to know – what does it weigh? In spite of the fatter frame, bigger frame tubes, and 4.8″ tires on 100mm rims, this large Ice Cream Truck weighs 34.48 lbs. Not bad for a $2700 steel monster Ice Cream Truck. Note that this isn’t the exact build – this particular bike was set up with a full SLX 2×10 drivetrain and Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes and a Surly OD 22-26t crank. It should be pretty easy to take a lot of weight out of this build too.
QBP did a great job putting together these videos from Frostbike. Check out the rest of them here.
