![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3146-957x1280.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
After 15 years of working in a bike shop, there are certain things you just know you’ll regret not buying.<\/p>\n
This was one of them.<\/p>\n
I don’t even have immediate plans to build it up, but I knew I’d regret passing on it, so I bought one anyway.<\/p>\n
I’m 181 cm tall, with a saddle height 74\u201375 cm, and I went with a size 56.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3065-1280x960.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3160-1280x960.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
I firstly sell this limited frame to a customer who planned to swap from FUJI to this SURLY Steamroller.<\/p>\n
One of the great things about switching between single-speed or fixed-gear bikes is that, in most cases, you can transfer almost all of your existing parts straight over to the new frame.<\/p>\n
There are some pretty practical benefits to making the switch, too.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
More tire clearance: You can run wider tires, giving you a more stable and comfortable ride.
\nEasier rack installation: Adding a rear rack becomes a much more straightforward option.
\nThese are some of the functional improvements that became possible with the Steamroller, compared to what his previous FUJI setup could offer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One thing Surly really values when designing its frames is utility.<\/p>\n
The idea is to make a frame that can be adapted and built up in all kinds of different ways, even as a single bike.<\/p>\n
The philosophy is something like:<\/p>\n
“Life is long. Your circumstances will change, so we want to build a frame that can adapt along with you, giving you new ways to enjoy it as your life evolves.”<\/p>\n
How great is that?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But beyond all the practical features, there’s one more thing I really want to talk about.<\/p>\n
Its timeless good looks.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/146-1280x960.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/188-1280x960.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A little embarrassing, but here’s a photo of me from 2009.<\/p>\n
I was a university student back then, and honestly, I didn’t really understand the value of bikes or how much they were supposed to cost. Everything just seemed ridiculously expensive.<\/p>\n
So I ended up buying a FUJI TRACK. But the bike I really wanted was a Steamroller.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After I started riding on my own, one of my younger friends got into cycling after seeing me ride.When he decided to buy a bike, I recommended the Steamroller to him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And honestly, I was pretty jealous.<\/p>\n
I remember thinking, “How come this younger guy gets to ride a cooler bike than me?!”, haha.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As far as I can remember, the Steamroller has been around since at least 2009. That’s over 16 years, and somehow, it still looks just as good today.<\/p>\n
Some bikes simply never go out of style.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":184159,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-184295","review-global","type-review-global","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"better_featured_image":{"id":184159,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1481,"height":1980,"file":"2026\/11\/IMG_3146.jpeg","filesize":172774,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"IMG_3146-957x1280.jpeg","width":957,"height":1280,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":80097,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3146-957x1280.jpeg"},"large":{"file":"IMG_3146-1287x1720.jpeg","width":1287,"height":1720,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":129343,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3146-1287x1720.jpeg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"IMG_3146-574x768.jpeg","width":574,"height":768,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":34796,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3146-574x768.jpeg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[],"alt":""}},"post":184152,"source_url":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/IMG_3146.jpeg"},"acf":{"not_to_displayed_on_top":true,"ctm-post-priority":"0"},"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1794045367:70"],"_edit_last":["70"],"_thumbnail_id":["184159"],"not_to_displayed_on_top":["1"],"_not_to_displayed_on_top":["field_6944f0f6461a3"],"ctm-post-priority":["0"],"_ctm-post-priority":["field_6522836fa8f5e"],"pp_checklist_custom_item_jlhhonippgapjyw":["yes"],"_my_meta_value_key":["[{\"pid\":51262,\"name\":\"*SURLY* steamroller frame&fork set (anxious lavender)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/global.bluelug.com\/surly-steamroller-frame-fork-set-anxious-lavender.html\",\"src\":\"https:\/\/global.bluelug.com\/media\/catalog\/product\/cache\/3523710a6209bf43bdc4af034e5e9b62\/_\/d\/_dsc09411.jpg\"},{\"pid\":52910,\"name\":\"*SURLY\u00d7BLUE LUG* steamroller frame set BL20th (frank and beans)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/global.bluelug.com\/surly-blue-lug-steamroller-frame-fork-set-bl20th.html\",\"src\":\"https:\/\/global.bluelug.com\/media\/catalog\/product\/cache\/3523710a6209bf43bdc4af034e5e9b62\/1\/2\/120260924-dsc01228.jpg\"}]"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review-global\/184295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review-global"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review-global"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelug.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}