My New Touring Bike! Surly Bridge Club Custom Build

Introducing... my new Surly Bridge Club custom bike build for round-the-world touring! For the last year it has been my dream to build up a world-touring bike with my own two hands. After many months researching the parts I wanted, and several days building - it's finally complete! Check out what the process is like in this video, and let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
CUSTOM SURLY BRIDGE CLUB Q&AS
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[@SheelaghDaly]

💥To support my videos and get the behind-the-scenes scoop, join me over on Patreon! www.patreon.com/sheelaghdaly

[@williamlebron9873]

🥳CONGRATS🥳 on the new bike build. Looks AWESOME. I bet it ride as good as it looks. 🤘🏼

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you so much! It definitely does 😄

[@niceup1177]

congratulations! very cool build! looking forward to your next videos. enjoy the ride!!!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much!

[@Avocado207]

Love the bike, and great build! It is so intimidating to take on a bike building project. Big bonus to know how to do your own maintenance and repairs 🙌 I have Velo orange crazy bars, and love them !!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much!! And yay, happy to hear you’re loving the crazy bars :)

[@michaelfairwinds2218]

Just found your channel and it’s great! I am a week into a 6000 km tour through central and eastern Europe. It’s my first tour and I didn’t do a heck of a lot of pre-planning. Luckily I don’t have a fixed timeline so I am able to take it slow and ease into it. I find your videos helpful and interesting and good luck on your next tour!

[@SheelaghDaly]

That sounds awesome! No fixed timeline and figuring it out as you go is my favourite way to bike tour :) I’m so glad you enjoy the videos. Good luck with the rest of your tour!

[@Velobetty]

You won't build it wrong, it won't fall apart, you'll know every nut and bolt! Looking forward to watching your videos!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Aww thank you Elisabeth!!

[@Straitjacket808]

Beautiful bike ❤

[@Akenfelds1]

Well done, Sheelagh!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@tconnolly9820]

I'm just know basic maintenance for my everyday workhorse but definitely for the kind of touring you are going to be doing this is so important for you. Bikes really are a lot more complicated and difficult to get right than meets the eye. Way to go woman! 👍👌

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks very much!!

[@Tanstaafl1976]

Nice build, Sheelagh! 👍

[@patientswim6888]

It's like you built a bike to my exact specifications! The only thing I would've done differently is gone friction shifting but you nearly did that too. So nice!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! It was definitely a tough call 😆

[@AlexCastillo-xk8yt]

Could you please provide me with the list of components you used to build your bike? Please. 😊

[@malcraghill7]

I love the frame colour

[@victorvannatter312]

Those bars are pretty cool

[@leanalexander3493]

Lovely!

[@richardlau2447]

Fascinating 😊

[@osamaoj2]

I really love how you build an bike for around the world From where you starting the Trip I'm planning to travel

[@vanomadcyclist3474]

Great job, I have always wished I knew more about my bike. I seem to rely to much on my bike shop. Looking forward to your next adventure

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! Most bike shops are so friendly, I bet they would answer your burning questions if you’re curious 😄

[@toolaholicsanonymous]

Cool build. I went with a 1x drivetrain thinking there'd be less things to break. Then I broke my shifter and had to ride 80km in the rain in nova scotia to get to the next bike shop and realized The extra derailer would have meant I'd have had more than one gear. Wasn't able to get parts to repair the shifter and ended up with an ancient bar end friction shifter and it's bomb proof. Worst case scenario when it's out of adjustment is I loose a top or bottom gear or two.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oof that sounds like a tough day! Im glad you found a solution in the end! 😄

[@chrisE815]

friction shifting is king for tours

[@toolaholicsanonymous]

@@chrisE815 agreed!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Awesome video. I'm totally diggin' the bike.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@X_TUDO]

Greetings from Brazil! I'm also building my travel bike and I used many of the same components as yours with the exception of the frame. In Brazil we don't sell the Surly brand and importing it would be very expensive, so I opted to use an aluminum frame. I'm getting ready to travel from the Amazon to Ushuaia in Argentina, literally the end of the world!

[@SheelaghDaly]

That is so cool!!! I hope you have an amazing trip :)

[@travis1687]

What frame did you end up going with? Also in brazil and wanting to build a bike.

[@X_TUDO]

@@travis1687 I ended up opting for an aluminum MTB frame, I chose the ABSOLUTE brand and the model was the WILD 2021, it supports a lot of weight and is relatively cheap. If you are not very heavy, you can opt for the LUNIX model from the FIRST brand, it has holes for luggage racks and is tapered. I recently discovered a new brand of artisanal bicycles in Brazil that works with chromoly and is called PEAK, I don't know much about the prices but the quality seems to be very good, the official KONA resale in the country has also returned.

[@frankducett9]

Great job. I have been a bike mechanic off and on since 1972, you made some great choices and developed some skills we hope you won't need.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you so much for saying that! That means so much 😊

[@scottlynch5804]

Great bike and great build. It's so rewarding and confidence inspiring to build your own bike. I also have a Bridge Club that I built up myself. They are tough as nails and will handle anything you'll throw at them touring or mountain biking. Not sure what your final rack solution build will be, but I recommend the Surly Rear Rack for the back and Surly 24-Pack Rack for the front. I also added some Salsa Anything Cages for the fork as well. Keep up the great work!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks you so much Scott!! It's wonderful to hear you've had a great time with your Bridge Club :) Thanks for sharing!

[@albert85b]

Great build!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much!

[@SINTHEREBEL666]

Awesome thanks 🙏🙏🙏

[@omare_biketonature]

Nice build, I would go 2 * 11 and some personal choices like jones bars and other details. Cheers happy adventures.

[@rainbowhiker]

The way I leaned to work on bikes was getting junkers that people threw away, fixed 'em up and got them on the road again. Then upgraded through time as money was available. Good luck on your rides but I'd suggest riding the U.S. and Canada. The food is familiar and there are more roads and trails than you can ride in your lifetime.

[@gauthier13]

Nice build ! Congrats for going through all of those steps ahah !

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much!!

[@gauthier13]

@@SheelaghDaly i couldn’t do it alone ahah ! For an everyday bike, going to the grocery store, carrying stuff and going on bikepacking trip on the summer, would you choose a bridge club again ? I’m currently thinking about going car free and buying a bridge club (or similar rig) or an Omnium cargo

[@pikonrad]

Congratulations, around mounth ago I have build similar bike. But with litle differences. It is based on aluminum frame set Decathlon riverside touring 900. I thought of Surly, but there is problem to by it in Poland. Similar 2 x10 Deore. Handle bar I have choosed Koga Satori similar to yours Orange Crazy. Tires also similar 27,5 x 2.4. And my bike also has been first wich I build by my hands. Have a nice tour

[@SheelaghDaly]

That’s awesome! Congratulations to you too :) happy riding!

[@X_TUDO]

Greetings from Brazil!!!

[@WheelsonaBike]

I'm so excited for you! Congrats for building a bike from scratch, an absolute dream of mine. How are the handlebars?

[@SheelaghDaly]

I hope your dream comes true ☺️ they are GREAT so far! I may trim off the sides a little down the road as they are quite wide, but I’m really loving it!

[@RoryZ23]

I just bought the Bridge Club a few weeks ago 😊

[@SheelaghDaly]

Fun!!! I wish you many great adventures on it!

[@jonmarshall1502]

Sweet build. I’m relatively new to Surly ownership with my kmonkey as my mountain bike. But I’m tempted to add something like this to the fleet.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! I wish you many great rides, whatever you decide 😄

[@jonmarshall1502]

@@SheelaghDaly well if you ever cycle around NZ drop in by for a chat and a feed.

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@jonmarshall1502 Aww thank you so much!! I definitely hope to!

[@stevemullin1195]

What racks did you get for your BC? I just got my BC today and assembled it. I have the stock 27.5x2.4 tires and now looking for front and rear racks to put my ortlieb panniers on. Any ideas?

[@Migsfigs]

The Surly BC seems like an awesome and relatively affordable option for this kind of riding. What other models can compete?

[@bikesandbeyond618]

Absolutely love your bike! I wanted the moss green color last year and it wasn't available in my size...so black it was for me. Interested in how you like the 2=by-10 drive train...

[@SheelaghDaly]

The black is really nice too! I will definitely chat about how and why I selected the 2x10 in the Q&A video 😄

[@vinyltheif]

There's so much satisfaction doing that, & knowing your bike inside out. I likewise chose all my bike's parts & built it up, it's now covered 94,000 km over three extended tours, which included the Trans-Canada on my Americas tour. Where will you head to first?

[@SheelaghDaly]

94,000km!!! Wow! That is so cool. I haven't decided yet - there are so many places I can't wait to explore! Japan, Jordan, Chile, Peru, Morroco, Mongolia... those are just some that are high on my list 🙊

[@stevemullin1195]

Would love to see a list of all your parts on your build as I'm looking to get an XL bridge club but then swap out the stock parts and put a 2x chainset in along with butterfly bars, redshift seat post and stem...I have carpal tunnel and lower back issues so need a comfortable ride. My local Trek bike shop said they can order the BC and then do the mods for me....would have like the Trek 520 since its steel but discontinued.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oooh those sound like exciting swaps! I'm happy to hear you've found solutions to create a more comfortable ride :) My complete parts list is available on my Patreon page www.patreon.com/sheelaghdaly -- "The Buddy" tier has a free 7-day trial so you are welcome to join and then take it down to a lower tier or cancel it altogether within 7 days if it isn't the right fit or not in your budget :) I'm also able to get to questions more swiftly and reliably there. I always try to get to questions here too but sometimes I run out of time or they slip past me!

[@mazditzo]

wuhuu nice color on bc ! I have surly also for my next long trip to Japan, boring black long haul trucker 😀

[@SheelaghDaly]

Haha I bet your LHT is beautiful! Have so much fun in Japan!!

[@stevemullin1195]

Did you find fenders for your BC? I'm looking for some for my bike.

[@foti5651]

surly ❤

[@annaeglite8916]

❤️❤️❤️

[@thinkpadBentnoseTheBlind]

great video. Just the fact that you said that you wanted to learn to fix a bike by building was amazing. I do fear for your ability to get parts in remote locations on your world tour.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! I know, so many factors to think about. I addressed this a little in my recent Q&A video as it was a concern of mine as well. We shall see!

[@grdhog]

What's it like after 1 month? How does it ride? Fist bump on the crazy bars.

[@sunildingankar8657]

Great video. I am from India. I wanna go for Surly. Apart from daily commutes of around only 6 kms and casual weekly rides for practicing a climbs, I may go for a tour that to of may be 7 days for may be once or twice a year. I am planning to shift to a village from which a main city is around 15 km, it is a uphill and downhill road. Considering this, Surly is worth or something cheaper options like Canondale or Kona Alloy MTBs will do?

[@erikvonbold5520]

Great video and very nice bike! What saddle are you using? Looks like a C19. Thanks

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! Good eye - It is indeed! I made a video about it in case you’re curious :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/haDUeKdontaqeas

[@AlexCastillo-xk8yt]

Hello, could you please provide the list of components you used to build your bike, thanks?

[@MrVarmarn]

Hi... with your inspiration, i am trying to build same bike with similar components but going with shimano SLX 2x12 drive train. My query is when going with 32 spokes rim, is the bike stable enough for tours with heavy loads. can you suggest any 36 spokes tubeless ready rims to fit 2.5 inch and above tyres.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Cool! I debated between 32 and 36 spoke rims as well. From the mechanics I spoke with and what I read online, I felt confident that 32 would be sufficient for me. So I can't speak to any 36 spoke wheel options, but I would check out Velocity, I liked their wide range of offerings!

[@ChrisIrelandNJ]

I’m planning on building up a Bridge Club. Is there a top pull derailleur that’s compatible with your Deore drive train? Would this work! SHIMANO Top Pull Front Derailleur (Direct Mount) 2x10-speed FD-CX70-F-T

[@quocvietnguyenvan6833]

Great bike! I wonder what size of your tire is on the bike, tire width? Thanks

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks!! These ones are just 27.5 x 48 but I think I’ll run 2.25” most of the time and go up to 2.5 for some trips :)

[@d.petertyl4151]

Ya building the same color frame size small..but pushing the limits with 29*2.2slicks

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice!! Good luck with the build!

[@parsaerfani7973]

Amazing video, is the bike only Disc brake compatible?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oooh that's a good question! I always knew I wanted disc so I didn't actually look into whether it could do rim brakes. But this is the bike and there's a Q&A section at the bottom that might give some indication :) surlybikes.com/bikes/bridge_club

[@rickphil8026]

bottom bracket brand price and why, what do you think of sram hydraulic brake compare to trp, what is the largest chainring and rotor size that would fit bridgeclub, brand of your seatpost, is there a need for derailer hanger for bridgeclub, headset size and brand thank you and good day

[@SheelaghDaly]

Ooh lots of great technical questions! I may not be able to get to all of these but I'll do what I can :)

[@biosfearmag]

I'm surprised you didn't put a dynamo hub up front. I'd think that would be crucial for an around-the-world trip.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Ahh yes, good thought. I do address this in the Q&A videos :) For me, it was really important that I be able to understand and repair as much on my bike as possible. Although, from my research, issues with good-quality dynamo hubs are rare, from my understanding, repairing them is proprietary. Meaning I would need to ship it back or find a really specialized bike shop. This felt too risky for the remote places I would like to bikepack. I think they're super cool, it just didn't feel like the right fit for me personally.

[@biosfearmag]

@@SheelaghDaly that makes sense. for repairability, I see that Soma bike sells some dynamo hubs from a company called Kasai that are supposed to be 'field serviceable'. You might want to take a look. Either way, really nice bike. Similar to how I built up my latest, but with a Crust frame.

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@biosfearmag Thanks for the tip! Nice, happy riding!

[@pgreenx]

For Q&A vid- why did you pick the bridge club and what else did you look at?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks! Will answer this for sure!

[@joeyvonny5146]

Nice job! I may have missed it but what tires and size did you decide on?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much! Originally I had Rene Herse Juniper Ridge 650 x 48 but unfortunately they had some pretty disappointing issues. Do I've switched over to Vittoria Mezcal 27.5 x 2.25. I know of a couple people that have had really good experiences with them so I'm excited to try them out!

[@the_nondrive_side]

would have went with a 3x8 or and used 9 speed mechs but I already ride that bike.

[@tomsitzman3952]

To free stand your bike I recommend a Click Stand instead of a Kick Stand attached to the bike frame. One of the problems with a kick stand attached to the frame is if there is too much weight on the Kick Stand, that it is stronger than the bike frame, the frame could bend instead of the kick stand. If you use a Click Stand bracing the bike and not mounted to the bike, the free standing cCick Stand will collapse instead of the frame. Instead of buying a Click Stand it is possible to make your own out of a slightly larger diameter aluminum for little or no cost that is stronger and less lightly to fail. Another option is to buy a folding cane at a pharmacy or hospital supply for about $25 USD. The Click Stand has possible other uses on your trip, as a tent or tarp pole and for aid in the unintended fall.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks for sharing your experience with it!

[@elachichai]

In hindsight, would you have considered 12 speed GRX cassette? Costlier however.

[@SheelaghDaly]

I did consider it but my feeling, and it was confirmed by mechanics I spoke with, was that it is such new technology, should replacement parts be needed on a bike trip it could easily become a real challenge. So far I'm happy I went with the 2 x 10!

[@barky007]

I am very interested in this frame and build. But why not 3x10 or 11?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Excellent question! I’ll answer this in the Q&A for sure

[@sagehiker]

Even the glitches provide teachable moments, so well done. I have a ‘20 Bridge Club set up for dirt road touring. My complete BC in 19-20 came with a front derailleur mount but 1x12 SX Eagle. Mostly GX now. I like your choice of 2x10 and that is the direction I headed too. I have DT Swiss hubs, VO Crazy bars, and Velocity Cliff Hangers on other bikes and they suit me well. HAVE a great journey and bring us along.

[@SheelaghDaly]

It is so helpful and reassuring to hear you use these parts as well! Thank you for sharing your experiences Rob. And you are very right about the important teachable moments 😊

[@outtatrex]

Nice bike, and congrats on completing the bike (almost) by yourself. I recently converted my bicycle from a triple to a double crank, I used the same crank that you used, and now I have a 2 x 10. I love this drivetrain. The retro looks of those Velocity Cliffhangers is awesome.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Happy to hear you're loving the 2 x 10! I can't wait to get the Velocity wheels built up :)

[@guyvervoort6293]

Why a Bridge Club instead of a Disc Trucker? Why 27.5 wheels instead of 700 wheels? The bane of my riding is numb hands, so I'm looking forward to seeing how you like your new handlebars. Thanks

[@the1andonly]

You built an awesome bike! Congratulations!! You definitely know your stuff. I would have chosen very similar components. Mechanical disk brakes seem like the best option available for touring. As for the shifters, I would have picked the friction ones, simply because they never go out of adjustment. The ease of shifting is simply a matter of how much to move your thumbs and it makes index shifters almost seem overkill, but then again I have a 3 x 6 drivetrain with an old school freewheel (used to be cheap before the "inflation" stuff). The steel frame from Surly will make it a bike for life. Love it! Can't wait to see you touring the world with it!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you so much Jorg!! Yes friction shifting is definitely intriguing, maybe I'll make the switch down the road :)

[@stevemullin1195]

Did you ever get a kick stand for your BC? I'm looking for one for my BC XL bike

[@SheelaghDaly]

I am still on the hunt! I’ve read through a lot of reviews and haven’t found one I like 🤔 I will let you know when I do!

[@stevemullin1195]

@SheelaghDaly I've ordered a velo orange Copenhagen double kickstand...do sunday. Hoping it will stay clamped on the area behind the seat post. If not may have it tack welded to keep it from rotating....lol

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@stevemullin1195 nice! do let me know how it goes :)

[@granthw4993]

This bike is soo cool

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you so much!!

[@skullgraff6349]

Hi, is that a small or extra small frame?

[@SheelaghDaly]

This is a small :)

[@bigwheelsturning]

Should have added a Roloff hub to the build.

[@The_Algorithm_]

Downside to that is it's hard to get serviced if you're traveling. They aren't likely to fail, but they have the possibility of doing so.

[@stevemullin1195]

I'm also looking at a surly for touring...I need a 60cm frame so looking at Disc trucker or the bridge club. I do want the lowest granny gear possible as I'm not light weight and not a strong climber. Whats your drive train configuration?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! Two great options depending on what kind of riding you want to do :) I went with a 2x10 Shimano Deore -- more details on the cog specifics and why I chose that in the Q&A video!

[@stevemullin1195]

@@SheelaghDaly I currently ride a recumbent trike and have done a fully supported 7 day 545 mile ride from SF to LA last June on the AIDS Lifecycle ride. My trike currently has a 22-32-44 triple crank and an 8 speed 11-42 which gives me a 13 gear inch granny with my 26" rear wheel.

[@damianherman6829]

Great job Sheelagh. Congrats you built this bike. I'm sure you will be able to cycle around the world on this bike and good luck with that. I have a questions. What about your crankset how many teeth on the chainrings and what do you think about crankset with one chainring ?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks Damian!! Such a good question! I’ve gotten quite a few questions about the drivetrain and will be sure to answer these in the Q&A video 😊 this was the part I thought about the most!

[@damianherman6829]

@@SheelaghDaly Ok I'm looking forward to see your next video 😊👍

[@laststoptohell5183]

Alright... nice video but who build the wheels? Did you build them or a bike mechanic?

[@SheelaghDaly]

A mechanic friend kindly walked me through the process step by step. There were a couple aspects that might give me trouble on the next go but overall I found it a much less intimidating process than I expected. And I’m happy to now know my wheels so intricately!

[@laststoptohell5183]

wow... thats cool that you did ii by your self, makes it so much easier to get the right wheels. Btw good choice with your hubs premo quality.

[@DanielEarlester]

Great job and good luck. Two questions are: have you done any pre-world tour training and what is the itinerary - East to West or West to East. Start location etc.?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oooh fun questions!! I'll aim to answer those in the Q&A video 😀

[@ucanskixc568]

Very good practical choices in my view. Solid and reliable equipment. Change front disc to 180mm vs 160mm, put on a XT long cage rear derailleur and the biggest cassette that will fit would be the changes I would make. As a senior, i ride a Surly Moonlander fatbike for comparison for bikepacking. ENJOY.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you very much!!

[@furkan_orak]

Mmm nice bike 😄

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much!

[@p.g.reitsma7245]

Your fear is actually just a sensible amount of hesitance, and that's normal for someone who hasn't spent many hours building and fixing bikes. There is no substitute for actual mechanical experience. Folks who use their hands all day to build, adjust, troubleshoot or modify mechanical systems don't fear any part of the process. My advice for anyone planning to assemble a bicycle from individual components {you're not building the bike, rather than attaching parts} is to find an old bike, get some tools and take it apart and put it back together, then repeat. Stop overstating your emotional response to a limited amount of mechanical aptitude as eliciting a fear response. It's nothing more than coming face to face with your limitations.

[@The7rights]

Its not called building up the bike, it's called assembling.

[@alanhanley9515]

Lush bike and the pleasure of having something unique is special.

[@DrHydro-mq7sw]

I only ride bikes that are over thirty years old. Without any problems. They also have a luggage rack and look better. And I get them for next to nothing.

[@edscoble]

Can you make your content inclusive by formatting the auto captioning into closed captioning please? it is extremely hard to watch it relying only on the auto captioning sadly (I'm Profoundly Deaf)