This past weekend, some buddies and I went on a little camping trip. Some of us had to be back in town the following day, while others went on through Monday. The lucky bastards… One of the early returnees, along with me, was Jonathan. It was his first camping trip here in Austin, since recently relocating from Omaha, so we wanted it to be a good one.

There’s more to come on the ride itself (oh and it was a good one), but I thought I’d take a minute to feature his rather unique Surly Disc Trucker…

Now, touring bikes, at least according to my opinion, can come in a variety of setups. I like to call the fat tire, wide gear range, mid-low trail bikes with racks and fenders “fully loaded” and the more stripped down bikes, “light tourer.”

Jonathan’s bike is certainly a light tourer. With a 1x setup more akin to a hardtail MTB than a tourer, upright riding position, low-riders only and platform pedals, this is a perfect Sub24 camper, or multi day bicycle camping rig. He fit everything he needed in two panniers and strapped his sleeping roll to his bars.

I’ve toured like that for days on end before, with no issues. The way I see it, the more the tour becomes about your “stuff” the less you focus on the ride. Or something like that.

This Disc Trucker is one of my favorite Surlys I’ve had the chance to photograph. See for yourself why in the Gallery!