Flat-Bar Ghost Grappler!
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- čas přidán 10. 07. 2024
- Last month, Surly Launched the Ghost Grappler, their first dedicated drop-bar trail bike. Because of its trail-centric geometry, it seemed like a good candidate to test with a flat bar. Neil does exactly that in our latest video, walking through what you need to make the conversion happen and sharing his thoughts on how the bike rides with a flat bar...
This video was supported in part by Salsa Cycles. Looking for some bike inspiration? Check out their Journal - www.salsacycles.com/journal?u...
Outline
Intro: 0:00
What you need to convert: 1:20
Component comparison: 4:01
How it rides: 4:47
Mentioned Links:
Surly Ghost Grappler Review - A Drop Bar Trail Bike? - • Surly Ghost Grappler R...
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#bikepacking #pedalfurther #ghostgrappler
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Hosted by Neil Beltchenko ( / neil_beltchenko )
Music by Ben Weaver (benweaver.net)
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I love my Surly Krampus. It has gotten me 20mi daily to and from work through thick and thin, snow rain and heat for many many years!! I'm sure this bike is also a weapon!
Thanks! This is exactly the video I hoped to see.
I'm here for the gorgeous scenery. Got my bikes thankyou much.
It makes sense to put a flat bar on this bike. Looks much better too.
Switched to the exact shifter and levers you recommended! Loving the moloko bar on the Grappler. Thanks for this video.
Thanks for sharing! I’m planning on doing this with my Specialized Diverge with Ritchey Kyote bars.
that green colour is beautiful, top bike, thanks Neil, flat bars for sure
I'm sold on flat bars on mountain bikes. If you are looking at a long ride with tons of pavement mixed in, then throw a set of aero bars on it. Looks goofy but adds versatility and a godsend in a headwind.
Now I finally have an idea how to build my future gravel - this frameset with crazy bars, 27.5 x 2.5 tires and double chainring. This should work fine for bikepacking
Read my mind thanks for posting
Thank you for this I had the same idea
Love it, long head tube culd compensate for my long leegs, was looking for big stack bike, and I think I found it, Thank you
Not the same kinda bike, but I did this with my Marin Four Corners and couldn't be happier.
I run flat bars, I went off drop bars when I was a 11 years old and made a mistake while shifting on the bars, looked down and went head first into the back of a car. Tried my brothers 21 speed racer but by that time I was into BMX. Built myself a 29er using an old 2011/2012 Voodoo Bizango as a bikepacking bike, and as it is intended for flat bars and has relatively modern geometry I can run flat bars and a short stem easily. Currently running 800mm bars with new Rock Shox Judy silver forks. I like the extra pull you can exert while pedalling with wider bars.
I built a flat bar ghost grappler from the ground up. Pretty sweet.
Tektro MT2.1 eclipse is another option if you want to run short pull brakes with flat bars. Those levers have an adjustable cable pull.
Cool. Looks almost ideal to me.
I'd solve the hand position problem by fitting some short bar ends, and wrap them in road-bartape for max comfort.
I've got a Kona Rove DL with a flat bar setup. I would agree with a 50mm stem it's def on the twitchier side. But it's snappy and super direct. I'd like to go the other direction and throw a corner bar on there, but they're hard to find these days! I've been on waiting lists for months.
I bought the Grappler and I'm looking into putting the Surly moloko bar on. My hands don't love the brifters that came with it. I think the moloko bar will give me all the hands positions I need and braking will feel much nicer with the short pull
My husband runs a flat bar on his Salsa Journeyer and he loves it. Just has the problem of not enough hand positions.
Bar ends!
Looks proper tbh
I think it would be great with a Tumbleweed Persuader bar. I’ve got a ruptured disk in my back so drop bars are a thing of my past.
One good move is to run NS bikes Hold Fast grips, a bit wider than most grips so it means you have a bit more room to adjust your hand positioning if your hand starts to go a little strained.
Doing anything off-road is just way more practical and fun with a flat bar. I think drops work on the road and long gravel rides. I’d definitely run this as a MTB though.
A great way to realize these bikes are just hybrid bikes with drops and fancy thru-axles
This video definitely hits at my hypothesis that eventually everyone will realize that once your bike is burly enough and your tires wide enough then it becomes more comfortable to just ride it like a normal mountain bike and that the market will eventually stop throwing drop bars on so many bikes. Does it look cool? Yes. Is it practical to use drop bars on a bike as capable as the poiseidon redwood or this ghost grappler? Perhaps not. Of course, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
It has do so with individual comfort though. Flat bars aren’t comfortable for everyone
@@kbd13-n9c 🙄
@@antonroux6737 ...your point? I personally have never ridden a flat bar that's comfortable beyond the 4-hour mark.
@@ktakashismithAs one who tours -- most of the day on the bike, day after day -- with flat bars, I say that the limiting factor for comfort is not one's hands and wrists but rather one's bum and seat bones.
I am surprised that Cornerbar wasn't an option with this bike
Start with a frameset, and the world is yours.
They sold too many of them to put them on a complete
Hard to find the Cornerbar right now.
It’s only a flat bar mountain bike because Surly said it is! If you bought the frameset as is without any info on the complete bike, you’d definitely think it was designed for flat bars.
Would you please be able to comment on how you think the Surly Corner Bars would feel on this bike? I'm looking at doing a custom build for doubletrack/fire road/light singletrack use. I'm also curious how you think the Ghost Grappler would feel on 29x2.1" wheels with the 50mm BB drop? Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide!
You had me at "put some beer on it". Seriously... 10mm of difference in stem length can make such a difference! Hopefully people (an you) will try that. Happy Trails buddy 👍
Spring Beers!!!! I'm going to throw a 60mm and go from there.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom The PNW Components Coast Stem is pretty sweet! I put one on my wife's Surly KM build this winter. Good look and has options for mounting lights or a GoPro to it.
I have a surly ecr that I put on the highest bmx bars I could find to sit upright and peddle no-hands with a comfortable seat all day long
I ended up buying the Tumbleweed Stargazer, whilst I loved the look of the Ghost Grappler and the price, it was just way to long for me. I did wonder how it might go with Jones bars? Anyway, spoilt for choice with so many great bikes to choose from.
Can't go wrong, either way.
I use the drops on my Cannondale Topstone about .000000001% of the time as I find it a very uncomfortable position FOR ME. Consequently, a flat bar configuration makes way more sense since I find that way more comfortable overall. I'm still searching for my 1-bike solution... monster bike or hardtail...
You probably have the bars too low. IMO a lot of manufacturers still come out with drop bar bikes where the handlebar drop is just too aggressive for Average Joes, and of course most of the time they cut the steerers nice and short because that looks "cool". So many people barely ever use the drops. I also think on gravel/adventure/whatever bikes the bars should be higher to begin with compared to road bikes. On road bikes the drops are all about being aero. But on a gravel bike the drops give you a more secure position for rough descends, and you have more leverage on the brake levers. But when the bars are so low that you can barely even look up properly when you're in the drops, of course it's gonna be a horrible position for descending.
That said, there is nothing wrong if you prefer one over the other. Personally I like both options for different reasons. If I was building a do it all but mainly off road focused bike, i'd probably go with flats that have more backsweep (maybe something different like a Jones), silicone grips or those Ergon ones with the "wings".
@@HOllyBOni Thanks. I definitely agree with how many bars come set up in an aggressive road position. I actually installed a riser stem and I still never use the drops... I just don't like that riding position at all. I'd rather use tri bars or something.
Built my Ghost Grappler from the frame up with Shimano XT/SLX mix, 12-speed. Didn’t like the Corner Bar so went back to the Jones Bars. I’ll try flat bars, just to see…
Hi there will be a question? Surly Ghost Grappler 27.5 "Is it a staff suited to do the world tour? I need your knowledge about it.
What kind of front deraileur can I use for a double ring in the Ghost Grappler?
This is cool - but the weird thing about the Grappler is the head tube length. To get the reach I like for a flat bar, I basically end up with a head tube that is 220cm long, and more stack than a trail bike with a 140mm fork.
Looks like a ATV ... Great bike...
“this video is sponsored by Salsa, ok now back to reviewing this Surly”
Win win for QBP
Actually the parent company is named "Ouroboros"
насладится весенней погодой с пивком это 🙈💗🤝💥🤌🍻
Do you recommend going up a frame size compared to drop bar sizing?
So, you've given good reviews to both the Ghost Grappler and the Tumbleweed Stargazer. Plenty similarities between the models, but fairly different fit prospects. If you were starting from scratch, and couldn't pick a Cutthroat...which one would you choose?
You know, I would likely go with the stargazer for it's versatility, it's not as quick on the downs, but it climbs slightly better and I'm a climber at heart. I bet you could ask this question to a handful of riders that have pedaled both and it would be a mixed bag. I' really loved the Ghost Grappler for dedicated singletrack riding over the Stargazer however, and if you are looking for a bike that does more of that, you may want to consider it.
Good video
Best thing you could do to any trail, drop bar bike, is to put flat bars on it. Wise choice.
I’d do this immediately on my GGrappler if it weren’t for those headwinds on stretches of road between the double track.
hi, will shimano sora brake levers work with avid bb5?
How about alt bars like moloko or Jones bar
The grappler has quite a bit more trail with its fork compared to the karate monkey. The forks are different lengths but I wonder if less trail would make the bike less twitchy? This bike looks very cool but would a guy be better off just buying a flat bar designed bike like the k-monkey or kona unit.
Thank you so much for your reviews!!! Do you or anyone knows If I can I change the tires 650b for 700c tires? for having the chance to do bikepacking on paved roads and other times most unpaved ones!!! Thank you!!!!
I don't see why not, it was specifically designed around 27.5 and drop bars, but you obviously saw that I threw flat bars on this bike, so.... yeah.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom Thank you so much!! for your answer!!! that motivates me!!! cheers!!!!
What about using alt bars, like koga denham. Surely it still got multiple hand position (pun intended 😉)
“Surly debuts drop bar mountain bike!” *installs flat bars*
Easier than trying to find a Krampus
Surly: launches dedicated drop bar MTB after years of research
Bikepacking: * installs flat bar *
Surly: am I joke to you?
Hahaha
Throw in a corner bar too so you'll have different hand positions..
The bike is solid and my Ebike conversion went great. czcams.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Very smooth ride at 30mph with no problems (135 miles ridden so far). The picture is a bit deceiving - there is WAY less space in the center of the frame than it shows. The suspension connection takes up the entire thing. So I needed to attach my battery on the bottom of the frame and my controller on the top. Instructions for assembly were lacking but honestly it wasn't too hard to figure out even though I have very little bike knowledge. Watched some youtube videos on adjusting the disk brakes but that was it. Still, I am loving it and very happy with the purchase.
I think you created a taller, twice as expensive Marin Muirwoods.
I think this works because fundamentally the geometry is so bad for drop bars.
Tell Us about it! this is such a fun bike. we built one up ( czcams.com/video/Q-vYbNiLdl4/video.html ) and were loving it.
Having no chance to buy a GG, seeing one mangled like this makes me sad :(
I will never understand??? A hard tail, for like 40-50 years, has been able to tackle 90% of the world’s terrain. Nowadays, the world’s terrain, after somewhere around 4 Billion years, is now defined by “gravel”…instead of just “earth”. The biking world has created a scenario where road bike inspired “gravel bikes”, are all the rage, worth tens of thousands of dollars. When all the while, the hard tail in the back of the garage, with the tarp covering it up from view…IS FAR MORE EFFICIENT FOR TRAVELING ON MOTHER EARTH!!!
Oh damn, didn't realize that Tom Ritchey was brazing up MTBs in 1972, super reliable source of information right here everybody!
"The World's Terrain" is an abominably stupid concept, because unless you're out trampling virgin fields or riding off a cliff, the terrain you're riding is manicured for you in some way shape or form, whether it's an explicit MTB trail, hiking trail, farm road, or asphalt. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you've had this amazing communal relationship with Mother Earth because you ride your bike on mixed surfaces, it's all human-created.
For me a "gravel bike" (or whatever term you find most personally offensive) is fantastic, because unlike a hardtail mountain bike, it doesn't suck a magnum-sized dong to ride the requisite 15-20 miles to get out of the reach of the city and on to some quiet trails and dirt roads. Also, I can find you plenty of hardtail mountain bikes that cost a hell of a lot more than a gravel bike.
lets start with the name.........surly is maybe an ok starter bike in a time where good bikes are hard to come by. the two surly's I've owned needed upgrades to function. the good thing about surly's is that they are often up for sale, unused by the first or second owner. ghost grappler? yawn. I do appreciate seeing the parts you purchased to upgrade this bike.
lol you took away pretty much the only part of the grappler that made it unique... and then kinda preferred it. There are really only like 5 unique surly bike models anyway and you just made a rigid krampus. I bet the next "new" surly frame will be a krampus with drop bars mark my words
I think I'm just not a fan of the woodchippers, perhaps a 50cm Cowchipper would be Ideal? You get credit when that happens, Joe. ;)
@@BIKEPACKINGcom in all seriousness, the Grappler and Krampus geometry are so similar it probably makes sense to buy a Krampus, since you could put drops on it, or run a suspension fork to shift the bik toward hardtail or drops to shift toward touring. I'm thinking hard about a Krampus or Grappler, and it seems like the Krampus is more flexible. Am I missing something?
Will we never be satisfied? Flat bars on drop bar mountain bikes? Drop bars on flat bar road bikes? Soon we will be putting TT bars on balance bikes and a steering wheel on unicycles. Now where's my recumbent?!
F*ck me if we play around with the easily-interchanged parts on bicycles, it's not like that's half the fun at all. Someone burn this man's house down for experimenting!