The Surly fat bike battle! Well which bike is best? We are going to compare these two iconic fat tire bikes side by side and see what the difference is between each. When it comes to price the Wednesday is $450 cheaper at $1550 when the Ice Cream Truck is $2,000. But what really is the difference and which one is best for you and your riding goals?
The Wednesday is classified by Surly as a “highly versatile fat tire trail bike.” It is a great all around fat bike, with the soul of a trail bike and the mind of a touring bike. While the Ice Cream Truck on the other hand is considered as a “trail ready, maximum tire clearance fat bike”. It is the bike you choose when you have no idea what the trail is going to through your way!
Essentially in a sentence if you want a very wide fat bike tire and plan to ride the most hardcore terrains the Ice Cream Truck is ideal. Where if you are just getting into fat bikes and need something to start out with the Wednesday is maybe a better choice.
| Surly Wednesday | Surly Ice Cream Truck | |
| MSRP | $1,550 | $2,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Trail (fatbike) | Fatbike (Trail) |
| Frame | Steel | Steel |
| Fork | Steel | Steel |
| Wheel Size | 26″ | 26″ |
| Wheel Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Brake Type | Hydraulic Disc | Hydraulic Disc |
| Groupset | NX Eagle, SX Eagle | SLX |
| Drivetrain | 1 x 12 | 1 × 12 |
| Max Tire Clearance | 26 x 4.6” | 26” x 5” |
| Weight | 35 lbs or 15.9 kg | 35 lbs or 15.9 kg |
| Stack/Reach Ratio | 1.35 | 1.4 |
| Chainstay Length | 435 mm | 440 mm |
| Trail | 81 mm | 88 mm |
But it goes much more deeper than that, I still have to get into the details and explain why!
Surly Wednesday
The Surly Wednesday seems to be that bike you get if you have a 50/50 balance riding trails and do off-road touring. It is the perfect bike in Surly’s lineup to maintain this type of riding. If you are looking for a fat bike but not considered about getting the fattest tires on the market then the Wednesday is an option worth considering. As it has a max tire clearance for 26 x 4.6” tires.
The Surly Wednesday is considered a 26″ steel frame rigid trail bike with upper mid-range components and hydraulic disc brakes. It comes with a 1 x 12 NX Eagle, SX Eagle groupset which has a SRAM NX Eagle DUB crank and SRAM PG-1210 Eagle 11-50t cassette. Not too sure how many teeth the crank has but I believe it is 32T or 30T (not 100% sure.)
You get the Surly Nate 26 x 3.8˝, 60tpi, tubeless ready tires on the Surly My Other Brother Darryl, 80mm w/speedholes rims. When it comes to handlebars you get a 31.8mm with 11 degree. As both bike get hydraulic brakes the Wedneday comes with the Tektro HD-M275 / M276 brakes with 160mm rotors.
What is interesting is both these bikes (from what I could tell from research) have the short chainstay and longer chainstay changeability option. So for the Wednesday this means that the Full-forward, short chainstay position has room for 26 x 3.8˝ tires on 80mm rims; and the full-rearward, longer chainstay position can fit up to 26 x 4.6˝ tires on an 80mm rim.
What is the weight of the Surly Wednesday? From my research about the same as the ICT at 35 lbs or 15.9 kg. As you can see in the table below there is the breakdown for frame, fork and frameset together, without complete build.
The Wednesday also comes with modern mountain standards, like stealth dropper post routing, 44mm headtube, suspension correction, front and rear thru-axles. Then finally decent amount of braze-ons, front and rear racks, multiple sets of three-pack mounts, fenders.
Surly Ice Cream Truck
Okay now let’s take a look at the Ice Cream Truck. So whats different? From technical singletrack to sandy or snowy conditions, this bike can do it all. From Surly’s sales page; “we designed a monolith of a trail bike that doesn’t give two shits about what’s in front of it.” Okay in that case, Ice Cream Truck, you go the job!
If you want to most clearance for a fat bike. This is the one, boasting a clearance for a full 26” x 5” tire on 100mm rims! Described as a 26″ steel frame rigid fat bike with upper mid-range components and hydraulic disc brakes. With a 1 x 12 SLX groupset, you get a Race Face AEffect w/ DM30t crank and Shimano SLX CS-M7100 10-51t cassette, which is 1 smaller tooth on the small ring then the Wednesday.
What about weight? This rig comes in at around 35 lbs or 15.9 kg. Which is expected for a steel fat bike. But thanks to the geometry this bike managers to preform rather nimble for its weight!
The Ice Cream Truck comes with the Surly Bud & Lou, 4.8″, 120tpi tires on the same Surly My Other Brother Darryl, 80mm w/speedholes rims. And the Salsa Rustler handlebars which are different to the Wednesday. If you want a more in-depth look at each bikes components compared side by side see the table below.
Specs Side by Side
Build
| Wednesday | ICT | |
| Frame | Surly Wednesday, 100% Surly 4130 Chromoly steel. Surly Wednesday, 100% Surly 4130 Chromoly steel. ED coated. Double-butted main triangle. TIG-welded | Surly Ice Cream Truck, 100% Surly 4130 Chromoly steel. Surly Ice Cream Truck, 100% Surly 4130 Chromoly steel. ED coated. Triple-butted main triangle. TIG-welded |
|---|---|---|
| Fork | Surly Wednesday, Tapered straight blade 4130 Chromoly. Surly Wednesday, Tapered straight blade 4130 Chromoly. 468mm axle to crown, 47mm offset. 51mm I.S. front standard disc mount, 150mm x 15mm thru-axle dropouts (axle included), 100mm suspension fork compatible | Surly Ice Cream Truck, 1-1/8″ straight steerer with tapered straight blade. Surly Ice Cream Truck, 1-1/8″ straight steerer with tapered straight blade, 4130 Chromoly. 483mm axle to crown, 47mm offset. 51mm IS front standard disc mount. 150mm x 15mm thru axle dropouts (axle included). |
| Bottom Bracket | SRAM DUB | Race Face 100mm |
| Headset | Cane Creek 10 | Cane Creek 40, ZS44/EC44 |
| Stem | 4 bolt 31.8mm | 4-bolt 31.8mm |
| Handlebar | 31.8mm 11 degree | Salsa Rustler w/o logo |
| Saddle | WTB Volt | WTB Volt 142 |
| Seatpost | 30.9 | 2-bolt 30.9mm |
Groupset
| Wednesday | ICT | |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM SX Eagle | Shimano SLX RD-M7100 12 Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Crank | SRAM NX Eagle DUB | Race Face AEffect w/ DM30t N/W ring |
| Shifters | SRAM SX Eagle | Shimano SLX SL-M7100-R |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-1210 Eagle 11-50t | Shimano SLX CS-M7100 10-51t 12 Speed |
| Chain | SRAM SX Eagle x12 | Shimano SLX CN-M7100 12 Speed |
| Brakes | Tektro HD-M275 / M276, 160mm rotors front & rear | Tektro Gemini HD-M520 |
| Brake Levers | Tektro Gemini HD-M520 |
Wheels
| Wednesday | ICT | |
| Rims | Surly My Other Brother Darryl, 80mm w/speedholes | Surly My Other Brother Darryl, 80mm w/speedholes Tubeless Ready |
|---|---|---|
| Front Hub | 150 x 15mm thru-axle, 32h, black | Novatec 150x15mm 32h |
| Rear Hub | 177 x 12mm thru-axle, 32h, black | Novatec 197x12mm 32h w/ Shimano Microspline freehub |
| Tires | Surly Nate 26 x 3.8˝, 60tpi, tubeless ready | Surly Bud & Lou, 4.8″, 120tpi |
Geometry – Straggler Vs Midnight Special
Geometry can play a big part in the difference of how I bike rides and feels. It is definitely something to consider when buying a bike. But all the measurements below are in mm and are for both medium sized bikes.
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!
| Bike | Wednesday | ICT |
| Stack | 587 | 598 |
| Reach | 436 | 427 |
| Stack/Reach Ratio | 1.35 | 1.4 |
| Top Tube Length | 610 | 610 |
| Seat Tube Length | 416 | 419 |
| Seat Tube Angle | 73.5 | 73 |
| Head Tube Length | 110 | 105 |
| Head Tube Angle | 69 | 68 |
| BB Drop | 55 | 60 |
| BB Height | 288 | 283 |
| Front Center | 693 | 698 |
| Chainstay Length | 435 | 440 |
| Wheelbase | 1122 | 1131 |
| Rake | 47 | 47 |
| Trail | 81 | 88 |
| Standover Height | 774 | 803 |
From looking at the numbers above, there are very similar geometries. The trail of both is on the larger end which is expected for fat bikes. But the ICT has a 7mm longer trail which in theory would make it more predictable to handle especially when there is a long on the front of the bike.
Chainstay lengths are close with a 5mm difference. Both sitting in that chill range. However the ICT has a longer wheelbase by 9 mm making it more stable for those bikepacking adventures.
The Wednesday has a much lower standover height at 774 mm compared to the ICT’s 803 mm. The Ice Cream Truck provides a slightly more upright riding position. With the stack/reach ratio of 1.4 compared to the Wednesday’s 1.35.
Overall they both seem like a great choice. I am personally considering getting into fat biking. And any of these bikes would do just fine for someone like me. However, when I think about it, for adventure cycling and riding more advanced fat bike terrain, the Ice Cream Truck is the best bet. But if you want to save money and are not consider about gnarly adventures across dessert sand, the Wednesday is completely capable.
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