For my long-term test bike I chose a Surly Bridge Club. I wanted something that could pretty much do anything, and while there are plenty of bikes out there that claim to do it all, this one really stood out to me. And it’s not just because of that lovely blue paintjob.
Help Mildred kit out her Surly Bridge Club
Surly’s been making touring bikes for years and its range covers all bases, from more traditional drop-bar road tourers such as the Long Haul Trucker, to the braze-on-heavy, traverse-across-Mongolia ECR.
The Bridge Club sits comfortably at the entry-level of Surly’s touring range, designed to be simple and versatile, which are two qualities I love in a bike.
While many touring bikes often cater for either paved or off-road exploration, the Bridge Club essentially bridges the gap (pun intended). Built around slightly smaller 650b wheels, with a minimum of 2.4-inch tyres, it’s designed for those unexpected detours, taking you off the beaten track.
Pimp my ride
In this video, I take you through all the main features of the bike and ask one very important question: how would you kit out this bike?
Since it’s meant to go anywhere and do anything that’s exactly what I plan to do with the Bridge Club, but I want your suggestions on how to set it up for success.
Would you throw on a rack and some panniers? Bikepacking bags? Plus tyres?
Post your suggestions in my BikeRadar forum thread and let’s see whose ideas actually make it onto the bike!
