1. NO YOU CANNOT ORDER A SURLY ONLINE - you can order a frame but not a complete bike. It is totally against SURLY policy to sell a Complete Bike online
2. Yes, anyone with a QBP account can order a Surly BUT do they have any idea how to fit a Surly or help you with your decisions (note the shops who discouraged you)
3. Yes, REI sells some Surly's but please see my comment in item 2 - we have had to "fix" and refit so many surly bike owners that got such a "great deal" at REI
4. When we sell a Frame online, we spend at least 30 minutes on the phone with the buyer before we ever ship the frame to make sure they made the correct size choice

Ok, just had to vent as we spend hours and hours blogging and discussing Surly, We stock Surly and pride ourselves as being Surly Savvy.
Quote Originally Posted by Hartmame View Post
I agree with eofelis, I love my Surly!

"Don't let those LBS people bully you into thinking that it's a big hassle to change out gearing, because it's not a big deal. Sounds like they are just being lazy.
Any bike shop can order a Surly bike or frame. They are carried by QBP, which is a supplier for almost all bike shops. Just few LBS carry them. You can order a Surly yourself online too. Many places sell them mail order (Jensen, etc).
You can even get them through REI now too. Do you have an REI nearby?"