Dylan Menges was the proud recipient one of the first Surly ECR builds we put together after the bike model was released last year. Dylan lives in Columbus, Ohio, and uses his ECR to commute around town and explore the bike paths and trails along the Scioto River. He is a true adventure rider and wanted a bike durable enough to serve him reliably for rides of all kinds for many years to come.
Read on to learn more about how Dylan uses his Rohloff SPEEDHUB-equipped bike and what other features stand out on his ECR.
What type of bike are you using your Rohloff on and why did you choose it?
Surly ECR. I ran my first SPEEDHUB on an ’08 Surly Big Dummy and fell in love with the hub, vowing I’d do another SPEEDHUB-driven build after I sold the Dummy.
How have you been using the bike so far? What type of riding do you do mostly?
A mixed bag of trail and town. I’m a trail guy, most days. But this bike begs to be ridden all over.
What’s the most memorable adventure you’ve been on with the bike?
Having just recently relocated to the Big City (Columbus, Ohio), I’ve been dreaming of the day that we could ride from our new digs across the length of the city and back. We did that, and with panniers mounted on the ECR, we picked up food and beers along the way. Great day.
How do you plan to use the bike in the future? Do you have any major rides or trips planned?
As mentioned above, this ECR & Rohloff platform (as well as the SON28 dynamo front hub) begs for long days in the saddle on any terrain, so several trips are planned. The C&O Canal trail is first on the list, but until then there will be many more more local rides on trails of all kinds.
What attracted you to the Rohloff for the type of riding you do? What is your favorite feature of the hub?
In short, it just works. Flawlessly. The fact that Rohloff can engineer something so well alleviates any pinch in the wallet. This hub is an investment in pleasure. Near-zero maintenance, simplicity of operation, and reliability. Why bother with anything else?
What attracted you to the belt drive? What are the main differences you have noticed from a chain?
The silent, chatter-free operation is a nice bonus to a maintenance-free solution.
What other components stand out on the bike?
The SON28 dynamo is the perfect compliment to this kind of adventure build. It’s my second SON, and like the SPEEDHUB, it just works, flawlessly.
Thanks to Dylan for taking the time to answer our questions, and enjoy your rides on the ECR!
We'd love to hear stories and see pictures of your Rohloff and Schlumpf equipped bikes in action. Send them to adventures@cyclemonkey.com
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