Friday News And Views

The new Surly Moonlander (Image found on various Internet sites)

A 'Fat' Friday News And Views

Surly's New Fat Bike:

Last week I found an image of an information card featuring a 24" X 6.2" wheel and tire combo called the Clown Royal and Molenda respectively. I posted the image I found on "X" (Twitter) and then was contacted via Facebook messenger about the wheel/tire combo and I was told the wheel and tire combo was real. It was coming on a new Surly fat bike to be introduced in about a month. Guess a 'month' was a few 'days' in reality!

Tuesday I found a Bike Radar story featuring the same and this bike is the new Moonlander which has a Pinion gearbox. The bike features the 9 speed Pinion gearbox located where the bottom bracket on a typical frame would be. This 9 speed gearbox allows for a single speed external, 1 to 1 ratio drive train set up. (Other sizes for the drive ring could be utilized as well) The bike does not have wider axle or bottom bracket standards (with a twist, you'll learn in a bit) and can also accept 26" X 5.1" tires, 27.5" X 4.8", or 29" X 3.0" tires. 

Image first posted by fatbike.com

Surly went with a compact triangle on this bike eschewing the huge frame bag idea in favor of a bike that can be mounted and dismounted more easily.  The bottom bracket is high to allow for more clearance over uneven or deep terrain. The rear end is extended to better center the rider's weight over both tires. This is a flotation bike, of course, so that all makes 100% sense. Perhaps more surprising than the wheels is that the front axle is also spaced at 197mm like the rear end.

There is a bunch of accessory mounts, as one might expect, and the bike comes in four sizes, Small, Medium, Large, and XL. The bike is priced at $4,199.99 and there is only one spec level. Steel frame, natch! There is a rack sold separately that fits this bike.

(L-R) Molenda and Bud.  Image courtesy of Surly

Comments: Wow! This is likely the most unexpected fat bike innovation yet. People have been dreaming of super-fat tires for years. Is this the way to go? While I have not seen all the dimensions given for this wheel, the overall diameter is  31" (according to this detailed and fair review by Neil Beltchenko on Bikepacking.com) Surly couldn't have used 26" or larger diameter compatible wheels because the weight and the height of those wheels would have limited the bike's appeal and fit for smaller folks. Besides, when it comes to flotation, contact patch is what it all is about. 

And that really is what this bike is all about - Flotation. Unless you are trying to ride deep sand, loose snow, or mud, (or other unrideable loose, deep grounds), this bike is not going to be all that fun to ride. (See linked review above for confirmation of this) I suppose you could build up a wheel set with 29 X 3's, but why? That kind of defeats the whole idea behind this bike, which is to go where no other bike can go. That Pinion box and single speed drive train set up add to the off limits versatility. That said, you have a rear derailleur hangar there as well.

Cool rig. Expensive, but probably not out of line seeing that these tires and wheels have to be pretty expensive on their own due to low production numbers. That and the gearbox drive the price on this. I don't need it as I have my flotation covered with the Blackborow DS and it's 4.8" tires (although I could put 5.1"ers on it). Also, did Neil say the bike he reviewed had TPU tubes in it? What?!!

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Salsa Shows New Colors/Spec For 2024/25 Fat Bikes:

Salsa Cycles showed a pared down offering of fat bikes for 2024/2025 in their Beargrease and Heyday ranges. (Heyday used to be Mukluk)

Both the Beargrease and Heyday are now only available in two specs and colors. There are frame/fork only options as well. Heyday is a 26" wheeled bike and the Beargrease is optimized for 27.5" fat bike wheels. 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Comments: The interesting thing here is the usage of Shimano CUES on one spec level each for Beargrease and Heyday. CUES, as you might recall, is Shimano's new system for drive trains from 9 speed to 11 speed with all components swappable. CUES does have its own pull ratio in the shifters and cassette spacing is different so it cannot be mixed and matched with other current Shimano groups. 

While Salsa did not provide pricing at the release of this information it is assumed that CUES is a more budget friendly drive train, so the interest is high in it. However; there are some claims by mechanics that the quality level is somewhat concerning. So, it will be interesting to see how this goes over on a fat bike with a carbon fiber frame and fork. 

Image courtesy of CUBE Bikes

Shimano CUES To Come To Drop Bar Bikes In 2025:

Speaking of CUES, it was revealed on Wednesday that CUBE, a European brand, has a bike for 2025 showing CUES drop bar levers. The bike, called the Nuroad Pro, comes in at $1,325.00 in US dollars at current exchange rates. 

Comments: This is a big deal for budget bikes and people who are looking for super-wide range gearing on drop bar bikes outside of SRAM and the lesser component makers. That is because CUES drop bar levers (Shimano part #ST-U6030) will be using the same cable pull ratio as CUES flat bar levers making all Shimano CUES rear derailleurs and cassettes fair game to use with these drop bar levers. Looking at CUBE's renderings, it appears that the CUES left lever can operate a front derailleur as well. 

Furthermore; CUES drop bar levers are hydraulic, meaning that savvy mechanics could graft in any Shimano brake caliper so these brake levers could operate post mount calipers on a MTB, for instance. CUBE's spec on the Nuroad shows flat mount calipers.

I suspect CUES will gain a lot of spec on OE bikes coming out in 2025 due to CUES being available in 11 speed. However; 10spd and 9spd set ups will surely be on more budget priced bikes as well. This represents some pretty exciting possibilities here for gearing coming our way. Look for the CUES drop bar levers to appear for sale here in early 2025.

You Know What They Say About "Assume"?

 Recently a discussion found on Facebook between some local (to me) cyclists raised concerns over group ride etiquette and communication in particular. It seems to me that an air of arrogance mixed in with lack of communication skills is combining to be a gate-keep for newer folks to the groups. 

Now, I don't mean to speak for everyone, but I have seen similar issues arise in other places. N.Y. Roll and I thought the issue was important enough that we did a podcast episode on this subject HERE. We got so much feedback on this subject we followed it up with another episode HERE.

It is hard to be welcoming, and you have to work at it to get good at doing the things which, hopefully, become natural after a while. Too many times riders get caught up in being comfortable with their group and lose the ability to see how others that may want to join a group ride need detailed communication and even some training. It may seem tedious and so simple that "anyone should know this", but remember - there was a time you did not know what you now take for granted. 

It is easy to fall into the trap of pushing off the need for a welcoming, kind, and patient attitude when all those communicative and knowledge based things you take for granted are assumed to be "easy" for others to pick up on. News flash: It isn't easy or natural for new riders to understand these things. 

Yes, it may seem ignorant to you if someone leaves for a ride without an air pump or a tube, or that they do not understand what a "drop ride" is. It doesn't matter what you may assume to be "common knowledge" if a rider gets left behind, gets discouraged, and ends up leaving cycling because the group neglected to be welcoming, communicative, and a leader in passing on knowledge. I know. I was "that guy" that was left behind once, and I recall how that made me feel, and I will never forget the person that came back, encouraged me, and rode me back on the group again.

We can all do better....

That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!