If you are looking for that Surly bike that is a bombproof hauler, a adventure bike that is more then capable to take you and all your gear on some wild off-road adventures. These three bikes; the Surly Troll, Surly Ogre and Surly ECR are some great adventure touring bikes options. To save you the time researching all over the internet I compared these three bikes in detail to see which one stacks up on top as that bike that is the best.
At first glance all these bikes have similar looking frames. But the closer you look the more differences you can see, with the handlebars, and gear ranges. But we will get into the subtle differences of the frame dimensions and angles first.
Quick Look At The Options
From left to right! The Surly Troll is categorised as a Highly-Versatile, Dirt Road Expedition Touring Bike. The Ogre is a All-Season Commuter Bike, that is designed for fully loaded exploration either across town or the country. Then you have the Surly ECR, which is classified as a Off-Road Bikepacking Bike. If you are planning a bikepacking specific adventure this is Surly’s go to.
Bike Geometry Compared
To understand the difference in bike option first lets break down the design and geometry of each bike side by side to get a understanding as to how each bike will fit and is designed to work with our bodies. It is important to understand the differences so we can gage how comfort and ride position will effect how the bike is ridden. Which is super important when you are planning long bike trips.
Want to learn more about understanding bike geometry? Read this article which goes through all the jargon and what it means for a comfortable ride!
Please note that all bikes sizes for this example are compared with a Size Medium (MD).
Bottom Bracket Drop
The BB Drop is the measurement of the vertical distance between the centre of the bottom bracket and an imaginary horizontal line between the front and rear dropouts. Refer to the above diagram for explanation.
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Typically the lower the bottom bracket drop to the ground. This means the larger the number, the more lower the riders centre of gravity will be, providing better handling. But the lower the bottom bracket to more likely you will strike the ground when cornering. But if you are under a load the large drop will help keep the bike more stable.
As you can see the ECR comes out on top with the larger BB Drop at 80 mm that is 40 mm more then the Troll and 12 mm more then the Ogre. So in theory the ECR would be best when it comes to fully loaded tours when you want to most stability and handling on the rough stuff.
Top Tube Length
The Top Tube Length is the measurement from the top tube/head tube junction to the seat tube. There is really not that much of a difference here to really bother with comparing. But just for the sack of this article I have included the measurements below. As you can see the Orge and Troll both have the same lengths at 595 mm and the ECR is slightly longer at 600 mm.
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Chainstay Length
Chainstay is a important factor when looking at a touring bike. Before even looking at the numbers I could guess that Surly will provide adequate lengths for clearance for panniers if you wish to have them on these bikes. But ultimately a longer chainstay is best. To increase the wheelbase. Which makes the bike more stable at speed. Also this provides ample heel clearance from panniers. Heel clearance is especially important for riders with larger feet as your feet can hit if the chainstay is not long enough.
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The ECR as you can see has the longest chainstay out of all the bikes. At 451 mm it is 11 mm longer then the Ogre and 26 mm longer then the Troll.
Wheelbase Length
The wheelbase is simply the length from axle to axle. The longer wheelbases produce a more stable feeling and help keep the bike traveling in a straight line. So a longerwheel base is best for touring and rides that are under heavy loads where you will not be turning quickly. While a shorter wheelbase will make the bike feel more nimble and agile. So ideally a bkepacking bike and off-roading bike might have a shorter wheelbase for quicker manoeuvrability.
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The ECR again has the longer wheelbase, as it is no surprise as the chainstay was the longest also. This means the ECR would be a more stable ride if you intend to fully load it and take it on epic off-road adventures. With a 1090 mm wheelbase length, this is 24 mm longer then the Troll and 25.5 mm longer then the Ogre. Compared to the Troll the Ogre has a longer chainstay which makes it a great bikepacking option, if you want to run micro panniers. But the Ogre has the shortest wheelbase overall which means it would be more nimble and agile allowing for quicker manoeuvrability on single tracks when you need it.
Surly Troll Review
| Price | $1,750 |
| Brake Type | Hydraulic Disc |
| Groupset | Shimano Deore |
| Drivetrain | 3 × 10 |
The Surly Troll would be the bike if you are looking to go on a around the world bike tour, where you will be carrying a full load. And are riding mostly on road surfaces. But need to haul a heap of gear. With a larger amount of gear this makes riding with such a heavy load easier allowing you to climb more sustained.
The price of the Surly Troll is the mid price point when compared to the other bikes. More expensive then the Ogre but cheaper then the ECR. The gear range when compared or the climbing ability of this bike is very close to the Ogre maybe just a little better at climbing hills but it lacks compared to the ECR. But where it excels is on the descents. As the Troll has a higher gear, it can pedal faster on down hills, then the other bikes. Pedaling at 100 rotations per minute in the highest gear would equate to 34 mph while the next below is the Ogre at 23 mph.
Frame
The Surly Troll frame is made from a its traditional 4130 Chromoly Steel. The same as all the other bike option in this article. With Natch tubing, double-butted main triangle, TIG welded, ED coated. The Troll frame features the Surly “Gnot Boost” 135, 142, and/or 148mm hub spacing compatibility. Horizontal slotted with derailleur hanger. With Rohloff torque arm slot and Bill/Ted trailer mount. If you want to understand more about Gnot Boost, watch the video below.
The frame allows for a max tire clearance for 26″ x 3″ tires (26 x 2.8″ with fenders). Also compatible with both disc and rim brakes. As heaps of eyelets for mounting that you could need for a touring bike. With rack and fender, multiple three-pack mounts and mid-blade. There are 7 eyelets on either side of the front fork meaning you can run front racks, Anything cages or multiple water bottle cages.
Groupset
The Surly Troll has a Shimano Deore groupset which is the same or very similar overall as the Ogre. With a 3 x 10 speed, Shimano Deore 26/36/48t at the crankset. With a Shimano Octalink 73×118 Bottom Bracket. And a Microshift 10spd 11-36t rear cog. The front derailleur is a Shimano Deore FD-T6000 and the rear is a Shimano Deore RD-T6000.
Wheelset & Brakes
The wheel material for the Troll and all the other bikes in this article are Aluminum. On Alex Adventurer 2 Tubeless Ready rims. And Surly ExtraTerrestrial 26 x 2.5″ tires. The front and rear hubs are both Shimano Deore M525 36h QR. the Troll comes with Avid BB7 Cleansweep 180/160 rotor brakes.
Handlebars
The Surly Troll features some Surly Moloko handlebars which are the same as on the Surly ECR. I have always wanted to give these bars a try, they seem like they are so comfortable with the different hand positions. Perfect for long tours. The break levers are Avid FR-5 which is the same as all the other bikes. With Microshift SL-M10 gear shifters. And Velo lock-on grips which are again the same as the ECR.
And other components are the same if not very similar on all the bikes like the seatpost being a ProMax 27.2 350L offset for both the Troll and ECR. While the Ogre has a slightly different ProMax 27.2, 300L, offset seatpost. They all have the same WTB Volt Sport saddle, ProMax 4 bolt 31.8 stem, Cane Creek 10 1-1/8″ headset. Although the ECR has the Cane Creek 10 1-1/8″ 40 series, not sure if that is the same.
Pros
- Comes with a higher gear range than all the other bikes here at 3 x 10 speed
- Compatible with both disc and rim brakes
- Feels resilient, tubing feels like it could take a knock.
- Highly adaptable frame, with the slot dropout. Allows for derailleurs, singlespeed, Rohoff, whatever you want.
- Huge tire clearance at 3″
- Reasonably price at $1,750 or you can pick up a 2018 model at Tree Fort Bikes for only $1,400
Cons
- There is nowhere to mount your Rohloff cables on the seat stay as the guides run out
- It only comes with two water mounts and lacks one under the down tube, which is minor
Surly Ogre Review
| Price | $1,450 |
| Brake Type | Mechanical Disc |
| Groupset | Shimano Deore |
| Drivetrain | 1 × 10 |
If you are looking for a tough all round commuter or a entry level bikepacking rig this might be the better option. Both the Troll and the ECR are better when looking for the ultimate touring or bikepacking bike. Thanks to larger gearing, longer wheelbase, and better quality groupset for the ECR at least. But if you are on a budget this could be the a option for you. it has lower gear range at 1 x 10 which would make it not the best for climbing especially under a heavy load. But completely capable when it comes to traveling around town no matter the season.
The price of the Surly Orge is the cheapest of out the three at $1,450. For the 2019 models prices that is. You can pick up the 2018 Troll as mentioned before for $50 cheaper then then the Ogre which would be a good deal.
Frame
The Surly Ogre is made from the same Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double-butted. TIG-Welded. The bike comes with the Gnot-Boost rear spacing with Rohloff torque arm slot and Bill/Ted trailer mount. You get the option like with all Surly bikes, with eyelets for mounting heaps of gear to the bike. Including rack and fender, multiple three-pack mounts and mid-blade.
You don’t get as wider tire clearance as the Troll or ECR, with a clearance for 29” x 2.5” or 27.5″ x 2.8″ tires with fenders. One plus for this Ogre bike is that you get the extra mounting option for storage of cages or water bottle mounts under the down tube.
Groupset
The groupset is a Shimano Deore like the Troll however you get very limited amount of gear range on this bike with only a 1×10 speed. With a Microshift 10 spd, 11-42t cassette. This allows for slightly better descent speed then the larger tooth ECR considering this Ogre only has 10 speed compared to 12. However it is the least best bike for climbing, very similar to the Troll but the Troll just comes out on top.
The front crank on the Ogre is a SRAM NX 32T. Which is probably not as good as the ECR’s SRAM NX Eagle 30T. You also get a SRAM Powerspline bottom bracket which I believe is the same as the ECR.
Wheelset & Brakes
With the wheels and brakes on the Orge you get the same tires as the Troll with the Surly Extra Terrestrial tires but in a 29 x 2.5″ TCS compared to the Trolls 26 x 2.5″ size. The Surly Orge has WTB i29 Black rims, with Novatec 32h QR for front and rear hubs. The brakes are ProMax DSK-300, 160 rotors. Which are mechanical disc brakes compared to both the Surly Troll and ECR Hydraulic Disc brakes. If you don’t know the different and what is best type of brakes for your riding style, check out this article.
Handlebars
The handlebars are a Salsa Bend flat bar. Which again is not the best for touring and if you where to get this bike as it is budget friendly you may want to look at getting some other handlebar options. The Ogre comes with the same Avid FR-5, and its own different Microshift SL-M760R shifters to the other bikes.
Pros
- Budget friendly price at $1,450
- Depending on your preference but
Mechanical Disc. I am going to call a Pro only because they are less troublesome on tours or bikepacking trips that are remote. (not that this bike is the best for hardcore adventures though) - More mounting points like under the down tube for water bottles
Cons
- Low range of gears. Not the best for climbing
- Okay tire clearance but not the biggest out of the three
Surly ECR Review
| Price | $1,900 |
| Brake Type | Hydraulic Disc |
| Groupset | SRAM NX Eagle |
| Drivetrain | 1 × 12 |
The ECR is that ultimate bike that is built for whatever adventures you have mustering up in your mind! This bike will allow them to come to fruition. If you are getting in bikepacking or all ready a hardcore bikepacking enthusiast then this is the bike for you. Better quality components then all three bikes here. It is the most expensive but definitely the better bike. Especially for bikepacking adventures. Costing $1,900 it is available in a 27.5+ from sizes (XS to Medium) and a 29+ from sizes (Medium to XL). Plus that Norwegian Cheese Brown tone looks really nice!
Frame
Again made from 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. The frame features, ED coating, Double butted main triangle and TIG-Welded construction. Again featuring the Gnot-Boost rear spacing with Rohloff torque arm slot and Bill/Ted trailer mount like all the bikes in this article. You get clearance for 27.5″ x 3″ (XS–M) or 29” x 3” (M–XL) tires (with or without fenders). And all the mounting eyelets you could need. Including rack and fender, multiple three-pack mounts and mid-blade. It only has one (3 x eyelet) mount for a water bottle as the triangle is designed to be used with a full frame bag. It has a 3X eyelet mount underneath the down tube. And a heap of eyelets on the front fork.
As the bike has been adapted for bike bags, you still get the option to run racks and bags to maximize gear-hauling potential.
Groupset
The ECR has a SRAM NX Eagle 30T front crack with a 1 x 12 speed SRAM Eagle 11-50T. On a SRAM Powerspline 118/73 bottom bracket. The rear derailleur is a SRAM NX Eagle. This setup allows for the better climbing capabilities out of the other two. Making it the go to for when you face more technical sections that might also be steep. With this groupset it is the least fast bike on the downhills. Running at only 21 mph when peddling at 100 rotations per minute in the highest gear.
Wheelset & Brakes
You get WTB Scraper i40 TSC rims with some Surly Knard 29×3.0″, 33TPI, Tubeless ready tires that is the widest tires stock out of the all the bikes. The rear hub is a OE 32h Thru axle while the front is a OE 32h QR. And the brakes that come with the ECR are Avid BB7, Centerline rotors. 180/160mm front & rear.
Handlebars
The handlebars on the ECR are the same as what you get with the Troll those nice Surly Moloko bars. Which are a favourite in the Surly camp for bikepacking and extended bike travels.
Pros
- Better bike for bikepacking
- Runs the widest tires stock at 3″
- High quality groupset with the SRAM NX Eagle
- Frame is ED Coated for increased life expectancy
Cons
- Slowest at downhills
- Most expensive bike out of the three at $1,900
Final Thoughts
Overall the ECR is probably my personal pick out of the three as I am getting more in bikepacking and have been looking for the ultimate off road bikepacking rig. The Surly ECR just ticks all the boxes. Whatever bike is better really comes down to what bike you are looking for and the type of riding you have planned. The Surly Troll is the better option if you need a bike for carry heavy loads and touring all over the world. And if you need something that is cheaper and maybe entry level for bikepacking then the Ogre might be worth a look.
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