Two months ago, I hauled my Long Haul Trucker--The Reckless Mr. Bing Bong--to the nearest Surly dealer for a tune-up.   It had taken quite a beating after riding it almost every day throughout the last two winters, and I am terrible when it comes to post-ride care and cleanup.  In 2019, my Trek mountain bike died a rusty death after 20 years of year-round abuse.  Not surprisingly, there has also been some rust developing on The Reckless Mr. Bing Bong's frame.

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The Surly dealer mentioned in the last paragraph is called The Garage Bikes & Brews and, appropriate to this journal, it is located in Wisconsin.  True to its name, it really does occupy a building that looks like a huge garage, and it really does feature the combination of two very hip business models--Bike Shop and Craft Brewery.

Indeed, the place had a cool vibe.  Good music played on the loudspeakers, the hoppy scent of good beer emanated from the small tanks on the far side of the room, and locals were already imbibing pint glasses of ale at 11:00 a.m., which I assume is de rigueur for Wisconsin.

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I rolled The Reckless Mr. Bing Bong up to the service counter and, while waiting to talk to the mechanic, I looked at the in-stock bicycles.  That's when I saw it--a brand new Surly Disc Trucker.  I had no intention of buying a bike that day, but I was immediately infatuated.

I wish I could say it was the disc brake technology, or the upgraded drive train, or the thru-axels, or the more ergonomic handlebars that drew my attention.  Yes, it had those features, but all I could focus on was the cool "Pea Lime Soup" color.  It was the same groovy shade of green as my favorite 1970's Hot Wheels car.  (A replica of an AMC Gremlin, as I recall.)  I was just a kid back then.  It seems I still am.

My wife, The Feeshko, could see the love in my eyes and said, "you should buy it before somebody else does."  She was right, Surly touring bikes are extremely hard to come by in these days of supply chain problems.

The owner of the shop also zeroed in on my infatuation and asked, "would you like to take it out for a test ride?"

I tried to play it cool, as if I was only browsing and only mildly interested.  What blurted out of my mouth, though, was "sure, BUT I ALREADY KNOW I WILL LIKE IT!  I like my LHT.  I like the steel.  I like the fit.  I like the Surly brand."  (I also liked the price, at least in comparison to one of those fancy custom-built bikes.)

After the test ride, I calmly and rationally said, "I guess I'll take it."   The shop owner took that to mean "I must have this bike right now," as he started showing me pedals and other options. 

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I was so excited about my new bike that I rode it the 24 miles back to my home in Minnesota while The Feeshko drove the car.  It was my longest ride of 2022 to that point.  That's probably because it was one of the first days above freezing this year.

The ride gave me a couple of hours to think up an appropriate name for the new bike.  It didn't take that long.  I had the perfect name within the first 15 minutes. 

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Rachael AndersonGreat looking bike and it’s color coordinated with the bike rack!
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1 year ago

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FOOTNOTE:  A couple weeks later, I picked up the fully-refurbished Reckless Mr. Bing Bong.  It rode as well as ever.  Despite the rust, I know it could have served me well for many more tours.  I admit I felt a twinge of buyer's remorse.  Thank goodness that I overcame that feeling with the justification of having two bikes with two different specialties:  One for the Minnesota winter cyclist in me, and one for the Midwestern Bike Touring Bum in me.