The Karate Monkey as a single speed build for years. It could always accept gears
- Surly just left them off--but Surly, being the nice people they are, decided they'd give you an out of the box multi-speed option so you can start shredding the trails if gears are your thing. In many ways, it's the same Karate Monkey we all know & love. It uses the same nimble geometry that made the Karate Monkey famous. The tubes are still our very own 4130 ' Natch tube set we've all been riding around on since the beginning, plus you get all the benefits of some nice little frame updates. What are those benefits, you ask? Let's have a look! The tip of this spear is the 44mm headtube, which means that you can run either a straight or tapered fork like the 15mm Thru-axle Fox Float 32 they've spec'd to keep your front wheel planted on the ground & tracking at all costs. The Surly Modular Dropout System, or MDS if you're into the whole brevity thing, gives you the choice between horizontal, standard vertical or a 12x 142 thru-axle. The 10 speed Deore shifty bits they've used will make riding a veritable breeze without breaking the bank or requiring you to break into a bank. They've also strayed from our usual finish option of solid powder coat colors & have instead opted for a translucent powder coat. This finish is far cooler because it gives you a window into the "soul" of the frame. Yes, you can see right down to the metal- & that's pretty Metal. If you guessed that they took what was already a versatile & capable 29" trail bike & made it even more versatile & more capable, then you'd be exactly correct. Good work, smart guy.