Before this bike, I’d had 2 bikes in my (adult) life:

• A 1980s Healing 10-speed

• A 2011-ish Merida Ride roadie

Both were bought for < $300 off TradeMe, selected with little knowledge or opinion, solely for the purpose of commuting (which in turn was for the purpose of cost of living and emissions reduction, not for actual enjoyment). I rode them for around 5 years each, lubed them probably once each, and serviced them zero times, saving probably over $10k in transport costs in the process. Over time, I also came to love cycling for the feeling, the fitness, and the freedom, but I still didn’t consider myself much of a “bike person”.

A 1-week cycle tour from Seoul to Daegu (4-5 riding days plus a leisurely rest halfway) in 2023 changed my perspective completely. From then on, I slowly started looking for opportunities to cycle more. I had never owned panniers, or good lights, or any bike-specific clothing (like padded shorts, sunglasses, or gloves), but slowly started collecting these things secondhand as I plotted.

Early last year, some friends (Euni & Olivia) suggested doing the Twin Coasts Cycle Tour. My Merida wasn’t going to hack it on the gravel, so 10 years into my cycle-commuting journey, I bought my first new bike. Ferg’s family are all part of the Surly cult, so naturally I leaned that way. I landed on the Surly Midnight Special, since I’d become used to the roadie geometry from my earlier bikes, I enjoy speed, I don’t see myself mountain biking/dirt riding, and I’m unlikely to haul a huge amount of weight.

This bike has been such a delight. It purrs on the roads and chews through light gravel no problem. The steel frame feels bulletproof which is great for a clumsy person like me who often drops and bangs it. The longevity that Surlys are acclaimed for really appeals from a sustainability perspective. It’s certainly a lot heavier than my road bike, but I find that I don’t mind very much - the slightly slower speeds on hills are made up for by its stability and smoothness. I’ve been taking (slightly) better care of it than I did my other two bikes, and I hope it’ll last me decades.