Sunday 8th March 2026 - Strathpeffer Ride on the Ogre with Brian

 After meeting up with Brian on the Saturday near Altnaharra on the motorbikes it was decided with the nice dry but cool weekend weather we would do our best to get out on the bicycles for Sunday.  

I wanted to get out on the newly built Rohloff Ogre and was really pleased Brian was up for it. He hasn't been that well lately with some heart issues limiting how he rides at the moment so we haven't been out much together cycling lately so it would be nice to ride together again. 

I got to Dingwall pretty early and met Brian at Tesco, where sadly I was also meeting up with the lovely gentleman who was buying my Larry Vs Harry Bullitt cargo bike. Very much in two minds about selling it but just haven't been using it since last spring really and it is a huge chunk of family cash sitting there. So it was with a great deal of sadness it went. It was made easier by going to a very nice young man who wanted it for his young family and was super enthused for it. 

After this we parked at Brians so he could get sorted to ride and I unloaded the Ogre. Gave a quick check over while Brian checked the tyres on his titanium On One with its Rohloff, as he said we should make it a Rohloff themed ride. 

We went up the back of Tulloch Castle and then along the north side of the valley on small tracks and farm roads with a vague plan to end up back down in Strathpeffer. Nothing too strenuous for Brians health and we just see how he goes. 

This was a good move and pleased Brian was up for it as the terrain varied from tarmac side road to dirt track, singletrack, before crossing the main road and up the final mile to Strathpeffer on the new trail for bikes and walkers. We came across a few fallen trees which had us hauling over the first lot and then under the second lot. There was also a few really swampy sections on the singletrack sections up the back of the farms. The Ogre handled it all really sweetly. Having been riding many Surly bikes over the last 16 years and with this being my first 29'er so I was still surprised that the Ogre felt so familiar to ride, the handling just felt like my Pugsley, 1X1 etc, very neutral, familiar, predictable. 

While I had a few rides on it since fist out the other week, it also felt really comfortable and again familiar. The Rohloff  worked seamlessly, the BB7's were spot on, the Cambium saddle was very comfortable, on or off road and the Moloko bars were in the perfect spot, stayed comfortable for the whole time, fell easily to hand, on or off road. The Rene Herse tyres were a great setup for this mixed type riding. Rolled nicely on the tarmac too which was a nice surprise. 

After a nice lunch at the station cafe we decided to head back to Dingwall down the Peffery way, a nice all weather trail for walkers and cyclists. Then back to Brians up through the woods for the last mile. 

A great day out and a great afternoons riding with Brian getting used to the Ogre, the Rohloff etc, which I am really liking, it's really slick, and with tonnes of gears there is definitely one for all occasions. The grip shift setup with the Ergon grip worked really well and was again, very comfortable. 

Plans are really just to add a rack front and rear and get it ready to tour. 

Have already changed out the oil in the Rohloff just to be sure and know where I am starting from.

Jamie   

Sunday 15th February 2026 - Surly Ogre Build - Shakedown Test Ride.

 So with the build almost done yesterday on the Ogre, all left to do this morning was fit the mudguards, double check everything is tightened and a quick fit check to make sure seat and bars are all where I normally have them and good to go. 

The mudguards fitted on with lower mounts done up but I didn't cut the top of the stays front or back in case I need to relocate them slightly once I get my racks to fit. That's why they are so long at the top, especially on the rear. 

So a quick check to make sure everything is done up, tyres are pumped up, fit my small back light and with the weather being dry and with just a small breeze it is looking better than it has for at least a month. 

Soon underway and everything is going very smoothly. The fit is feeling very comfortable and familiar right off from the start, though it should really as I know my fit and I have mucked about with bar angles etc for months it seems and the new saddle I measured my feet on the peddles and then my usual measurements from stem, height and a flat top of the saddle. I usually use a B17 on my Trucker, Jack Taylors and Mercian too so the Cambium Brooks felt familiar but instantly comfortable right from the off. After a while it was very much like a bedded in B17 in that it was noticeable  by the fact I didn't notice it at all. 

The Rohloff shifted very slickly and lightly while running very smoothly whether on the tarmac or on the few dirt tracks I ventured along. 

Brakes I took easy while bedding them in but like the BB7s on my Pugsley and 1X1 they worked well and should continue to get a bit smoother as they do bed in. 

Wheels stayed together and along with the Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tyres worked really. They surprised me on the tarmac as they rolled with very little resistance, despite the small knobs. They were very stable as well whether going slow or putting a bit of speed in on the tarmac. came down the road to home at a fair speed with hands well off the bars, relaxed and it was rock steady. 

The Moloko bars feel perfect as well, stem is spot on for reach with everything at hand without having to move to reach anything, brakes where they should be and the Rohloff shifter very easy to use and this combined with putting the Ergon grips on made it very comfortable.

Overall, while only out for about 3 hours and with no load on, the bike itself feels great, very comfortable and also surprisingly very familiar. I am liking the 29'er wheels and by the end thought I will try the 27.5 wheels just because I have them but I think I will be sticking with the 29'ers for now as I really like the feel of how this rides and can imagine it will be nice to tour on. I had the thought several times that it feels fit wise as how I imagined my Trucker would feel the few times I thought about changing the dirt drop bars to a SimWorks  Get Around or Little Nic handlebar.

It felt like everything just fit straight away, everything at hand, where it should be. Maybe that's how it should be after taking so long to build it. Initial impression is that straight out the gate my want for it to be like an off road Trucker type tourer might not be such a big ask after all. 

Looking forward to putting lots more miles on it. 

Jamie 

 

September 2025 --> February 2026 - The slow build of the Surly Ogre

 This is a brief rundown of the slow build of my Surly Ogre frameset. 

I have for many years wanted to build an all road or off road touring bike that would be as well fitting, comfortable, and always a pleasure to ride like my very off road capable but more road/gravel orientated Long Haul Trucker. 

I wanted something I could load up with panniers etc and use on both tarmac as well as more rougher off road while hopefully able to find that sturdiness, reliability and fun I get every time I ride my Trucker, be it multi day tours, hauling Caleb in his trailer, commuting or randonneuring.  

I tried previously with the Shand Bahookie, and while a great frame I could just see it wasn't going to end up as quite what I wanted. So back in October 2023 I purchased a small size Surly Ogre in Champagne Supa Nova colour. I had a few other things going on with life over this period to say the least, and it wasn't like I didn't have other bikes to ride, and so it sat patiently in the loft while parts were slowly gathered. I didn't lose sight of what I wanted to build overall but the details of each parts were carefully considered and like all my Surlys will probably get changed now and then to suite it's use. Though I am hoping that I may get it like my Trucker in as much as even after all the miles it has done it is still pretty much as I built it up back in 2011. Here's hoping. 

This plan did evolve and come together over a couple of years, so while this might read like a weekend, it was in fact quite slow so it amazes even me that I managed to keep it bubbling along, if not always in the flesh, then in my mind. 

I debated building it up with 27.5 wheels as I have a set of Stans Arch wheels that were for the Bahookie and would fit the frame no problem at all. This Surly frame runs the Gnot Boost rear spacing which will take 29" or 27.5" wheel with 142/148mm thru axle or 135mm Quick Release with a Rohloff torque arm slot as well, so lots of options. 

Not long after I had the thought of fitting a internal hub gear as I used to run an Shimano Alfine 8 on the Big Dummy and currently run an Alfine 8 on the Bullitt Cargo Bike and have ridden a few of Brians machines with Rohloff speed hubs fitted both on and off road. Quite impressed and with this being a bike for the distance rather than outright speed or singletrack use I thought it might be an option to explore further. I had been keeping an eye out for an Alfine to come along at the right price when I spotted an advert for a good condition Rohloff Speed Hub on a 26" wheel for a very very good price from a bike charity. Looked and sounded great, with little use and came with  gear box, cables, shifter etc. So I took a leap of  faith/trust and so glad I did. It was all there and while a bit dusty from sitting about and with the first gen shifter rubber being perished like chewing gum, which I think could have been from someone cleaning it with some sort of solvent more than the usual time ravaging as it was out of place with the rest of the gear. I decided in the end to replace the gear changer to the latest version along with inner and outer cables, just to start with everything working as it should. Even with the shifter purchase it was still a bargain. So a oil change of the hub and all was good to go. 

I debated for a long while whether to build the wheels as 27.5 or 29'ers. I went with the 29'er rims as this seemed what most of the mixed terrain riders were using with 2.5 tyres. I ended up going with WTB 35mm wide MTB rims. This was around late May last year and with spokes ordered I built them up along with the front being to an XT front hub. Laced at home and then finished and trued down at Brians on his jig one wet Sunday, thanks Brian. 

At some point I had decided to try a set of Surly Moloko bars as I had been using Jones style bars on the 1X1 and Pugsley for a few years now and liked the look of the Molokos with a slightly shallower sweep. The fact there is plenty of space for lights etc is great too. 

Pretty much once the wheels were built I started to gather a few more things together, with some items such as the XT chainset, seatpost, stem etc were already left over from the Shand. I also had a new set of BB7 brakes ready to fit so it was in December 2025 I ordered  new Rohloff cables as I had picked up the new shifter last year. Then Just a fortnight ago I ordered a set of SKS 69mm mudguards and a Brooks Cambium saddle. So all I had to do now was put it together. It had been pretty much roughly together the last 4 months but needed finishing and importantly cabling up. The Rohloff was a new thing to learn, but pretty easy once their processes were followed. 

We have also been saturated in never ending rain since the snow melted early January and so it was fitting that I had planned to get it all cabled up on Saturday as there was some clear whether forecast for Sunday as well. 

Saturday morning went smoothly cabling everything up, usual measure twice, cut once and all went smoothly, brakes and Rohloff spot on, then I put on the new chain, and that's when things hit a snag. When putting the chain on it ended up being a half link out. Either move the wheel forward and inch or back an inch, adjust the brakes either way and hope the Rohloff is fine where it is, cable wise. DOH!!    Not a problem as even after all this time it was only another 20 minutes or so. 

Tomorrow morning I will fit the mudguards and hopefully get out for a ride.  That is for the next blogpost. 

Here are some photos of the build at various stages.  One of the photos you will see a red Rohloff hub. This is one of Brians  27.5" wheels that he lent me so that I can try this with my front 27.5 to see which I prefer. Easy to switch the Rohloffs around as the shifter and cables disconnect, slot the wheel in and push the shifter in and its good to go!  

27.5

3rd January 2026 - New Year ride on Pugsley.

 Happy New Year! 

I was hoping to get a ride out on the 1st or 2nd day of the New Year but with rain and gale force winds it just wasn't happening. 

After getting some snow on the afternoon of the 3rd and the wind abating a bit I decided to get the Pugsley out and head down the local trails to the beach and coastal tracks.  While the wind was still fairly strong I thought the lower beach track and hedges may offer some respite from it. It was also a full moon so tried to capture it on my way home but a bit too dark for my phone and struggled to hold still in the 50mph winds. 

Not much snow but in the following four days there has been quite a bit with these trails now being covered by about 6 inches in the fields with the track being about a foot deep due to the drifts. Unfortunately I am back at work and unable to get out on the Pugsley, but hopefully this weekend. 

A slightly later start but it's always good to start the year riding. 

Jamie 

End of 2025 Rides - Boxing day 26th and also 28th December Local Rides

 Despite the awful weather we have had to finish the year off, there were a few calm breaks that allowed me to get out between Christmas and New Year. 

Neither were long rides, more just to keep the legs turning away from commuting or errand type rides.  

It was boxing day first off and after a lovely Christmas with family I needed to pick up a couple of things in town and also drop off some keys for work, before they were needed on the 29th. It was well after lunch and while I was aware I only had a couple of hours of daylight left I made sure my lights were charged and headed off on the Bullitt cargo bike. A nice ride into town and out the other side to work first, then back into town, pick up a couple of things from the supermarket, stop and take a look at the Christmas lights which might soon be gone and then, with lights on, take a few of the back roads home. All this while trying to dodge a few lite showers.  Good to be out and stretch the legs. 

 

 

The 28th of December seen a break in the rain again and I managed to get out for a few hours for a ride around the coast. Nowhere in particular to be or a planned route so just took one of my regular routes with a few side tracks mixed in.  Again not a long one but just enough to feel like a nice ride and keep the legs turning over. This time I took out the Long Haul Trucker as it is my go to ride when I just want to ride without  having to think about the bike. It is just such a comfortable ride, handles great, fit's like a glove, never lets me down. 

Jamie