So what is this Straggler anyway? The easy answer is to say that we added disc brakes to a Cross-Check and this is close to accurate
People have asked us to make a disc version of our highly versatile Cross-Check for a long time now and almost everything about the two are very similar. Straggler is slightly different, though.
The most obvious difference of course is that the Straggler has disc caliper mounts instead of rim brake studs. It’ll accept rotors up to 160mm. The rear dropouts are unique, too. They’re a partially closed horizontal design that accommodates singlespeed or geared drivetrains. They feature stop screws that thread in from the rear to further secure the wheel and to position the rear wheel for optimal shifting, plus a forward-mounted stop screw on the drive side to keep the wheel from slipping forward under the force of your gargantuan legs. The rear dropouts are spaced 135mm instead of 132.5mm like the Cross-Check simply because there are far more options for disc hubs in this spacing.
Straggler shares all of the Cross-Check’s braze-ons for fenders, racks and bottle cages. The Straggler’s geometry is slightly different, with angles and tube lengths very close but not identical to the Cross-Check, but like the Cross-Check it’s ready to take you just about anywhere. It’s a day tripper and a weekender. It’s a ‘rough road’ road bike. It’s a cyclocross bike with no pretense about racing. It’s a utilitarian townie. It’s a light-duty touring bike. It’s an all-weather commuter. And when you get tired of one set up, you can swap parts around and turn it into something else. We think that’s pretty neat.
Please note: The Surly Straggler 1x Bike is UK specc'd by Ison and will differ from the complete bikes as shown on the US Surly site