Steamroller vs. Paddywagon

[rusty68]

Hi all,
I am looking into buying a fixed gear bike and have looked at both the new Kona Paddywagon and the Surly Steamroller. That's about all I can find in my city. The Paddywagon is about $100 less. I can't find much in the way of reviews for either bike. Does anyone have an opinion?
Rusty

[davkatreb]

The Kona comes with two brakes. Worth considering if you want to run a freewheel. Of course the Surly has a drilled seatstay bridge so you can mount a rear brake.

Of course the Surly has way generous clearance for big tires and fenders. I believe they claim 700x38 and still room for fenders. You will need clipons, p-clips or zipties. Shouldn't be a deal breaker though; you can still mount them with no trouble. The Kona has eyelets and looks to have room for maybe 700x28 with fenders.

The Kona is compact geometry with a straight-bladed fork. Some consider the two to be criminally fugly. Some like it fine. The Surly has a level top tube and a nice lugged fork. Pretty.

I don't really think you could go too far wrong with either bike, but with more traditional design and the option of big comfy tires, I'd probably pick the Surly. It would be a good bit more versatile with the ability to run knobby cross tires. For strictly pavement, though, the Kona would likely do a fine job. For me though, I'd go with the Surly. Like I said though, both are good.

[markie]

Nice summary Dav,

In addition, the surly runs on surly hubs which I think are the best thing this side of phil wood. I would choose the steamroller for this reason and the ability to use big tyres.


I do not like that the surly only has bosses for one bottle cage. What does the kona have?

[rusty68]

Wow,
Thanks for the well thought out replies. I really appreciate the effort. The Kona has two sets of brazed on fittings for bottles. Truth be told, I was leaning toward the Surly because of the hubs and the fact that they are a small independent company, I like to support the little guy. But the fact that Kona is $100 less, very nice looking and comes with two brakes and a flip-flop hub with freewheel as well has made me think twice.
Scott
http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/PADDYWAGON/index.html

[2dumb4gears]

I own a Surly and like them as much as the next guy--but don't think that Surly is a small indepedent company. Definitely their image, but they were created/ still owned by QBP (the biggest parts wholesaler in the US) as a house-brand.

They are run fairly independently, however, and their designs are particularly well thought out. I would not hesitate to buy another frame from them, and my Surly hubs have been great.

[rusty68]

Does anyone know if you can mount a rear road brake on a Steamroller? The website says:

"There are no housing stops for a rear brake, which you’ll probably want if you decide to run it with a freewheel".

I can't tell from the photo if there is a hole there or not.

[DarinJ]

Hey Rusty, I was stuck between the two as well. Rode the Wagon and love it. It's easy getting Steamroller info since Surly's been making them for years but the Kona is only 2 years old. I trust the Kona brand and will probaly get one in the Fall when the LBS drops the price a bit.

Here's what I learned:
Kona's frame is awesome, Dedacciai steel and great welds/paint and fork.
There's room...you can fit cross tires with some tread on them.
Hubs are not as good as Surly.
Black rims will rub to silver if you use the brakes (cosmetic problem)
The Steamroller is a tough bike according to the Web folks. I believe the Wagon follows in the same footsteps. I doubt I can break either of them.

Let me know what you pick.
Oh, and did you see the 08 Paddywagon, it's sweeeeeeet looking if you can hold on a month or two.
D

[fxdwhl]

The Surly is drilled for a rear brake. The lack of housing stops means you'll need to run full length brake housing (ie no exposed cable) and hold it in place with zipties.

[davkatreb]

I still think straight bladed forks are an abomination, and am no fan of compact geometry.

But if you just want a singlespeed city bike, are not ready to commit to fixed (Yes you are. Trust me. If that doesn't persuade you, listen to your heart.) and don't need the option of running some seriously fat tires, you could do a lot worse than the Kona.

[markrau]

I was planning on picking up a Paddy Wagon next week, but if the 08 model is right around the corner, I might have to wait for that. Where can we get more information on that, DarinJ?

The new model would be nice, if not to just lower the 2007's price. Maybe a new paint job?

I haven't seen a Steamroller in person, but it seems to have a pretty significant following online. I've test rode the Kona Paddy Wagon and the Specialized Langster at my LBS, and it seemed to me that the Paddy fit me better and felt smoother over the bumps. But, the Langster was much lighter at least 1-2 pounds. After the ride, I'm leaning towards the Paddy Wagon, the weight savings doesn't matter to me too much.

[rusty68]

Hi All,
I ended up getting the Surly after riding both on the same day. The Steamroller was about $100 more here in Canada. Some observations: The steamroller seemed to be more of a true road bike. It was lighter and faster. The Paddywagon had a montain bike feel to it. I also liked the brake lever being up on top of the handlebar on the Steamroller. I did upgrade the brake lever though, It seemed a bit cheap.
All that said, it was a tough decision. I really liked the Paddywagon and for me it was the better looking bike. But ultimately the positive reviews of the Steamroller here and the awesome Surly hubs won me over.
So far I am loving it. My first fixed gear bike.
Rusty

PS Can anyone post the link for the 2008 Paddywagon pictures? I couldn't find it.

[markrau]

after some searching i was able to find this:

http://www.bike2build.nl/morepics/kona2008/pages/paddy%20wagon.html

not sure if i like the new paint, i'd have to see it in person. from what i can tell, there were no changes in components.

anyone have more (or better quality) pics of the '08 paddywagon?

when should this be hitting the bike shops? august?

[Johnny]

The Surly is drilled for a rear brake. The lack of housing stops means you'll need to run full length brake housing (ie no exposed cable) and hold it in place with zipties.

You can also run problem solvers' clamp-on housing stops; i have a set on an old Tantrum frame that has become a sort of frankenbike townie...

[rockhound]

Dirt Rag did a review on the Paddy Wagon not too long ago.

The 2008 paint with panels looks great. Oh, and I love a sloping top tube and straight-bladed fork.

Wow, look at this one...chromed lugs.
http://www.bike2build.nl/morepics/kona2008/pages/kapu.html

[lubes17319]

I like the Steamroller cuz it matches my KM.

[DarinJ]

Bought the Surly, just got it!!!
Still love the Kona but I am glad I bought the tank.
Rode it to work today for the first time. Killer ride.
Not used to not coasting but I gotta say screw the 9 speed cassette!!! I thought Surly was full of it talking about life changing zen experiences but they were right... I'm crazy about this thing. Took it out at lunch and can't wait for five o'clock. Rusty's right about the lever...pretty cheap but the hubs, crank, cog, frame and wheelset make up for it. Don't like the seat or the seatpost for that matter (super heavy and uncomfortable), already swapped that out with my Kona stuff.

Happy Riding,
D