This is the scenario: You’ve known each other for ages but then you lost touch… and then you meet again and everything is exactly like it used to be. The Surly Midnight Special is a timeless steel bike with modern features and a certain something you’re really fond of – just like your best mate from the olden days.

Surly Midnight Special | 11.40 kg | € 2,199

You almost forgot what he looks like – but then you realise he’s still exactly how you remembered him: slim, stylish and with a twinkle in his eye – just more mature and maybe a little more sophisticated too. The Surly Midnight Special is a bit like that – a contemporary racing bike with a classic frame and a 4130 CroMo steel unicrown fork, all topped off with external cable routing. We would even dare to call it “modern” considering its unusual chunky tires. But there is more to the Surly then just a sophisticated look; it features a number of clever details such as thru-axles front and rear, a continuous 44 mm head tube and flat-mount disc brakes.

Classic meets modern: the classic slim steel tubing blends with modern standards such as the continuous 44 mm head tube.
Fast yet versatile: The 47 mm-wide WTB Horizon tires feel at home both on smooth tarmac roads and rough country roads – and of course gravel trails.
More state-of-the-art please! The disc brakes and quick-release axles on the Midnight special. With the help of an adapter the open dropouts can be combined with 135/100 mm wheels with quick-release axles.

We all cherish the wonderful memories of the glorious moments we spent with our friends – and from time to time we all become a little nostalgic. At the same time a Surly wouldn’t be a Surly without backwards-compatibility and a healthy dose of versatility. Compared to the other models in the line-up of the Minnesota brand the Midnight Special might offer less features but it still has more mounting options than most of the bikes from the competition. The slim frame has enough room to accommodate up to three bottle cages and features mounting points for pannier-racks and mudguards both front and rear – and even a bracket for old-school downtube shifters! To guarantee maximum durability and corrosion resistance the frame and fork are powder-coated on the outside and ED coating on the inside. Even though the dropouts come with thru-axles as standard they’re open at the bottom and can be therefore combined with classic 135/100 mm quick-release axles with the help of an adapter. The threaded BSA bottom bracket and the thin 27.2 mm seatpost are very practical too. If necessary you can replace the latter with a carbon version which will provide a higher level of damping even with a minimal seatpost extension.

Mudguard and rack mounting points are only a few of the details that make the frame of the Midnight Special versatile
The threaded bottom bracket doesn’t make a sound, is cheap and is also very easy to change. Note: despite the chunky 47 mm tires the tire clearance is huge… One of Surly’s trademarks.
The slim unicrown fork perfectly suits the bare look of the Midnight Special. It offers good side stiffness and still provides a fair amount of damping. Unfortunately, it’s on the heavier side as well.

The spec

It’s like the lifelong competition you have with your best mate: Who gets the most attention at parties? When you roll up at your next group-ride on a Midnight Special you won’t know whether your riding buddies are staring at your flashy new outfit or your new slim steel-racer with chunky tires… because the contrast of the slim steel tubing and the wide 47 mm 650b WTB Horizon tires simply make for a killer look – one that will cause a stir. Said tires are unfortunately paired with a set of heavy Alexrims Adventurer 2 rims with Formula hubs but in return the SRAM Rival 22 groupset does a good job discreetly shifting through gears on a Sunrace CSRS3 11-32 cassette. The rest of the spec is solid and well-picked – with a € 2,199 price tag however the price-performance ratio is not especially great.

Crankset Sram S390 50/34t
Derailleur Sram Rival 22
Brakes Hayes CX Expert
Stem ProMax DA-296
Handlebar Salsa Cowbell 3
Tires WTB Horizon, 650b x 47
Hubs Formula RX-812 / Formula RX-300
Rims Alex Adventurer 2 32h tubeless compatible
Price € 2,199
Weight 11.40 kg

The drivetrain consists of a classic Rival 22 2-speed shifting system with a compact crank
Surly combines this with a Sunrace CSRS3 cassette. This doesn’t make the shifting performance any sharper but works quietly and discreet

Other components worth mentioning are the Salsa Cowbell 3 handlebars with a light 12° flare and drop-angle and the TRP Spyre brakes. The brakes rely on the modern flatmount standard but are mechanically operated. The advantage of mechanical brakes is that you can easily repair and set them without covering your carpet in a mess of DOT fluid in the process. On the other hand you’re likely to miss the more powerful bite and superb modulation of hydraulic brakes. Since the distributor sent our test-bike with the wrong set of mechanical brakes we were unable to test the original spec-version – in addition the brakes on our test bike were sitting on huge and rather ugly post-mount adapters. This however didn’t affect the overall weight of 11,40 kg too much. But hey, we know that every friend has his weak-points. Don’t we always learn to accept them?

Salsa’s Cowbell 3 handlebars offer plenty of room and lots of control. The 12° flare makes for a great compromise offering all of the advantages of a classic handlebar with the added off-road control
The off-the-shelf spec of the Midnight Special includes a set of mechanical disc brakes. Then however from the model TRP Spyre and not, as with our test bike, with Hayes CX Expert. The original brakes sit on a flat-mount system and not on the huge post-mount adapters we had on our test bike.

 Bros before Hos – Don’t let a light carbon beauty dazzle your mind, good friends like the Surly are for life


Riding characteristics

On the other hand your best mate also has a set of traits you admire. And so does the Midnight Special.

Let’s be clear, the Surly is not a good-natured gravel bike but rather a sporty all-road rig. This is reflected particularly in the classic road geometry with horizontal top tube, the relatively deep front-end and fairly steep seat and head angles. However the Surly features a marginally longer fork offset for more stability and a slightly lower bottom bracket than classic road bikes. The latter allows for slightly more pedal-clearance in corners and also gives you the option of replacing the chunky 47 mm rubber with thinner 650b tires. The riding position is sporty but never uncomfortable and is certainly suited for long distances. A very clever and unfortunately rare concept: In order to maintain the same handling-characteristics across eight frame sizes the bikes from size 56 upwards feature a smaller fork offset to make up for the different head- and seat-angles. With this simple but ingenious trick the designers were able to lend the 46 cm-size bike almost the same handling as the 60 cm version.

And the handling of the Surley is superb: the bike offers an outstanding blend of sensitivity, agility and precision, one that you wouldn’t expect from the Midnight Special considering its chunky tires and heavy weight. The bike literally charges through winding roads while still inspiring tons of confidence and providing the stability and smoothness you need both on- and off-road. On top of that the Surly manages to keep this pleasant balance whatever the rider’s skills may be – this means beginners will have just as much fun as experienced riders.

The weight however doesn’t go unnoticed and somehow restricts the Surly’s field of application. If you ask us it’s definitely more of a lowland bomber than a mountain goat and feels more comfortable on long distances than it does on snappy sprints. We’re not saying that the Midnight Special is a bad climber or that the frame isn’t stiff enough – it’s just a little slower. And yet it’s a very consistent ride.
Like your best mate the Surly is always on your side, ready to cover your back in any situation. As a result it rides just as fast on gravel and forest paths as it does on the smoothest of tarmacs. It’s sure-footed and lots of fun but still manages to inspire tons of confidence whether you’re riding on freshly laid tarmac or battered old roads. The Midnight Special is definitely a bike for all those who don’t care about riding super-fast but rather ride for longer and more often… and just everywhere.


Shall we…? Of course! The Midnight Special is ready for all sort of shenanigans and is always there to cover your back – whatever is waiting for you behind the corner.


Helmet POC Octal X Spin | Socks POC Essential Road Light Sock | Glasses Adidas Whipstart | Hip Bag North St. Pioneer 12 X-Pac

The bike and tires are a perfect match. They suck up pretty much everything you throw at them without feeling sluggish and can actually be surprisingly fast depending on the air pressure you’re running. The volume of the tires however makes it tricky to find the pressure sweet-spot – we recommend adapting the pressure to the type of surface you ride the most on. Whilst 30–35 psi might be the right pressure for gravel stints (70 kg rider) this will cause the tires to buckle a little too easily when riding out of the saddle on tarmac. In this case we recommend around 35–40 psi. The difference between a “magic carpet ride” and a “pogo stick session” is often dictated by just 5 psi. For more off-road grip you could also try either a WTB Byway or even a WTB Venture (at most) – if you want to stick to the original brand and size. More profile would compromise the overall feeling of the bike.

Tuning Tips
Lighter wheels
Tubeless setup
Buy the frameset for a custom-built

The rest of the spec is rather inconspicuous – except for the brakes. However we can’t really give a final verdict on this as our test-bike didn’t feature the standard spec. The brakes that were erroneously delivered with our test-bike provided good braking-power and good modulation but struggled with sudden or prolonged deceleration – the Hayes CX Expert brakes require an attentive and sensitive touch. Worth a mention are the Salsa Cowbell 3 handlebars; the 12° flare is not too excessive but still offers the additional stability you would miss with classic racing handlebars.

Slick, straightforward, highly functional and with an impeccable riding performance as well as a solid, intelligent spec. The Surly Midnight Special is an excellent symbiosis of geometry and wheel concept – a very harmonious overall package.

Conclusions

The spec of the Surly Midnight Special is solid, inconspicuous and well harmonised. Considering the € 2,199 price tag however the Surly is no bargain – and the weight is a major issue too. On the other hand we’re talking about a well thought-out geometry that offers superb handling on all sorts of different surfaces as well as a high degree of comfort especially on long distances. Thanks to the proven Surly robustness, the clever features and timeless aesthetics the Midnight Special is a top long-term performer. That’s why it feels a little like your best mate: you enjoy every single minute you spend together and you appreciate its character. You can be open with each other and be totally honest – and you’re even happy to overlook their weaknesses. In other words it’s the perfect partner in crime for any adventure.

Strengths

– Superb handling
– Very harmonious overall package
– Robust and versatile
– Great long-term value

Weaknesses

– Weight
– High price considering the spec

For more info head to: surlybikes.com


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Words: Photos: Christoph Bayer