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"It Has to be Comfy" ; Josh's Surly Skid Loader e-Cargo.

If you were to ask me “Hey Josh, if you could have one vehicle to do it all while making you happy… what would it be?” I’d respond “Harriet, my 97 Nissan D21.” 

If you were to ask me to build one bike to do it all, then I’d say a Surly Skid Loader. 

I’ve been a bike mechanic on and off since 2010 and for some reason I’ve always nerded out on purpose built commuter bikes. Over the years wrenching on hundreds of bikes I developed a mental list defining my ultimate commuter:

  • It has to be comfy
  • It has to carry my shit
  • It should be more convenient than driving a car
Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.
Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.
Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.

IT HAS TO BE COMFY

It’s cliche but I do love the feel of a heavy steel bike. I love the way my All City Big Block rides through everything. I liked the way my steel fixie conversion rode before that bike. I’ve owned carbon and alloy bikes both of which ride nice, but I’m not gonna feel great locking their top tubes against bike racks and random sign posts long term. Nothing rides the way a steel bike rides. 

It needs big volume tubeless tires for comfort and flat resistance. I feel like that is self explanatory. 

IT HAS TO CARRY MY SHIT

I’ve endured enough years and summers with different bags and backpacks to come to the conclusion that I no longer want to carry anything while riding a bike. I want my bike to carry me + all my things. Whether it’s groceries, car parts, layers for weather, camera gear, or emotional damage from another failed online date… it needs to carry it so I can enjoy the ride.

IT SHOULD BE MORE CONVENIENT THAN DRIVING A CAR

Aside from checking tire pressure occasionally (which you should be doing to your car) it should be ready to go on the daily. I shouldn’t be thinking about charging lights, what to eat, how far am I riding, do I need a bag, etc. Inherently a bike is gonna be easier to park and depending on your city’s infrastructure.. much faster in traffic to get around. 

SO WHY THE SKID LOADER?

It literally checks off all of my requirements. It’s comfy with its big volume 27.5 x 2.5 tubeless tires. It’s steel. It’s a midtail cargo bike, so it carries my shit while still feeling and handling like a normal sized bike. It’s a Bosch mid drive e-bike. I run the tires at 15/18psi and whether it’s empty or fully loaded I can average 18mph all day long running errands and fucking around when the opportunity arises without breaking a sweat. There’s something about hauling groceries home via my favorite mtb trails that makes that chore more enjoyable on bike than in car. Lastly, my lights draw power from the battery so I never have to think about keeping them charged.

Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.
Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.
Loading image: It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build. It has to be comfy; Josh's Surly Skid Loader Custom Build.

MY BUILD

Out of the box it’s cool, but it needed some mods to make it just right for me. In the comfort department I swapped the OEM bars with some takeoffs I had laying around and swapped in my tried and true Brooks B17n saddle. I also went ahead and threw some FSA CK220 155mm cranks on there for a better fit. 

To carry all my shit I installed a Surly 8-Pack front rack, Sruly Petite Porteur house bag, and Benno Utility Panniers. 

I wired in a Lezyne Macro Drive 1000 lumen front light and a Lezyne StVZO taillight for my lighting package. SKS full coverage fenders, Deity Deftrap pedals, and a Peak Design out front phone mount round out the rest of the build. 

I’ve owned the rig since September 2024 and have 1,021 miles logged. The only thing I’ve had to replace was the factory chain which was well past .75 before 300 miles. I’ve been pretty happy with a KMC e10 chain. 

I love this bike, thanks for reading. See ya out there!

Josh

Full Specs:

Bars - 2021 Marin Rift Zone 2 780 mm takeoffs 

Stem - kalloy 4 bolt 65mm

Headset - Cane Creek Viscoset 40 series setup on medium dampening

Saddle - 2010ish Brooks B17n

Seat post - TranzX 120mm dropper

Bosch Gen 4 Cargoline Drive unit 

FSA CK220 155mm crank arms

Stock chain ring 38t

Stock Microshift Advent X 11-48t

Microsoft advent X 10 speed rear derailleur 

KMC e10 chain replaced the Taya 10 speed (blew it out in 200 miles)

Deity Deftrap pedals

WTB i35 rims

Surly Extraterrestrial 27.5 x 2.5 tubeless 

Surly 8 pack front rack

Surly petite Porteur house bag 2.0

Benno Utility Pannier Bags

SKS full coverage fenders

Lezyne Macro Drive 1000 lumen front light 

Lezyne StVZO taillight 

Peak Design out front phone mount 

Arundel bottle cage

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