alan s 

For C&O Canal Towpath type trails, you should go with 26" and Big Apple 2.35 (60mm) tires. I run them at 40 psi. I rode 30 miles on the towpath today and my overall average speed was 16.8 mph, which included riding slowly for a couple minutes at the turn around point. Most of the ride I was able to easily sustain 18 mph over even the roughest portions. Haven ridden thousands of miles on the towpath over the years, this is by far the best ride. I'll really put the Troll to the test in August for a ride from Cumberland to DC.

If the route involves road/hills and offroad combined, the 700c Marathon Supremes are a little faster. Sometimes, I'll start out on the road at max pressure, and then return on the trail at lower pressure.

For sizing, you sound like either a 16" or 18" would fit. If it were me, I'd go slightly larger, but that is a personal preference.

mechBgon

Interesting frameset. I see the fork has two sets of eyelets on the sides of the blades... could any Troll owners tell me the measurement from hole to hole? I'm wondering if my old Blackburn CL-1 lowriders would line up with those. The CL-1 has no cross-hoop, leaving unlimited tire clearance.

Tom Stormcrowe

I gotta say, this is the kind of "Troll" thread I enjoy reading.

alan s 

165mm center to center.

mechBgon

...and there was much rejoicing, my CL-1s would fit!

phillybill

cool bike.... it seems much better put tougher than my old karate monkey i used to ride.

Bubba1964

Thanks for the info. on the tires and rims...that's probably the way I'm going...it's great to have someone who understands the area I ride in...

The frameset is on its way.

I went with the 16" due to my conversation with the mechanic at the LBS that rides another Surly frameset...I'm a roadie and I have a hybrid that I ride on the C&O whose geometry is very comfortable...and we found the 16" to be a better match with what I currently feel comfortable with...

The 18" seems just a little big.

Enjoy the Cumberland ride!

mechBgon

I got a Troll fork and stuck it on my commuting mountain bike. The venerable Blackburn CL-1s bolted up pretty nicely, so now I can haul even more groceries However, that's a LONG fork and I'm not sure I like the way the bike's handling now, so the next step will be to get a Troll frameset, I think. I could use more tire clearance in the back anyway, I have some tires large enough to graze the front derailleur on my old bike.

alan s 

Axle to crown is 453mm, so it is a pretty long fork. Suspension corrected for 100mm travel. Sounds like the 1x1 fork would work better, or a matching frame.

Gary in VA

Alan, been reading this thread with a lot of interest. Just moved into the area for a job and when the house sells in VA we are looking to buy in the Brunswick area along the trail. Really nice setup on your bike.

alan s 

Thanks. You'll have a lot of great riding options from Brunswick, both on and off road.

alan s 

A few more pics.

In full touring mode a couple weeks ago at Paw Paw Tunnel on the C&O Canal on a weekend ride from Cumberland. The outskirts of Hurricane Irene made the ride fairly wet soon after this was taken (note the light at the end of the tunnel).



Finally got around to cutting down the steerer to its proper length. Surly decals had been flaking off, so they were removed completely. Surly sent a set of replacement decals, but I like the way it looks without them.



Swain's Lock on the C&O Canal



Violet's Lock on the C&O Canal



and another at Violet's Lock

ezraw

I found this thread useful when planning my build, so here a photo and some info on on my build in case it helps anyone else. Thanks to everyone who has posted info in the past, I appreciate you sharing your experience.

Surly Troll 16"
Easton XC One Disc 26"
26x2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples
Avid BB7 Front and Rear
Old set of XT cranks and Performance pedals from my parts bin
No-name seat and post from my parts bin
36T Sugino front chainweel, 13T Surly rear cog, SRAM PC-850 chain
Shimano BB-UN54 cartridge bottom bracket, JIS - 73x122mm
XLC Comp Stem, 90mm x 10
Dimension 45mm Riser Bar 24 deg sweep
Cane Creek 10 headset
Minoura King Carrier front rack
Planet Bike fenders

I tried to not to go overboard and stick to my existing used parts or low-end new ones, but did splurge for the Avid BB7's and the wheels. I'm using this as a city bike for general utility use, light commuting (3 miles).

As to the disc brake and singlespeed set up, I know this isn't generally recommended, but I really wanted to try. Getting everything lined up was actually pretty easy with BB7's and the tugnet. I haven't had any slippage at all but it's still too new to tell.

The front rack fit perfectly. I did need a spacer for both fenders to get a good fender line. On the front I used an old disc brake mount, which was a great fit. For the rear, I drilled out the fender clip and used a plastic wine cork for the spacer with a long nut.

What would I change? I'm 5'8" and a 31 inseam and I'd like a more setback on the seatpost or a longer stem. I need to swap in some fatter pedals and maybe a tad lower gear.
IMG_4341.jpg

lieven

Could somebody inform me on how long the rear (mechanical) disc brake and shift cables need to be to mount on the Troll. That is with a ordinary rizer bar. I want to mail order an 18 inch frame and need to know these lengths in order to be able to order some cables and cable housing at well.

Thanks a lot.

alan s 

Hard to say, because every bike is set up differently and has different components. The Jagwire kits for derailleurs and brakes are plenty long. You have to cut to length. No other way to tell, unless you are comparing identical bikes. Check out Jenson, which usually has good prices.

nubcake

Here is my troll, it usually is a daily commuter but today it got to haul the kid to the park with my wife. The best thing about the troll is its versatility for sure.

alan s 

Been a while since the last update. The past few months have been occupied with upgrading the bike for touring and getting camping gear. Added an OMM Sherpa front rack, which is really solid. Tried the OMM Sherpa rear rack, but since it doesn't accomodate the Topeak trunk bag, it was returned. Also a great rack, just not needed at this time. Still using the Topeak Explorer rear rack which is fine for heavier loads. Basically, the bike is ready to go anywhere by installing the wheels, front rack and panniers, which takes about 5 minutes.

Added a front fender stay for extra fender stability to keep the 60mm wide tires from contacting the fender. Also got a set of wheels for heavier loads - Mavic XM 719, XT hubs and DT db spokes - but not yet completed with rotors, cassette and all.

After a year of commuting and a couple short tours, I couldn't be happier with the bike. Plans are for a few longer trips this summer and fall.

SnowJob

C'mon Troll owners, is it too much to ask that you take a picture of your bike under a bridge! (+10 points if a billy goat is about to cross.)

Gyeswho

Just got mine in. I have to assemble it, but for those wondering, this thing can easily double as a 29er as well. I have 700x50mm tires pictured here and as you can see there is still plenty of space left

alan s 

A few more updates to the Troll. Added a new wheelset with Shimano ICE rotors that are made with aluminum in the rotor and spider for better heat dissipation. Also improved the front rack mounting so I can transport the bike more easily. The rack is a little lower and further back, which improves handling when loaded. Love the ability of the Troll to handle fenders, racks and disc brakes.

Mile 28 on the C&O Canal Towpath


A lot going on here

megalowmatt

That bike still looks great.

I googled C&O Canal since I've never heard of it before. That looks very cool...wish we had something like that out here.

benda18

best thread ever. 122 posts and every single one is relevant. really loving the builds and completely jealous.

some of you are running 29" / 700C? How does that affect handling?

scroca

Terrific thread!

I see that everyone who's posted has built up their bikes. Just out of curiosity, is there something about the complete Troll that you didn't like, or is it just that you had parts from other bikes to switch over?

alan s 

The C&O Canal Towpath is a wonderful car-free place to ride (unless it is really wet). It connects to the Great Allegheny Passage trail in Cumberland, MD to Ptttsburgh, PA for a total trail of over 300 miles.

700c road tires are almost the same diameter as 26" fat tires such as the BAs, so no difference in handling. Big increase in weight with the fat tires in exchange for comfort and durability offroad.

The complete Troll wasn't available when I bought the frame, and in any case, I already had everything on an aluminum frame, so it was a simple swap of parts. The complete Troll build is decent.

Onions

So, why does everyone seem to love the Troll over the Ogre? Aren't 29's supposed to be better?