Surly Midnight Special Carbon
The Midnight Special has always been Surly’s answer to the question, “What if road riding didn’t stop when the tarmac got weird?"
This build keeps the classic Surly 4130 Chromoly steel frame and adds carbon where it actually matters - fork and rims. The result is a bike that feels lively on smooth pavement, calm over chipseal, and completely unfazed when the road turns into broken backroad chaos.
It’s fast enough for bunch rides. Tough enough for questionable detours. Comfortable enough for long, honest days in the saddle. What makes it special
• Surly Chromoly steel frame with carbon fork and carbon rims
• Huge tyre clearance: 650b x 50mm or 700c x 42mm (no guards)
• Shimano 105 12-speed hydraulic drivetrain
• DT Swiss 350 hubs – proper, no-nonsense reliability
• Modern standards: flat mount discs, 12mm thru-axles
Run it with 35s and it’s a sharp endurance road bike. Push it out to 42s and it becomes a backroad weapon. Throw on 650b and big rubber and you’re knocking on gravel-bike territory without losing road manners. The build
Frame: Surly Midnight Special, 100% Chromoly steel, double-butted, ED coated
Fork: Salsa Waxwing Carbon, alloy steerer
Groupset: Shimano 105 R7100 12-speed
Brakes: Shimano 105 hydraulic discs, 160mm rotors
Wheelset: Teravail Circos Carbon rims on DT Swiss 350 hubs
Tyres: Teravail Rampart 700 x 35mm, tubeless ready
Weight sits around 24 lb (56cm), but this bike isn’t about chasing grams. It’s about chasing better roads. Or worse ones. Depends what you’re into.
If you want one bike that can handle fast road spins, rough coastal loops, rail trails, and “let’s just see where this goes" missions - this is it.