Lisbeth

Surly Troll (Trohloff)

After working at Petrie's for about 4 months I was dreaming of a bike to use up my wages. A German fellow had come in and his well-travelled bike had a Rohloff Speedhub which intrigued me. We began looking for a frame that would accommodate one of these excellent pieces of German engineering. After returning to my regular job the possiblilty of a Speedhub was remote but the Surly Troll frame hit the market and had everything I needed, Cro-Moly steel, Rohloff compatable, room for big tires and any kind of brakes or drivetrain I could think of mounting. Plus it fit the budget.

About 6 weeks after giving the go ahead she arrived. On a Sunday morning in May 2011 we assembled her with a Pake 46 tooth crankset, Shimano R550 cantilver brakes (see update below), FSA Pig DH Pro headset, an Allay Racing  saddle, TruVativ seatpost, Wellgo MG 29 pedals, Surly Tuggnutt, On One Mary bars and the singlespeed rear wheel borrowed from Eyowen.

On father's day 2011 I was presented with a huge surprise in the form of the Rohloff Speedhub I had only dreamed of months back. My family had ponied up the cost and ordered it for my next birthday, Christmas and so on.

The Rohloff Speedhub went on in July of 2011 after Sal and I assisted in building the rear wheel around it. It was her first experience in the shop that didn't involve baked goods. A few weeks later we added a front wheel based on a Chris King hub and a matching Big Mammoth Fat rim.

Brake Update: The canti brake installed originally couldn't stop the beast and made my hands ache. I just could not pull hard enough on the levers to accomplish more than a slowing down. Farzam steered me to the Magura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes. Expensive and complicated, but they can bring us to a stop in a hurry and leave my hands feeling no ill effects.

When the frame arrived I searched for a few weeks for a name. Nothing came to mind despite suggestions from various sources. I searched the net for Scandanavian girls names and it hit me, Lisbeth. She's named after the heroine in Steig Larsson's Millenium triology. If you like detective novels start with the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
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