u/Independent-Gap5124

I am a female cyclist that is 1,60 m tall as weights around 50 kg - so generally a more petite build.

I did my first 8 month tour on an average AL trekking bike that I already had and used for commuting and city cycling. I had loads of fun with that bike, it worked perfectly for bicycle travel with no goals. But it would’ve not been suitable for going on longer stretches of gravel for example and had some limitations when it came to mountings.

Now that I am looking to upgrade to a more suitable adventure/ gravel bike I am questioning whether steel would be the right choice for me.

I understand why steel is awesome. It’s unbreakable, can be repaired everywhere in the world and you can load it to the brim.

But I’ve noticed that a lot of AL gravel bikes made with bikepacking in mind have a weight limit of around 120 kg. With my weight that would mean that I still could add around a 50-55 kg load besides myself to even reach the limit. Which seems more than enough.

And by getting an AL bike I could shave off a bit of that bicycle weight which is nice for those times I would have to carry the bicycle.

Am I missing some draw backs of AL? What are your options about steel vs. AL for lighter cyclists?

I appreciate any options. Thx:)

Hello fellow surly fans,

I have been looking at the surly bikes for a while now, but I’m unsure which model is the best fit for me. As I live in Germany there’s not too many options out there, and not many shops that carry the bikes so that I could test all of them.

I did get to test ride the midnight special and the disk trucker. The disk trucker was very comfy but a bit too truck-esque for my taste. I really enjoyed the midnight special but it was sold a bit too pricy at the shop…

How does the midnight special compare to the preamble or the straggler?

I am looking for a bike for mixed pavement touring for longer trips but also one I can just take out for a day tour or a quick ride for fitness purposes. So I want it a good balance between strength and speed.

I appreciate any suggestions and I’d love to hear your experiences!

Thx:)