{"id":26726,"date":"2022-02-17T16:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=664339"},"modified":"2022-02-17T16:14:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T15:14:21","slug":"is-the-surly-ghost-grappler-the-ultimate-do-it-all-drop-bar-trail-bike","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/is-the-surly-ghost-grappler-the-ultimate-do-it-all-drop-bar-trail-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Surly Ghost Grappler the ultimate do-it-all drop-bar trail bike?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Stan Portus\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 17 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Surly has released the new Ghost Grappler, a drop-bar off-road bike with trail-ready geometry that wouldn\u2019t look out of place on a mountain bike. It\u2019s designed to take on everything from bikepacking<\/a> adventures to singletrack sessions and gravel riding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Surly<\/a> says this new steel-framed bike builds on the customised setups it\u2019s seen riders experimenting with over the years and \u201ccaptures a more confident, nimble and reactive off-road\/drop-bar experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ghost Grappler can be seen to take up the mantle in Surly\u2019s range of the ECR (Extreme Camping Rig), which similarly covered bikepacking and more technical riding. According to Surly\u2019s website, no future production of the ECR is planned.<\/p>\n

The Ghost Grappler will be available as a frameset retailing for \u00a3850 \/ $799 \/ CAN$1,149 or as a complete build with a dropper post<\/a> and Microshift Advent 1\u00d710 drivetrain for \u00a32,200 \/ $1,899 \/ $2,599.<\/p>\n

Bikepacking to singletrack<\/h2>\n
\""Male\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The Ghost Grappler is said to be suitable for lots of different riding types.<\/span><\/figcaption> Surly<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Ghost Grappler can be seen to fit into a an emerging category of drop-handlebar off-road bikes, following the recent releases of the Cotic Cascade<\/a> and Sonder Camino<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Cascade and Camino have similar cross-terrain and cross-discipline ambitions to the Ghost Grappler. They are said to be suitable for bikepacking, with frames inspired by mountain bike geometry<\/a>, yet are still described by Cotic and Sonder as gravel bikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Surly doesn\u2019t describe the Ghost Grappler as a gravel bike first and foremost, but the Ghost Grappler is positioned as an off-road-ready alternative for bikepackers and for trail riders who prefer the familiarity of a drop-bar.<\/p>\n

While people have been experimenting with fitting drop handlebars<\/a> to mountain bikes for years, Surly says putting drop bars on bikes designed for flat bars isn\u2019t always comfortable.<\/p>\n

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The Ghost Grappler uses Surly\u2019s proprietary Natch steel tubing.<\/span><\/figcaption> Surly <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Looking at the proposition of designing a drop-bar bike ready for trail riding from a different starting point, maxing out the tyre size on a cyclocross bike<\/a> may not be the strongest or safest choice on technical terrain, according to Surly.<\/p>\n

Consequently, Surly says it has blended what it knows from developing drop-bar and flat-bar bikes to optimise the Ghost Grappler\u2019s geometry, achieving a \u201ccomfortable and stable sweet spot\u201d and \u201coptimal drop-bar hand position\u201d.<\/p>\n

The bike has a higher stack height and longer reach than similar-sized bikes in Surly\u2019s range, which is said to improve fit and handling. Compared to the outgoing ECR, the Ghost Grappler\u2019s stack height has increased by 20mm and the reach has increased by 9.5mm in a size medium.<\/p>\n

Adaptability and mounts galore<\/h2>\n
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There are mounts across the Ghost Grappler, including on the front fork.<\/span><\/figcaption> Surly<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Ghost Grappler has a number of design features to make it adaptable and suitable for different types of riding.<\/p>\n

Surly says the steel frame, built from the brand\u2019s proprietary Natch tube sets, has a double-butted main triangle, plus top-tube gussets for added strength, and so the bike can handle rough terrain.<\/p>\n

There are mounts dotted across the bike, providing plenty of spots to attach bags and bottles<\/a>, as well as racks and mudguards<\/a>. The front forks have four mounting points on either side and mounts on the underside of the down tube.<\/p>\n

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The seatstays have a vertical section with bottle cage mounts.<\/span><\/figcaption> Surly<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The seatstays have unusual vertical sections coming up from the dropouts, and these have mounts for bottle cages, too. This feature is on all frame sizes apart from extra-small, where presumably the vertical section isn\u2019t long enough for a bottle cage.<\/p>\n

Surly has built the frame with its Gnot Boost rear-spacing design, allowing riders to run standard 142mm or Boost 148mm mountain bike rear-axle standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The bike also has horizontal dropouts, so riders can run the Ghost Grappler as a single-speed bike. But despite the dropout design, the frame has thru-axles on the front and rear wheels for \u201cideal stiffness and handling\u201d.<\/p>\n

\""Tyre\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Ghost Grappler can fit a maximum tyre size of 2.8in.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Surly<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Microshift\"<\/picture><\/div>
The complete build available from Surly comes with Microshift Advent. <\/span> <\/figcaption> Surly<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

While Surly has specced its complete Ghost Grappler with 27.5in wheels, it says you can run the bike with 29in wheels<\/a> too. The frame has 2.8in clearance with 27.5in wheels \u2013 with or without fenders \u2013 and 2.1in clearance on 29in wheels without fenders.<\/p>\n

The Ghost Grappler can be fitted with a dropper post<\/a> and Surly says there is \u201cstealth\u201d cable routing.<\/p>\n

Surly Ghost Grappler geometry<\/h2>\n
<\/colgroup>
\ufeff<\/th>XS<\/th>S<\/th>M<\/th>L<\/th>XL<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Seat tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>73<\/td>73<\/td>73<\/td>73<\/td>73<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube angle <\/b>(degrees)<\/td>69.5<\/td>69.5<\/td>69.5<\/td>69.5<\/td>69.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay<\/b> (mm)<\/td>425<\/td>425<\/td>425<\/td>425<\/td>425<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>316<\/td>386<\/td>437.2<\/td>488<\/td>539<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>560<\/td>590<\/td>610<\/td>640<\/td>660<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>160<\/td>180<\/td>200<\/td>220<\/td>240<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td>1,057<\/td>1,088<\/td>1,109<\/td>1,140<\/td>1,162<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td>585<\/td>605<\/td>623<\/td>641<\/td>660<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td>381<\/td>405<\/td>420<\/td>444<\/td>458<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>