Surly Bikes
Greetings,
We have a special MIYO for you today, brought to you by our very own Creative Director, Matt Larson, and his beloved HooKooEKoo. Grab a cold one and get ready to wind back the clocks of time – to 1995 specifically.
The Beginnings of Something Special
I vividly remember the first time I gazed upon the beauty of an anodized part in person. T’was 1995, it was a 3DV King headset and it was being welded by my friend and fellow scout Chris Sherwin. He had the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen, as he dramatically opened the small box and revealed a glowing piece of purple bike jewelry that would be the impetus for so many beautiful bike part purchases over the years. It was not just the shiny metallic color that drew me in; it was the finish of the aluminum cups, the laser etched logo, and the forever satisfyingly smooth bearing movement. It all just felt right together.
I had spent countless hours flipping through Mountain Bike Action magazines by this point, which was where I realized that bikes had progressed well beyond my Haro Group 1 and my Dad’s Trek Antelope 820 that I would borrow from time to time. MBA gave me a direct line to all the innovation and growth that mountain bikes were seeing in the 90’s, including a plethora of anodized parts and pieces.
In a pre-smartphone/pre-internet world, buying new zines at the local Shinder's book and card shop was the first place I would go with a fresh $20 from mowing lawns or cleaning out my dad’s latest car restoration project. It was my personal portal into music reviews, car/moto fabrication, and cycling culture. I take it for granted now that people have unlimited access to anything we can type into a search bar, but in the 90’s it felt so much more satisfying and rewarding to dive into these subcultures. This is where my appreciation of bikes would be turned from transportation to school and ripping around town with friends seeing who could get more air or wheelie the furthest – to a hobby, sport, and passion that would last a lifetime.
Fast Forward to 2003
As I was walking by a garage sale in my neighborhood behind Extreme Noise in Minneapolis, I looked over and spotted a bike that was incredibly dusty with flat, rotted tires and a badly torn saddle. It was stacked behind a bunch of other random basement artifacts, but it had a ghostly beam of light casting down from above. I had to take it home. I had seen this bike before, tucked in the pages of MBA 9 years prior. It was a Gary Fisher HooKooEKoo. Not an extremely rare or racy bike, but there was just something about the STX components, metallic flake in the paint, purple decal package, and the “Made in the USA” sticker. I made a deal for $50 and walked it home.
Being a broke college student and working at an art store (Penco, for those that know) did not leave me with a lot of cash to play with for fancy parts or pieces to adorn my new rig. All my spare money was going to Triple Rock, Grumpy’s, and Let it B records at the time. But I needed transportation for work, school, and the 3 previously mentioned haunts. So, I slapped on some new tubes, FireXCPro tires, and salmon brake pads to get me up and running. I rode the HooKooEKoo hard for about 4 years, year-round, as both a commuter rig and a trail ripper. Eventually, the drivetrain started crumbling (RIP STX), as metal parts tend to do in this road salt-stricken part of the Midwest, and I decided to slowly start disassembling and upgrading.
The drivetrain and wheels had to be first, and I never felt the need for gears around our local trails and roads, so I decided to go single speed. The crew at One-on-one built the wheels up for me, and they have been bomb-proof. Plus, I yanked the old STX cranks off and added a proper White Industries ENO crank to the bike, which gave me the right chain line and all the right looks. It would be my first SS since my old BMX bike, and it was so comfortable, so familiar – like I had never left. Ya know, akin to a warm toilet seat. I loved the handling, especially on the old T-Wirth trails where it was ridden most frequently. Tight and twisty with all kinds of little technical elements strewn about. The bike felt right at home.
Over the Next 20 Years...
I would continue to add parts and upgrades as I could, but the bike often took a back seat to other bikes that came and went from the stable. I would dust it off for a Homie Fall Fest or as a spare ride when friends were in town. I swapped some parts here and there to see what fit best. I added my favorite seat post of all time, the 27.2 Shimano XTR post in steel. (This thing is light/durable and has that wonderful feel.) I added the most comfortable seat my sit bones have felt, the WTB Pure V. I mounted up some Kenda K-Rad tires that could roll faster on pavement for back-alley rides, but still had enough traction for inner loop off-road riding. I also found a hammer of a stem, the Kore B52 in the One-on-one basement, and had a pair of the classic Suntour XC-II pedals in my parts bin which seemed like a perfect fit. I tried my best to strip it down and sell the bike a couple times based on space in the garage and moving money into other projects, but could never fully commit to it. Every time I handled or even looked at the bike, it would reassert itself into the fleet.
Fast Forward to 2023
This past year, as Surly was launching the Sunrise bar, I felt it was the perfect time to pull the mighty Fisher out of retirement and add more Surly parts into the mix to get it back up and running errands and trail duty around town.
The old Rock Shox Quad fork had to go. I am a big guy, and it is as stiff as a wet noodle. Plus, I wanted to get our 8-pack rack off the front for some loading capability. It had a Pro Taper 25.4 riser bar for a handful of years, but the Sunrise bar allows me to have better control over the front and gives me a better position on the bike for riding around town. The klunker vibes this bar gives was the cherry on top. I finally upgraded the completely depleted SLX brakes to a full PAUL setup. Damn, PAUL makes the best canti brakes in the market (fight me). So, those were a very welcome upgrade.
Pièces de Résistance
The two most meaningful parts on the bike would have to be the Pink King headset and the purple Salsa top cap. I know 3DV would have made the most sense for the headset here in the story, BUT, my sister passed away a couple of years ago from cancer at the age of 36. So, using the pink headset here just felt right (Love you Sis), and I think of her every time I look at it. Finally, the top cap finished it off for me. I designed the wing logo for Salsa back in 2011, and I use it to remind myself that all the hard work pays off, both on the bike and off.
Now, time to go ride!
Cheers, and keep the rubber side down.
-Matt
Stock Build:
1994 Gary Fisher HooKooEKoo in Ballistic Blue – Large
Made in USA with True Temper Opti Triple Butted Tubing
Rock Shox Quadra 10 Fork
Shimano STX Drivetrain, Brakes, Hubs
Bontrager Rims wrapped in Tioga Psycho 1.95 tires
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MIYO Build Kit:
1994 Gary Fisher HooKooEKoo in Ballistic Blue – Large
Made in USA with True Temper Opti Triple Butted Tubing
Surly Troll 26” Fork w/ Wolf Tooth Hardware
Surly 8pk Front Rack (Gen 2)
Chris King Headset in Magenta w/Salsa Top Cap
Surly Sunset Bar
ODI VANS Lock on Grips
Wolf Tooth Bar End Plugs
Kore B52 Stem
PDW Alexander Graham Bell
PAUL Short Pull Canti Brake Levers
PAUL Touring Canti Brakes w Salmon pads
White Industries ENO Cranks with 34t 3DV Chainring
White Industries ENO Double Rear Freewheel
SRAM SS Chain
Suntour XC-II Pedals
White Industries ENO hubs laced to Mavic 721 rims with DTS spokes + Blue nips
Kinda K-Rad Tires with Teravail Tubes
Kore Quick Release Lever
Salsa Flip Lock Seat Collar
Shimano XTR Seatpost in steel
WTB Pure V Saddle
Aluminum Cages in 3dv
Surly Water Bottles