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The Karate Monkey is our 29" wheeled do-everything mountain bike. Why 29"? Because larger diameter wheels offer more traction and the have the ability to roll up and over obstacles better. The traction is enhanced by having a longer contact patch of rubber on the ground, which helps prevent your rear wheel from slipping on loose terrain and allows you to maintain your speed through corners. 29" wheels also have more air volume, so you can lower the air pressure more than you are accustomed to with an equivalent 26" tire. This enhances both the traction and rollover characteristics. Whether riding through babyhead rocks, braking bumps or tree roots, you’ll notice yourself getting through these sections much easier.

We designed the Karate Monkey to ride like a truly agile mountain bike. For one, we use short chainstays for fast cornering. This was accomplished by curving the seat tube away from the rear tire, effectively creating more front derailleur/rear tire clearance and putting the rear wheel under your butt. Toe overlap with the big front wheel was eliminated by some tweaking of the geometry, while still maintaining the ride of a sweet singletrack machine.

The Karate Monkey is not just an off-road specific bike though, it is versatile like all Surly bikes. We use horizontal dropouts with a derailleur hanger so you can ride it single-speed, fixed gear, internally geared or with derailleur multi-gear drivetrains. We also spec it with International Standard disc brake tabs and removable cantilever bosses, so you have all possible brake options. Want a beefy touring/commuting/cyclocross/all-around bike? Just swap the tires for some 700c skinnies and go.

Like all Surly frames and forks, the Karate Monkey frameset is built with Surly 4130 CroMoly steel tubing. The main triangle is butted to shave some weight and offer a silky ride, yet is tough enough to withstand the rigors of everyday thrashing. The tough fork has tapered straight blades that suck up the little bumps and is suspension corrected if you choose to swap it out for a suspension fork. Both frame and fork have enough tire clearance for the largest 29" fatties on the market.

New for 2007, we’ve increased the downtube clearance for suspension forks that have tall top caps. We’ve also made the 16" and 18" frames a wee bit lighter with a smaller diameter heat-treated downtube. The size of tires and front derailleur clamps has increased dramatically since we originally designed this in 2002, which has resulted in clearance> issues between some front derailleurs and some rear tires. Rather than lengthening the chainstays and permanently changing the geometry for those who don’t have clearance issues, we’ve created new 14mm Monkey Nuts to pull the rear wheel back. These new Monkey Nuts will keep the wheel back 14mm, eliminating all clearance issues. Plus, they will clamp into the dropouts to stay on the frame when you remove the rear wheel.

If you’re looking for a rippin’ mountain bike or a versatile do-it-all tough bike that won’t deflate your wallet, check out the newly improved Karate Monkey.

SPECS | Karate Monkey Frameset

Tubing:

100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double-butted. TIG-welded

Rear dropouts:

Surly horizontal dropouts with derailleur hanger, 135mm spaced

Brake compatibility:

Most International Standard disc or cantilever rim-type

Braze-ons:

Cantilever bosses with removable pivots, dual water bottle mounts, downtube shift cable routing, guides for hydraulic hose or solid housing on the seatstay, standard cable housing stops on the top tube

Seatpost diameter:

27.2mm

Seatpost clamp diameter:

30mm, Surly Constrictor included

Headset:

1-1/8" threadless

Front derailleur clamp diameter:

28.6mm

Bottom bracket shell:

73mm wide, 1.37 x 24t

Chainring Clearance:

48t max

Fork:

Suspension-corrected (80mm), tapered straight blade, 4130 CroMoly. International Standard disc mount and removable canti pivots

Color:

Chum Bucket Red

Weight:

20" frame = 5.56 lbs. (2.52 kg)
Fork - uncut =2.59 lbs. (1.18 kg)


MEASUREMENTS | Measurements Key

 

small

medium

large

x-large

 

 

 

 

 

ST (C-T)
Inches
mm


16.0
406.4


18.0
457.2


20.0
508.0


22.0
558.8

 

 

 

 

 

TT (C-C)
Inches
mm


21.7
552.0


22.6
574.5


23.4
594.5


24.2
614.3

 

 

 

 

 

TT (Effec.)
Inches  
mm


22.7
576.6


23.6
600.6


24.3
617.5


24.9
633.6

 

 

 

 

 

HT Angle
degrees

71.0°

71.5°

72.0°

72.0°

 

 

 

 

 

ST Angle
degrees

73.0°

73.0°

73.0°

73.0°

 

 

 

 

 

BB Drop
Inches
mm


2.7
68.0


2.7
68.0


2.7
68.0


2.7
68.0

 

 

 

 

 

CS Length
Inches
mm


17.0
431.0


17.0
431.0


17.0
431.0


17.0
431.0

 

 

 

 

 

Wheel Base
Inches
mm


41.1
1044.9


41.9
1064.0


42.4
1076.1


43.0
1092.1

 

 

 

 

 

Front-Center
Inches
mm


24.5
623.0


25.3
642.0


25.7
654.0


26.4
670.0

 

 

 

 

 

S.O. Height**
Inches
mm


30.8
781.6


31.9
811.1


33.0
838.2


34.1
866.8

 

 

 

 

 

HT Length
Inches
mm


3.1
80.0


3.5
90.0


3.7
95.0


4.1
105.0

 

 

 

 

 

FK Length
Inches
mm

18.4
468.0

18.4
468.0

18.4
468.0

18.4
468.0

 

 

 

 

 

FK Rake
Inches
mm

1.7
43.0

1.7
43.0

1.7
43.0

1.7
43.0

 

 

 

 

 

Weight
lbs.

5.16

5.34

5.56

5.69

 

 

 

 

 

**Standover height is based on a 29 x 2.1" tire that measured 737mm in diameter

 

FRAME & FORK:
4130 CroMo (‘natch), main tubes butted. The fork is externally tapered, internally butted, straight blade, 43mm rake. Frame and fork are suspension corrected for 85mm travel (modeled on Marzocchi 29" sus. fork ).

DISC MOUNTS:
Both front and rear are 51mm Int’l standard, but the rear is funky. Remember that the rear dropouts are rear loading horizontal, so the rear disc tab has slotted holes to allow proper placement of the caliper on the rotor. One catch here is that some do not work. We've found that Deore mechanicals and Formula B4 SL mag do not work.

RUNNING GEARS:
REAR: for proper shifting with a rear derailleur, the wheel should be all the way forward in the dropout. This will put the cassette in the proper place for good shifting, plus if you’re using a QR hub, the wheel won’t be able to pull forward.
FRONT: Clamp size is 28.6mm. Cable routing is bottom pull. Derailleur type should be traditional, NOT top swing. Due to the KM’s relatively short stays, top swing ders. will not allow enough room for the cable fixing bolt. Even using traditional-type front derailleurs, some people have still experienced tire rub on the cable fixing bolt due to the short stays (in fact, with the constant re-engineering of drivetrain types, some traditional pull derailleurs swing in too far and rub the tire . We've noticed an increase of this with 2004 Shimano fronts. Hate to say it, but you're best off finding an older model Shimano or Suntour derailleur). To address this, KMs have begun shipping with a pair of small washers (we call them monkey nuts) that can be installed to hold the wheel a few millimeters back in the rear fork ends. Much, much more info can be found here.

Swapping out your front derailleur cable fixing bolt with a low profile pan head variety also does the trick. Some derailleurs' clamps and fixing assemblies are so bulky they require you to use both the Moneky nuts and the panhead bolt trick. If you have a Monkey and need some monkey nuts, check with your local shop and ask them to order FS0001.

BRAZE ONS:
KM has cable stops and hydro housing guides. Also single eyelets at drops for fenders or rack.
IMPORTANT: if using disc brakes, you will not be able to use these eyelets, and so need to use clip on fenders and/or a seat post mounted rack

SURLY FRAMES IN GENERAL:
There are some things all Surlys should have done before building one up. It is important to face the head tube before installing the headset. The paint on the HT needs to be removed in order for your headset to properly align and adjust. Also, the bottom bracket shell needs to have the threads chased. Again, removing the leftover paint is necessary to ensure proper installation. Finally, if your Surly has a derailleur hanger, it is wise to chase the threads of the derailleur hanger as well.

 
 
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