Ready to invest in a Bridge Club? No, not the card game your grandma was fond of. We’re talking about Surly’s newest bike – named after the Minneapolis tradition of riding and congregating under certain bridges to perhaps share a beverage. While the name is certainly interesting, the bike is also a curious addition to the line up. Calling it an all road touring bike, the Bridge Club is also pretty affordable which should allow you to drop some dollars into other touring gear and hit the road… or trail.
Calling it a great option for someone who’s new to bikepacking, who wants a starter touring bike, or just an affordable option, the Bridge Club starts with a 4130 CroMoly steel “‘Natch Tubing” frame with a matching 4130 CroMoly ridgid fork. That non-suspension corrected fork measures 420mm axle to crown and includes three pack mounts on the legs plus rack and fender eyelets.
Surly points out that the braze-ons are kept to a minimum on the Bridge Club, but you’ll still find full rack and fender mounts, triple bottle mounts on the tops and bottom of the down tube, and three bottle mounts on everything but the XS frame.
Sold with 27.5 x 2.4″ tires and wheels, the frame has a maximum tire clearance of 27.5 x 2.8″ or 26 x 3″.
Sticking with QR dropouts front and rear, the Bridge Club continues with the use of Surly’s Gnot Boost spacing. That means it’s 138mm – not Boost, but also not standard 135mm spacing either. Get it? The spacing in the middle means you can stretch it out to fit 141mm Boost QR hubs (which is what’s included with the build), but it will also squeeze down to fit 135mm QR hubs in a pinch. The front is a standard 100mm wide QR hub.
Other features are all classic Surly. A simple 73mm threaded bottom bracket, options for 1x, 2x, or even 3x gearing, a 27.2mm seatpost, and external cable routing.
Using a geometry that is similar to the Troll/Ogre, the fit has been tweaked for the 27.5 x 2.4″ tires and is a little more suited towards road use. However, it still should be comfortable on the trail for off road touring use – not necessarily for shredding trail.
Sold with a Salsa Bend Bar, wide range SRAM X5/GX 2×10 drivetrain, and tubeless ready WTB i29 rims and 2.4″ Riddler tires, the Bridge Club will sell for $1149 and is available now.
