{"id":155540,"date":"2024-10-04T17:12:58","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T08:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/?post_type=global&#038;p=155540"},"modified":"2024-10-04T17:15:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T08:15:35","slug":"my-mtb-my-karate-monkey","status":"publish","type":"global","link":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/global\/my-mtb-my-karate-monkey\/","title":{"rendered":"My MTB, My Karate Monkey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I work at Blue Lug Kamiuma every Sunday. On my shift at the Kamiuma branch, I always look at staff bikes or talk about romance with my co-workers. These days, the Kamiuma staffs are so into MTB. Seeing them going mountain biking every week definitely got me a bit jealous, since Santa even bought an MTB and started going on the rides.<\/p>\n<p>I already had an MTB, but I dented the downtube pretty bad, and I was a bit scared to ride aggressively on that bike. I felt like I was being left out. Darn it!<\/p>\n<p>There is a bike that I have been very interested in&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Yes, that bike would be the MTB touring bike from Surly, the Karate Monkey. I have always liked how it feels whenever I would test ride it for customers. I think it&#8217;s safe to say that the bike is one of Surly&#8217;s masterpiece.<\/p>\n<p>What I love about Surly is their knowledge of bicycles, their experience in the industry and their style of not taking things too seriously, I love that they don&#8217;t try to be create bikes that are serious, despite having the skills. Always thinking outside the box.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, I&#8217;m buying this frame.<\/p>\n<p>Hmm, It&#8217;s always hard to choose whether I go with silver or black handlebars&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155249\" src=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2809-1-1280x855.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2809-1-1280x855.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2809-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2809-1-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2809-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>These are the Nitto For Shred Bars. I have both silver and black. I think I couldn&#8217;t decide for at least an hour.<br \/>\nTheir both the same bars, so there are no difference in terms of performance, but it matters, okay?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155251\" src=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2815-1280x855.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2815-1280x855.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2815-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2815-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2815.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155252\" src=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2813-1280x855.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2813-1280x855.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2813-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2813-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_2813.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But I think this is the best part about building a bike. A bike is not an equipment, so it&#8217;s good to pay attention to small details. Things like this makes our job as a bike mechanic possible.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54031846173\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54031846173_e884cd05d7_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Aaand this is my Karate Monkey.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a lot of nerdy things on this bike. I know, it&#8217;s better to not talk about those nerdy features, but I&#8217;m too stoked for this build. I am gonna explain them all.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, I decided to go with the original color &#8220;Fools Gold&#8221;, instead of custom painting it and I have a reason for that&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/-mcL5XGQsL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">\u3053\u306e\u6295\u7a3f\u3092Instagram\u3067\u898b\u308b<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/-mcL5XGQsL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2694\ufe0f\ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd8b\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd86 \ud835\udd7f\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd9b\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd98\u2694\ufe0f(@californiatravis)\u304c\u30b7\u30a7\u30a2\u3057\u305f\u6295\u7a3f<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This is one of my favorite bikes. Travis&#8217;s Falconer.<br \/>\nNow, I&#8217;m not the type to choose a gold frame, but I think this one hit different, for obvious reasons. One being the resemblance of the color of Travis&#8217;s Falconer and that&#8217;s pretty much the main reason. Hoping on a gold bike every morning feels epic. It feels like I&#8217;m unstoppable, but I ate shit last week.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54030723397\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54030723397_b16981fbb8_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In my humble opinion, I think how the logo decals are applied when the frame is fresh out the box is a little too much, so I like to strip all of it off except the big logos on the downtube.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54032046490\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54032046490_826dc85ccb_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54032046405\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I really like the way the Paul Components Boxcar stem looks on the Karate Monkey.<br \/>\nThe Boxcar Stem comes with torx bolts, but I swapped to regular M5 bolts so that I don&#8217;t have to carry a torx key when I&#8217;m out riding. I also like changing the color of the faceplate.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54031846343\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54031846343_5b7d43efc6_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I laced these wheels up myself, but I wanted the wheels to look as generic as possible, so I laced them with black rims and spokes with silver nipples. 180mm disc rotors on the front, 160mm disc rotors on the rear.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54031597946\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54031597946_ff36a113c2_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155508\" src=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030-1720x1147.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240926-A2407030.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I like tying the brake and shift cables with zipties. People would normally face the zips inside towards the tire, but I like to face them out. No specific reason. I just like how it looks.<\/p>\n<p>One advice I can give you is to cut the zipties as flat as possible, so you don&#8217;t cut yourself with the sharp ended zipties.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54032046520\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54032046520_0cf5286c43_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54031923054\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54031923054_fdd6ffda93_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Shimano XT 12 speed components, but I love to 10 speed XT cranks too much so I used it for a 1x set up. (the cranks aren&#8217;t boost compatible, so be careful)<br \/>\nWhen setting up a bike in a 1x set up, most people would use narrow wide chainrings, but I decided to bring back the old chain keeper. You see? Nerdy stuff&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluelug\/54031598246\/in\/dateposted-public\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54031598246_5a8b84dbc2_k.jpg\" alt=\"*SURLY* karate monkey bst (S)\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><\/a><script src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Lastly, I wrapped some tapes on the chainstay to prevent the chain to dent the frame. I applied Cobra ties before wrapping, which makes it look all bumpy and cool. (Yes, I really like cable ties)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155445\" src=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682-1720x1147.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DSCF4682.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I took this bike into the mountains and I absolutely love it.<br \/>\nI think I will install a dropper post and maybe swap out the pedals, chainring and stem&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Surly always makes me feel like a kid again. Can&#8217;t and won&#8217;t stop loving them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":155510,"template":"","tags":[],"better_featured_image":{"id":155510,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1980,"height":1320,"file":"2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k.jpg","filesize":244108,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1280x853.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":126294,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1280x853.jpg"},"large":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1720x1147.jpg","width":1720,"height":1147,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":194963,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1720x1147.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-768x512.jpg","width":768,"height":512,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":59794,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-768x512.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1536x1024.jpg","width":1536,"height":1024,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":164156,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-1536x1024.jpg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-800x600.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":67669,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-800x600.jpg"},"yarpp-thumbnail":{"file":"54032046405_4396d13d76_k-120x120.jpg","width":120,"height":120,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":5527,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k-120x120.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":155147,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54032046405_4396d13d76_k.jpg"},"acf":{"online-store-search-keywords":"","search-result-sort-order":"price","search-result-sort-by":"desc","stockSortFlg":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global\/155540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/global"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}