Yes, I do live near the mountains, and there are multiple climbs near my office. Luckily, I have my own office, so now coworkers in close proximity. Plus, I always re-apply deodorant after every ride (which helps, but isn't fool proof). two of the climbs yesterday had grades up to 16%. I had to stop a few times, unfortunately.
The only experience I (indirectly) have with Surly bikes is my fiance almost bought one, but then went with a SOMA bike (http://www.somafab.com/) instead for a similar price, because it was the better bike.
Yep, my local trails are not so gnarly that I really *need* suspension. It's actually the "World Troller" so it breaks apart for traveling. Pretty neat! On big rides like Downieville, I just rent a nice bike for the day. I worked as a mechanic for several years before I went to school and...I'm pretty lazy about maintenance. After owning lots of fancy bikes, I just wanted to simplify.
Nice! I'm also pretty tempted to take an old Diamondback Sorrento I have and just outfit it for some gravel rides- switch out the handlebars, update the seat, maybe switch to disc brakes (just because I've really started to like those). I have yet to own anything carbon and I'm just not interested in it.
I was skeptical of this given the high cost adder vs. that of a traditional frame. Until I rode both types and there was a noticeable difference in both ride comfort and performance. Just my 2 cents. Of course, this pertains specifically to road biking. I didn't do any comparisons with mountain bikes.
I don't want to have to think about my bike. I want to lay it on the ground, I want to prop it against a sign post, I want to throw it in a truck.
