Two Things For Thursday

You know, this could have also been a News and Views! But this really also has something to do with two bicycles I (will) have here. One is here, the other, well it looks like it will be later than I thought. Read on for more.....

The latest, and perhaps last, Big Dummy. (Image courtesy of Surly Bikes)

The Last Hurrah For The Big Dummy?

Surly social media posted yesterday that the Big Dummy had a slight redesign, new color, and new spec. Also, they said this probably is the last run for the bike. To my mind, that is not shocking news. 

Not many people are looking to buy a non-motorized, off-road capable cargo bike. Most cargo bikes you see these days are shorter, more compact, and have smaller wheels with wider tires. They also all have assist in the form of an electric motor, and you can get that for less than this non-motorized cargo bike. 

Of course, I really like my Big Dummy, and it even looks a heck of a lot like the new one. The new one has Extraterrestrials with grey-walled tires while mine has similarly sized tires with white walls. Mine is jet black while this is a lovely shade of purple, my favorite color. It would be cool to have that color for my Big Dummy, but no- I'm good with mine the way that it is. 

Many were dismayed that this newer Big Dummy still doesn't have a center stand, and yes, that is a major flaw with the design, especially if you have a heavy load or use it for kid-hauling. But that center stand would be expensive, and pushing the MSRP of this bike closer to 3K wouldn't be ideal, as I said, with electric cargo bikes coming in well under that price. 

A recent shot of my Big Dummy for reference.

There is a made-for-Big Dummies center stand, but it is nearly $400.00. Ouch! No thanks! I've been able to make-do without spending that kind of cabbage on a kickstand. 

The only concern I have with Surly dropping this model is tires. Right now Surly has a few models and a legacy in 26" wheels. I expect that Extraterrestrials will be available in 26" for some time to come, but I think I am going to purchase a set of the 26" X 2.5" versions in that fetching gray-wall just to have as backstock. Those old Bontrager XR-1's aren't going to last forever! 

Other than that, I've been playing with the idea of a front rack for more cargo-carrying options. But then I think about how that always seems to make the fork want to flop to one side or the other and I talk myself out of doing that. Ha ha! On to the next thing then......

Image of the Mark 3 Gryphon courtesy of Singular Cycles

The Waiting Game:

I pre-ordered a Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 about this time last year. The first indications were that it might show up in Fall of 2022. Then that got shuffled back to December. Then it was to be January. Still no sign of tangible hope. That is, until yesterday.

That was when Singular had an actual Mk3 Gryphon on their Instagram. There was also an updated ETA of February, but this gives me hope that the frame set will actually materialize and I'll have something to put my hands to soon enough. 

This is, as most Singulars are, an unusual beast in terms of specifications. Most bikes of this ilk are going to have tapered steer tubes, but this looks to be a traight 1 1/8th external cup head set standard. You'd probably figure on having Boost axle spacing, but nope! Singular went with standard 142R/100F spacing with 12mm through axles. And flat mount brakes, because, you know.... 

The frame has an eccentric bottom bracket, as most Singulars have, so you've got the bail-out option built in, or a dedicated single speed drive train can be utilized here. I'm planning on using 29" X 2.8" rubber that I have, but this bike can take up to a 29" X 3.0 tire. 

I know- I posted about this bike not long ago, but here is an actual image of one built up. Everything else I've shared up to this point has been computer generated imagery. 

And those are your "two things" for today.