Some Bicycle Things I’m Stoked About On A Friday, April 10th, 2026
If I had to choose one feature of Cumberland mountain-bicycling to highlight for a prospective traveler, it would be the varietals of moss. Whether it’s the bearded variety hanging from trees, serenaded by rushing water, in the Trent River Canyon. Or, the tenacious patches of green battling the lichen* in the darker parts of Queso Grande. Or every-shade-of-green swards as ribbons of single track pass in and out of the trees. Well, the bold beauty of it highlights that third spoke of awesomeness that mountain biking delivers. There’s fitness & fatigue, there’s adrenaline, speed, & technical steez, and then there’s being a creature of nature in nature.
That’s an incomplete thought, I know, but I’m moving on to some more stoke after two more sentences. One, if you’re Cumberland curious, check out our family Cumberlandworx coverage or drop me an e-mail. Two, praise be to the builders.
*{Fungi-algae sandwiches lichen, not werewolf Lycan.}
{Photos: MEATengines}
Surly’s Sorceress Frameset
This week Surly surprised with the sweet new Sorceress. Available in five sizes. Featuring a nifty sliding dropout, called DUH, that is UDH or #1FG compatible, {relatively conservatively} aggressive hardtail geo, and a shortish rear center. This thing is way beyond being a Krampus ESD and in terms of being an every ride, every trail, technical terrain friendly hardtail, I’m here for it. Let’s just be sure to route that dropper post cable around the headtube.
Actually, my first thought, geo-wise, was to ask Vik if he had taken a job at Surly designing bikes. This thing is Viktastic to such an extent that I’m a little surprised it doesn’t have integrated mounting for Muddhugger anti-theft devices, I mean, fenders. Personally, I would have had the starting point for the rear center punched out another centimeter or so but the slack-enough seat tube angle is a nice touch in a sea of practically flag-pole perpendicularity.
Surly has never done a fantastic job of nerd-level talking about all the effort that goes into their frames, from the custom-drawn tubesets, to the size-specific ride characteristics and the general ride quality of their steel selection. Their paint work {powder coating} is better than what most brands are putting out as well and the E.D. coating inside is a nice feature. It’s not that a less expensive frame, say any Kona, isn’t a perfectly great option it’s just that, side-to-side, there’s a reasons that an equally Taiwan-made hardtail from the likes of Chromag, Knolly, or Surly cost more to make, and it’s not just the bears-grabbing-crotches/Knomer/Surly factor. I say that as someone who isn’t a Surly fan boy, but clearly is a Kona fan boy.
That is to say, value is a personal decision, but if you’re into the Sorceress and you can afford one, amortize your life? As I’ve seen in the comments and correspondence from Zach Miller’s Bicycle Valentine ‘So Nice, I Had To Own It Twice‘, a lot of folks are planning to keep their Surly frame forever. Three, five, ten-plus years down the trail the extra monetary investment will go unremembered but any improvements in frame compliance and longevity could easily pay for themselves.
{Photo: Surly Bikes}
[Aside] I’m not currently in the market for a new single-speedable hardtail frame. My used Will’s Chromag Arcturian from around 2020ish, with it’s F!rst L!ght Voyager upgrade and -2° Wolf Tooth GeoShift headset is rad. But if I were, and over-forked Sorceress would be high on my list. I do wish they published an unsagged geo chart, in addition to their sagged numbers, and both the actual and effective seat tube angles, but from the photos I’ve seen it would work for me.
That said, what I was most excited about in the Sorceress launch is the, currently missing, accompanying 515-520mm axle-to-crown rigid fork. Surly always has a rigid fork option for their frames and I’d buy said Sorceress fork tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a future addition because I know a few folks who’d love a Surly quality, Sorceress length, rigid fork option.
[/Aside]
{Photo: Surly Bikes}
Zeronomenon {Sorceress Continued}
I’m going to briefly jump back to the Norco Charger A2 that I wrote about in SBTISAOAF for February 20th, 2026. Despite mixed experiences with Norco as someone with a long history in the industry, this is the CA$1500 budget-friendlier sleeper bike I find myself recommending to parents and potential new mountain bikers more than any other. Five sizes, rad geometry, and in the case of the A2 a build that’s notably nicer than the CA$300 more expensive A1. Here the main value boost is an X-Fusion RC-32 air fork with a nicer chassis and damper than the Judy Silver on the A1 build.
These choices, to deliver a better bike using components that require more ‘work’ for a bike shop to sell {the same could be said for the A2’s Tektro brakes – a significant rotor upgrade over the A1’s Shimano system} are hard. I’ve talked to a number of brands who say dealer feedback is weighted heavily towards brand names over performance gains.
In the same vein as the A2, Surly’s lower-level Sorceress is the clear winner not just on purchase price. The CA3K Deore build sports a Shimano 12spd HG+ drivetrain, excellent MT420 four-piston brakes with shitty rotors*, and an excellent SR Suntour Zeron 36. For an extra grand I can have a RockShox Psylo Gold and a drivetrain that’s a mix of {mostly} SRAM 90 and SRAM 70? Even for folks who’d rather have the SRAM shifting, that’s a steep increase for uncertain gains. I can make some nice long-term upgrades to the lower level bike for a grand.
*{Et tu, Surly? FFS, Resin-only rotors? On an aggressive-use mountain bicycle? Come on folks. But then, around here I’d be replacing, at least, the front 180mm rotor on the higher end build with something larger anyway.}
{Photo: Surly Bikes}
Surly doesn’t list which damper option they’re using on the two Zeron equipped rigs, the aforementioned CA3K Deore 12spd build and the stock CA$3130 Sorceress Single Speed*. But, from the photos it’s a PCS (piston compensator system) of the 3CR or 2CR varietal. So it either has an open compression setting and two firmer compression settings, or an open setting an one firmer setting, along with the rebound adjustment.
In any event, the 36mm Zeron isn’t an especially lightweight fork with it’s 6000-series stanchions, but it’s also not a total pig and it’s plenty stiff. The damper works very well, excellently for the price, the air system is smooth, and SR Suntour’s extensive focus on chassis alignment extends down to all the price points of their performance forks. This is a great example of a min-max fork choice and I’m hoping we’ll see them showing up on more bikes trying to generate value through performance and serviceability rather than just brand name. Not that I’d be grumpy about seeing Fox’s OE sleeper fork {the 36 Rhythm Grip} or a RockShox Yari RC on these bikes, but I can’t image what that would do to the SRP for no real experience improvement for most riders.
*[Anti-Stoke Aside] Boo, boo Mandrew, Boo! I don’t like being negative in SBTISAOAF, but I can’t bring myself to link to the SSS because of Surly’s ridiculous choice to spec it with a SRAM Powerspline crankset. What’s the opposite of stoked? Anti-Stoked? Welcome to measuring your single-speed’s bottom bracket bearing life in weeks and be sure to check your crank bolts before, during, and after every ride. The least expensive SRAM DUB crankset, or a Shimano, or a Samox 24mm crankset, would have been a massive improvement in durability, performance longevity, and dropped a pile of weight. Cranksets are an expensive after-sale upgrade.
As goes for Kona’s complete Unit & Unit-X, I think the true one-speeding value is to buy the Deore 12-spd bike and a Wheels MFG or Problem Solvers MicroSpline cog-carrier-kit. Throw on some decent brake rotors – bang for buck I’ve had good repair results with Jagwire’s SR-1 – and ride. Note that to convert the 12-spd Sorceress to a multi-speed you’ll also need a DUH single-speed dropout kit.[/Anti-Stoke Aside]
Anywho, back to being stoked about the Sorceress fork spec. There are a lot of entry-to-mid priced bikes where I would love to see brand managers running an excellent SR fork and then pumping the extra dollars into, especially, nicer tires and better braking – things a rider will notice right away – as well as better examples of parts that are expensive to upgrade down the trail like the crankset and rear hub. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this Zeronomenon moving forward.
{Photo: Surly Bikes}
Wearing Stuff Out
I don’t love opening my wallet to replace wear items, but I have a, perhaps bizarre, love of legitimately wearing stuff out. Grips, chains, brake pads, tires. Used-to-death components mean I’m out there in the forest, riding to my ride, cruising the neighbourhood, using my bicycles. My latest swap out is a front rotor worn just shy of the minimum width for replacement. Brake bleeds up great. Brake pads with 50%+ life. Why doesn’t my brake feel right? Oh, that’s a heck of a step between the braking surface and spokes of that rotor!
The poor ArctuHawk Voyager is also hoping for a fresh chainring, chain, cog, and grips. I just replaced the bearings in my Outlier Void pedals, one of the elastomers on my old-gen BikeYoke Sagma saddle, and the tubeless sealant. Plus, I recently serviced my fork. But it’s always one more thing; especially on a single-speed since single-speeding ruins everything. Oops, sorry Sacki, realized on my afterwork ride with Claire this afternoon that I’m also well overdue to service the Revive on my Arcturian.
As someone who doesn’t track my rides in any way I have to listen to my bicycle. Not just the creaks and squeaks that develop but the sections of trail that are slower, rougher, harder for no apparent reason. Lately I’ve been riding quite a bit and both my Chromag and my Honzo BMXC rig have lots to say about it.
{Photo: MEATengines}
Kona Unity
I’m so stoked to see a fresh rig from a big brand sporting 3″ Plus tires. Even if they’re of the fast rolling WTB Ranger* variety. With every brand under the sun releasing the same plastic-fantastic pedal-assisted-motoring MTeeB this week the Unity was a breath air. A one-of-a-kind-weird, single-speed-able, double-hardtail Plus-mullet that harkens back to Kona’s past bicycle adventures.
The build is a rad mix of an XT LinkGlide drivetrain and a DT Star-Ratchet rear hub, with the only really questionable choice being Tektro Gemini brakes rather than TRP {Tektro Racing Products} Spire brakes. The Gemini brakes stop fine-just-fine but the Spires have a much nicer lever assembly that’s more inline with the clean buy-once-cry-once build on the rest of the bike.
I understand that the inverted 1999 Stab-Deluxe ‘all the frame bag’ downtube delivers a polarizing aesthetic but, for me, the fact that it doesn’t look like anything else is a keen selling point. Given that folks buying this bike could have preferences from 80mm to 200mm+ travel, I think it’s a good thing the Unity doesn’t come stock with a dropper post, but rather the spec dollars were invested elsewhere.
All that said, the thing I’m most stoked about is to see a Unit with a static 66° head tube angle, a STA that remains in an all-day-pedal friendly 74-75° region, and nice long Reach number {485mm for the large I’d ride}. I’d love to see these number cross over to the next version of the {dual 29″} Unit/Unit-X. Zero negatives going up or across with bonus chops on the DH.
*{Welcome back to the Ranger TOUGH casing tires though! Sweet choice Kona, love that you’re making them WTB.}
{Photos: Kona Bikes}
That Frame-Up Value Conversation
The most shocking thing about the Kona Unity isn’t the Plus tires, sweet geometry, or polarizing downtube, but rather that there isn’t a frame-only option available. At least, not yet. Fingers crossed. One of the things that has long made Kona awesome is the understanding that above a certain price-point many riders would rather choose their own bits to bolt onto a frame. Certainly, the vast majority of Kona rigs I’ve owned were bought from their frame shop option – Units, Honzos, Explosif, Rove, Raijin. Same goes for most of my rigs, both new and used. Both bone stock and custom.
Just straight up machine per dollar it’s not possible to beat bikes like the aforementioned Norco Charger A2 and, wow, at CA$2650 the Honzo ESD* with it’s Shimano drivetrain and Marzocchi Z1 Grip-damper fork is wicked. But at a certain point, being able to choose how I min-max components, avoid some of the ‘brand name’ purchasing pitfalls, and be running the components that I want the first time around presents value for the higher up front cost.
I can pick my weird tire mix, grab an SLX crankset whilst they’re still around, and be sure that the rear hub will make me happy. I don’t need to have a premium headset, but it sure is nice to start with a Cane Creek 40 and upgrade to some stainless bearings down the trail than to run some of the crap that ties together the front of a few fancy rigs. Maybe pick-up some used parts. And, so on. It’s interesting have that frame-up value conversation as most folks who intend to have a bike for years-upon-years, rather than regularly flipping to the next steed, prefer to build it one piece at a time.
*{If you want one I’d jump on that. Rumour has it that the next Honzo ESD release will feature ‘current’ components and a less approachable SRP.}
{Photo: The Clairebarian}
Larry Talker Tunes – By Andrew
I dumped my massive preamble about The Cowslingers cowpunk cover of ‘One Piece At A Time’ because, in conclusion, I’m not totally certain how I spun from there to Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, but I do think that their 2024 album Kinnery of Lupercalia: Buell Legion is going to be a hit with Model-T. Art, nerdery, music, fiction. It’s part two in a three album story.
Terry Walker, start with Cesaré, hit Lessing, and if that’s your jam in the moment then run the full album.
And, then, whether that was your jam or not, check out their album ‘Unentitled‘ from a little over a decade ago. Specifically, if you’re going to grab one song, I’m loving The Unballed Ballad Of The New Folksinger.
{Photo: Slim Cessna’s Auto Club}
First off, I apologize for the late correspondence on About a Single Speed entries. I owe a few folks replies and follow-ups and that will happen this weekend. Also, yes, I’m still very keen on Bicycle Valentine entries – I had a couple of messages about them this week and I’d be keen to share them. For this week I have a pile of partially completed stuff, so in addition to A.a.S.S., I’ll be finishing something for Monday and likely Wednesday.
The Clairebarian and I spent a bunch of time yesterday and today putting our spring and summer in order. We have riding plans, trail maintenance plans, ride leading plans {we’ll be leading some of the ‘Chill’ Essential Cycles shop rides}, and NSMBA Fiver plans {we’ve been practicing our friendly trash talking & heckling}. Maybe see you out there!
Happy Trails,
Andrew
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