Like many things Surly, the Krampus was ahead of its time. Introduced when 2.4″ was still considered a huge tire, the bike not only helped to usher in a wave of plus, but proved that 29+ could be viable as well. A lot has changed since the Krampus was launched more than 4 years ago. Geometries have changed, better tires are available, and dropper posts are all but ubiquitous. And then there’s the hub spacing…
The new Krampus addresses all of that to ensure the big wheels keep on rollin’…
The Krampus won’t ship with a dropper post but if you want to add one, it’s stealth dropper compatible. The cable routes along the bottom of the downtube then tucks into the seat tube just above the 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket. Meant to be used with Boost spacing cranks, the frame will clear a 30t chainring in 1x configuration and 24/36t in 2x with a 34.9mm high direct mount front derailleur using the included adapter.
One of the biggest changes to the frame is the addition of Surly’s Gnot-Boost 12mm horizontal/slotted vertical dropouts. Offering the best of both worlds, the dropouts are actually spaced at 145mm which allows them to stretch to fit Boost 148mm x 12mm hubs, standard 142 x 12mm hubs, and even 135mm QR hubs. Also, the horizontal dropouts allow for single speed use, but the dropouts also include a vertical slot on the inner face of the dropout to allow the wheel to drop out easily for geared applications.
Along with new Natch 4130 chromoly tubing, the frame sees some changes to the geometry to make it align with more modern trail geometry while still allowing for 29 x 3.0″ tire clearance. Sold complete with a SRAM NX 1×11 drivetrain in Andy’s Apple Red, framesets with a rigid 483mm axle to crown fork with a 47mm offset and Boost hub spacing will also be sold in Dark black.
