We love carrying Surly's, in part because they aren't afraid to be creative and try new stuff. The Karate Monkey was a 29er pioneer and somewhat unique when it came up because it easily allowed for a singlespeed or geared set up. The Pugsley has pretty much defined the fat tire snow bike market for the last few years. The Traveller's Check brought a coupled, break apart frame to a previously unheard of low price point. What's next for the fine folks at Surly who toil away just south of the border from us? How about the Troll?The Troll is the latest steel hardtail or rigid 26" mountain bike offering from Surly, but as always they're pushing simple design just a bit further. The Troll accommodates very wide tires (up to 2.7" wide - think of it as a lite snow bike if that's how you plan to set it up) and has ample stand over clearance so that even if you're riding a lot of rubber the top tube won't be dangerously high. Like a couple of other offerings from Surly it also has horizontal drop outs with a derailleur hanger so that you can easily set it up as a geared or single speed bike, BUT they've gone one step further by also accommodating the easy, direct installation of a Rohloff internally geared hub axle plate to the frame. In other words the bike can easily be set up as a single speed, with conventional gears, or with the best internally geared hub on the market. Cool.
Before moving on from the drop out area we also notice that the steel is drilled to easily accommodate Surly trailer mounting nuts. Of course there's also accommodation for fenders front and rear, and like many Surly's you can choose to use disc or rim brakes.
Another great frame set option from Surly that we have in stock and ready to build up to your specifications.