Frostbike ’18: Surly launches Midnight Special steel road bike
Originally posted on February 17, 2018 at 9:15 amSurly has been coming out with a lot of new stuff lately, from the Pack Rat front-loader touring bike to the redesigned Pugsley fat bike. Here at Frostbike in Minneapolis, the brand launched yet another brand new bike, the Midnight Special.
The folks at Surly describe the Midnight Special as a bike that can ride “all roads, all day.” It was born out of the ashes of the Pacer, the only true road bike that was ever in the Surly lineup, and retains a lot of the same base design but adds a few features that make it more versatile and modernized. For instance, the Midnight Special features almost the same geometry and steel tubing as the Pacer did, but is 12 mm thru-axle, has flat mount brakes and a 44 mm head tube for compatibility with modern components. It also includes mounts for front and rear racks as well as three water bottles on the inner triangle.
The Midnight Special is different from a lot of other road bikes in that it comes spec’d with 650b x 47 “road plus” rims and tires, which soak up the chatter of rough roads and increase the contact patch, meaning more traction. But never fear, it’ll also fit up to a 700 x 42 (or up to a 60 mm or 2.2 inch wide 650b tire).
According to Surly, the Midnight Special is ideal for someone who wants to go out and “live on their bike” all day, or for multiple days at a time, riding mostly paved roads but connecting routes with gravel, doubletrack and some smooth dirt.
It comes in a range of sizes from 40 cm up to 64 cm. Full geometry chart:
Full parts kit:
Complete bikes retail for $1799 with the frame at $625. The Midnight Special is available from dealers around the country as of today. More info can be found on the Surly blog.
