Hiding From The Wind

The Snow Dog rides again!

 Well, it was supposed to be really windy on Wednesday, so I postponed plans to go bagging more gravel roads and did something a little different instead. I decided to take a spin on the ol' Snow Dog, my 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk fat bike. The Snow Dog hasn't been ridden a whole lot until this year because I had other, more capable fat bikes that went further afield in worse conditions than that old Mukluk ever could. I think the first gen Mukluk is a cool bike, but it is a unicorn rig in the fat biking world now days. 

It was a shocking bike in late 2010 when it was introduced. Ten years ago you couldn't get a fat bike at a bike shop and ride it out the door. Well, not unless that shop put one together for you from scratch. That would have been a Pugsley, and it would have likely cost you about $2500.00 unless you had a lot of spare parts to put on it. Wheels would have had to have been built by hand, a special crank set and bottom bracket would have needed to be sourced, and your tires and tubes would have been Surly products. Nothing else was available. That old Endomorph tire was kind of an oddball too. Not everyone got on with it. 

But when Salsa Cycles announced the Mukluk in 2010, they also announced a new tire for it as well. The 3.8" Surly Larry was a welcomed addition to the fat bike world and made a lot more sense than the Endomorph for many riders. What is more, you didn't have to buy the tires separately. They came on the bike as it was a complete package. A turnkey fat bike out of the box was a completely new thing and at the price the OG Mukluk went for, approximately $1800.00 plus taxes, it was a huge value over building a Pugsley from scratch. So much so that a couple of months after the Mukluk announcement, Surly announced a complete Pugsley would also be offered. The frenzy to get in line to buy these rigs was crazy at the time. It was the start of about a three to four year run on fat bikes that has never been matched since. 

The Surly Endomorph. Remember that tire?

The thing about the Mukluk that made it pretty much the fore-bearer of the fat bikes you see today is that it had a symmetrical frame and fork, not the offset fork and frame that the original Pugsley featured. This appealed to people's sensibilities more, but the reality was it did not affect performance, really. It just looked 'right'. Otherwise, the two bikes at that time, the Pugs and Muk, were essentially the same deal with different frame materials.  

So, my 2011 Mukluk has a pretty 'mountain bike-ish' handling from the 90's era, much like a Pugsley would, with maybe a bit of a nod to a slacker head angle, but not by much. The top tube is maybe a bit stretched out compared to an old MTB, but again, not by a lot. In fact, I run a longer stem on my Mukluk than I do on almost any other bike I own. (It's the stock stem, by the way) They stuck a really long head tube on this bike, which is odd, and with the 70mm rise carbon Milhouse Bar I have on there now, this bike has a very upright riding position. I have had to re-learn how to ride this bike since putting that bar on it.

And re-learn I did on the Green Belt. The wind was just getting on with its blowing when I left and in the woods I was shielded from its fury. The Green Belt is actually in pretty good shape. However; the freeze-thaw cycles have kicked in and the top layers of dirt were greasy mud. You have to be very careful when cornering on that stuff. I know from years of experience. Especially with the minimally treaded Larry 3.8" tires, which are still the original treads I got with the Snow Dog. There isn't much for grip there! However; this makes the Larry a killer tire for gravel. I wish that it was still in production just for that reason alone. But alas! The Larry is no more and it never was made in a tubeless version either. Too bad!

The Marky-Mark trail is in pretty good shape for going into the Winter.

Anyway, with the more upright position I have now, I stuck the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post on this bike and it is awesome! This makes riding this bike so smooth it is ridiculous. While the original set up here was 3X I have it 1X now with a 9 speed rear end. I may dig up something to make this a lower geared rig as I found that with a 32T drive ring I was maxed out in a couple situations on the low end. I know that this Winter that won't work in deeper snow. 

But for woods cruising this set up with the really wide bars and upright seated position is fun. I went on a loop that took me to the Marky-Mark trail and I rode it both ways. It's in really great shape, I am happy to report. I look forward to cruising through once we get a little snow to work with. I do have some burlier 45NRTH rubber I can use that came to me on the Ti Muk 2 when I got it, so I may swap over tires here when Winter comes......if it comes. 

I may commute some on this bike, and I may do some gravel travel on this bike, but it needs upgrades and I just don't know.... Quick release 170mm rear and 135 rear brake standard front wheels are so out of date now I almost cannot justify it. That was one odd concession to the Pugsley Salsa made when they designed this bike. They felt that maybe some Pugs owners would jump over and get the new Muk, but would want to swap parts. In order to keep things in the Pugs standard, which was predicated on a built in fail-safe using two rear wheels, one single speed put on the front and the standard cassette rear, both 135mm spaced quick release, Salsa made their Mukluk to work with that. So, if you had a Pugs wheel you wanted to use in the Mukluk's 170mm spaced rear, Salsa offered this left side rear drop out spacer which made your Pugs wheel work in a Mukluk. As it turned out, this was all over-thought and almost no one went this way. 

So, eventually everything went through axle. The way it should have been from the get-go and of course, almost any fat bike worth its salt has a 150mm spaced front end. So, upgrading this bike, which has a straight 1 1/8th steer tube, by the way, is kind of a tough thing. I'll probably just maintain what I have and not spend a lot of money trying to make this what it isn't. Anyway....

I had a good ride on it Wednesday and that is what matters....

Hiding From The Wind

The Snow Dog rides again!

 Well, it was supposed to be really windy on Wednesday, so I postponed plans to go bagging more gravel roads and did something a little different instead. I decided to take a spin on the ol' Snow Dog, my 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk fat bike. The Snow Dog hasn't been ridden a whole lot until this year because I had other, more capable fat bikes that went further afield in worse conditions than that old Mukluk ever could. I think the first gen Mukluk is a cool bike, but it is a unicorn rig in the fat biking world now days. 

It was a shocking bike in late 2010 when it was introduced. Ten years ago you couldn't get a fat bike at a bike shop and ride it out the door. Well, not unless that shop put one together for you from scratch. That would have been a Pugsley, and it would have likely cost you about $2500.00 unless you had a lot of spare parts to put on it. Wheels would have had to have been built by hand, a special crank set and bottom bracket would have needed to be sourced, and your tires and tubes would have been Surly products. Nothing else was available. That old Endomorph tire was kind of an oddball too. Not everyone got on with it. 

But when Salsa Cycles announced the Mukluk in 2010, they also announced a new tire for it as well. The 3.8" Surly Larry was a welcomed addition to the fat bike world and made a lot more sense than the Endomorph for many riders. What is more, you didn't have to buy the tires separately. They came on the bike as it was a complete package. A turnkey fat bike out of the box was a completely new thing and at the price the OG Mukluk went for, approximately $1800.00 plus taxes, it was a huge value over building a Pugsley from scratch. So much so that a couple of months after the Mukluk announcement, Surly announced a complete Pugsley would also be offered. The frenzy to get in line to buy these rigs was crazy at the time. It was the start of about a three to four year run on fat bikes that has never been matched since. 

The Surly Endomorph. Remember that tire?

The thing about the Mukluk that made it pretty much the fore-bearer of the fat bikes you see today is that it had a symmetrical frame and fork, not the offset fork and frame that the original Pugsley featured. This appealed to people's sensibilities more, but the reality was it did not affect performance, really. It just looked 'right'. Otherwise, the two bikes at that time, the Pugs and Muk, were essentially the same deal with different frame materials.  

So, my 2011 Mukluk has a pretty 'mountain bike-ish' handling from the 90's era, much like a Pugsley would, with maybe a bit of a nod to a slacker head angle, but not by much. The top tube is maybe a bit stretched out compared to an old MTB, but again, not by a lot. In fact, I run a longer stem on my Mukluk than I do on almost any other bike I own. (It's the stock stem, by the way) They stuck a really long head tube on this bike, which is odd, and with the 70mm rise carbon Milhouse Bar I have on there now, this bike has a very upright riding position. I have had to re-learn how to ride this bike since putting that bar on it.

And re-learn I did on the Green Belt. The wind was just getting on with its blowing when I left and in the woods I was shielded from its fury. The Green Belt is actually in pretty good shape. However; the freeze-thaw cycles have kicked in and the top layers of dirt were greasy mud. You have to be very careful when cornering on that stuff. I know from years of experience. Especially with the minimally treaded Larry 3.8" tires, which are still the original treads I got with the Snow Dog. There isn't much for grip there! However; this makes the Larry a killer tire for gravel. I wish that it was still in production just for that reason alone. But alas! The Larry is no more and it never was made in a tubeless version either. Too bad!

The Marky-Mark trail is in pretty good shape for going into the Winter.

Anyway, with the more upright position I have now, I stuck the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post on this bike and it is awesome! This makes riding this bike so smooth it is ridiculous. While the original set up here was 3X I have it 1X now with a 9 speed rear end. I may dig up something to make this a lower geared rig as I found that with a 32T drive ring I was maxed out in a couple situations on the low end. I know that this Winter that won't work in deeper snow. 

But for woods cruising this set up with the really wide bars and upright seated position is fun. I went on a loop that took me to the Marky-Mark trail and I rode it both ways. It's in really great shape, I am happy to report. I look forward to cruising through once we get a little snow to work with. I do have some burlier 45NRTH rubber I can use that came to me on the Ti Muk 2 when I got it, so I may swap over tires here when Winter comes......if it comes. 

I may commute some on this bike, and I may do some gravel travel on this bike, but it needs upgrades and I just don't know.... Quick release 170mm rear and 135 rear brake standard front wheels are so out of date now I almost cannot justify it. That was one odd concession to the Pugsley Salsa made when they designed this bike. They felt that maybe some Pugs owners would jump over and get the new Muk, but would want to swap parts. In order to keep things in the Pugs standard, which was predicated on a built in fail-safe using two rear wheels, one single speed put on the front and the standard cassette rear, both 135mm spaced quick release, Salsa made their Mukluk to work with that. So, if you had a Pugs wheel you wanted to use in the Mukluk's 170mm spaced rear, Salsa offered this left side rear drop out spacer which made your Pugs wheel work in a Mukluk. As it turned out, this was all over-thought and almost no one went this way. 

So, eventually everything went through axle. The way it should have been from the get-go and of course, almost any fat bike worth its salt has a 150mm spaced front end. So, upgrading this bike, which has a straight 1 1/8th steer tube, by the way, is kind of a tough thing. I'll probably just maintain what I have and not spend a lot of money trying to make this what it isn't. Anyway....

I had a good ride on it Wednesday and that is what matters....

Minus Ten Review 2009-50

Mr. Steve Fuller got me this ten years ago. I still remember how good it was. Thanks!

Ten years ago on the blog I was reminded how my (at that time only about four years) blogging was reaching readers and that, at odd times, my daily life and digital persona would intersect. Back then I was always surprised to know that anyone was reading my scribin'.

I'm still pretty amazed to see my stats when I look at them. People all over the world have read my stuff, and of course, most of them I won't ever meet. But like when it happened ten years ago, my blogging/reviewing gig still intersects with my day-to-day life at odd times. I still have a bit of disbelief when it happens. But, then again, why should I be surprised? It's been about 15 years now......

Ten years ago we also got a huge snow storm which dumped something like 15" of snow on us. And me without a fat bike! Well......most of us didn't have fat bikes ten years ago. I think that is easy to forget. Ten years ago, you either put together a Pugsley from scratch, or had a custom fat bike from Alaska somewhere built. They were a two thousand dollar plus proposition, and when you were thinking maybe you'd only ever use it in snow, well, that was a lot of money to experiment with an idea that you had no background in

Of course, now looking back, it was a no-brainer. I should have just done it when I saw Dave Grey's prototype Pugsley in 2005. I would have been fat biking ten years ago instead of sipping scotch on a cold Winter's night. Not that it was a bad idea........

Minus Ten Review 2009-50

Mr. Steve Fuller got me this ten years ago. I still remember how good it was. Thanks!

Ten years ago on the blog I was reminded how my (at that time only about four years) blogging was reaching readers and that, at odd times, my daily life and digital persona would intersect. Back then I was always surprised to know that anyone was reading my scribin'.

I'm still pretty amazed to see my stats when I look at them. People all over the world have read my stuff, and of course, most of them I won't ever meet. But like when it happened ten years ago, my blogging/reviewing gig still intersects with my day-to-day life at odd times. I still have a bit of disbelief when it happens. But, then again, why should I be surprised? It's been about 15 years now......

Ten years ago we also got a huge snow storm which dumped something like 15" of snow on us. And me without a fat bike! Well......most of us didn't have fat bikes ten years ago. I think that is easy to forget. Ten years ago, you either put together a Pugsley from scratch, or had a custom fat bike from Alaska somewhere built. They were a two thousand dollar plus proposition, and when you were thinking maybe you'd only ever use it in snow, well, that was a lot of money to experiment with an idea that you had no background in

Of course, now looking back, it was a no-brainer. I should have just done it when I saw Dave Grey's prototype Pugsley in 2005. I would have been fat biking ten years ago instead of sipping scotch on a cold Winter's night. Not that it was a bad idea........

Minus Ten Review- 50

Limited edition Rainier Beer CX bike. Single speed, of course.

Ten years ago on the blog I was reporting on a new frame and fork I had just purchased. It was a Rainer Beer themed cyclo cross bike, single speed, of course. I needed it like I needed a hole in my head. But it was super cool and, well........ Anyway. I got it.

It ended up being built, ridden very little, and eventually I got rid of it. So, it was just a curiosity, more than anything. Had I not been diverted off into the whole 29"er mtb thing for several years and been the gravel road riding fiend I always wanted to be, well maybe then. Maybe I'd have ridden that bike more. Hard to say........

Then there was winter. We actually had snow back then, and plenty of it. This always brought up the "Curse Of The Fat Bike'. What's that, you might ask? Well, it was this thing I wrestled with every Winter for five years. Ever since I had seen Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley at Frostbike, I wondered and fretted, and thought and schemed about fat bikes. How could I get one? What could I do with it? Did I really need one? Maybe I was dreaming. Well.........I definitely was dreaming! I definitely was broke at this time of year, and I was definitely not thinking straight. Witness- The Raleigh here........

Of course, when it was 85°F, Sunny, and everything was green, including the paper in my pocket with pictures of dead presidents on them, I never was thinking about fat bikes. Why would I? I had too many irons in the fire with testing bike stuff, Trans Iowa, doing a few gravel events, and just raising a family.

From a December commute to work in 2008.

Then the above would happen. I had to hoof a LOT of my commute route back then. You see, 29"ers don't roll over stuff like that too well. I would be grousing, bummed, and fat bike curious as all get out.

Looking back I should have just done it. A purple Pugsley and then I would have been over it all. I would have been there and done that and I probably wouldn't have three fat bikes of my own and four in the house over all. Or I would have twice as many..... But yeah- I should have just pulled the trigger in 2006.

Minus Ten Review- 50

Limited edition Rainier Beer CX bike. Single speed, of course.

Ten years ago on the blog I was reporting on a new frame and fork I had just purchased. It was a Rainer Beer themed cyclo cross bike, single speed, of course. I needed it like I needed a hole in my head. But it was super cool and, well........ Anyway. I got it.

It ended up being built, ridden very little, and eventually I got rid of it. So, it was just a curiosity, more than anything. Had I not been diverted off into the whole 29"er mtb thing for several years and been the gravel road riding fiend I always wanted to be, well maybe then. Maybe I'd have ridden that bike more. Hard to say........

Then there was winter. We actually had snow back then, and plenty of it. This always brought up the "Curse Of The Fat Bike'. What's that, you might ask? Well, it was this thing I wrestled with every Winter for five years. Ever since I had seen Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley at Frostbike, I wondered and fretted, and thought and schemed about fat bikes. How could I get one? What could I do with it? Did I really need one? Maybe I was dreaming. Well.........I definitely was dreaming! I definitely was broke at this time of year, and I was definitely not thinking straight. Witness- The Raleigh here........

Of course, when it was 85°F, Sunny, and everything was green, including the paper in my pocket with pictures of dead presidents on them, I never was thinking about fat bikes. Why would I? I had too many irons in the fire with testing bike stuff, Trans Iowa, doing a few gravel events, and just raising a family.

From a December commute to work in 2008.

Then the above would happen. I had to hoof a LOT of my commute route back then. You see, 29"ers don't roll over stuff like that too well. I would be grousing, bummed, and fat bike curious as all get out.

Looking back I should have just done it. A purple Pugsley and then I would have been over it all. I would have been there and done that and I probably wouldn't have three fat bikes of my own and four in the house over all. Or I would have twice as many..... But yeah- I should have just pulled the trigger in 2006.

Minus Ten Review - 10

Ten years ago this week on the blog I got in a set of Continental 29"er tires for test and review. These were not the first 29"er tires Conti ever did, but they were hoped to be a much better model than those first ones were. I cannot even recall what those tires were from Conti but I do remember they were summarily panned by the 29"er community at the time for being too narrow.

These were supposed to be 2.4" tires, which, in 2008, would have been about the widest 29"er tire you could ever hope for. Imagine that now. Ha! Had someone rolled out a 29" X 3" tire in 2008 we would have all fainted! Now days 2.5"-3.00" 29"er rubber is as common as wide 26"er rubber was ten years ago. My my! Times have changed, haven't they?!

The other thing was tubeless tires. Everyone in the 29"er community was clamoring for tubeless 29"er rubber. That was also rare back in the day. These Conti tires were not rated tubeless, but the "wink and a nod" feeling I got from the Conti honch at the time made me feel okay about setting these up that way. It took a little fussing, but it happened.

Disappointed feelings abounded though, as the tires measured short of 2.4". That and the squirmy nature of the tread blocks put Conti off the back with regard to 29"er tires as other companies started making some really good stuff in the next few years.

The Winter of '08 was hitting hard back then and it was barely above zero degrees, we had a TON of new snow on the ground, and cycling outdoors was very difficult to near impossible. All of which brought me to wonder why in the heck I didn't pull the trigger on a Pugsley the year before. I probably should have. We had better Winters for fat biking ten years ago, that's for sure!

Minus Ten Review - 10

Ten years ago this week on the blog I got in a set of Continental 29"er tires for test and review. These were not the first 29"er tires Conti ever did, but they were hoped to be a much better model than those first ones were. I cannot even recall what those tires were from Conti but I do remember they were summarily panned by the 29"er community at the time for being too narrow.

These were supposed to be 2.4" tires, which, in 2008, would have been about the widest 29"er tire you could ever hope for. Imagine that now. Ha! Had someone rolled out a 29" X 3" tire in 2008 we would have all fainted! Now days 2.5"-3.00" 29"er rubber is as common as wide 26"er rubber was ten years ago. My my! Times have changed, haven't they?!

The other thing was tubeless tires. Everyone in the 29"er community was clamoring for tubeless 29"er rubber. That was also rare back in the day. These Conti tires were not rated tubeless, but the "wink and a nod" feeling I got from the Conti honch at the time made me feel okay about setting these up that way. It took a little fussing, but it happened.

Disappointed feelings abounded though, as the tires measured short of 2.4". That and the squirmy nature of the tread blocks put Conti off the back with regard to 29"er tires as other companies started making some really good stuff in the next few years.

The Winter of '08 was hitting hard back then and it was barely above zero degrees, we had a TON of new snow on the ground, and cycling outdoors was very difficult to near impossible. All of which brought me to wonder why in the heck I didn't pull the trigger on a Pugsley the year before. I probably should have. We had better Winters for fat biking ten years ago, that's for sure!

We Always Knew You Would Come Back Again!

The rebooted Pugsley. Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

Background: It was sometime in the mid-2000's. My bossman took me to Frostbike, (back when it was relevant) and we rounded the corner to the view of QBP's front door, There it was. I could see it as plain as day from a city block away. A purple steel frame with these enormous, cartoonish skinwall tires parked in the snow bank just outside Q's front doors. I busted out laughing. My bossman wondered at this and I pointed at this bike with the gargantuan tires stuffed in it. Of course, it was Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley with skinwall Endomorph 26 X 3.8" tires.

Fast forward about five years. QBP announces via Salsa Cycles that fat bikes will be available as complete rigs in a box for the first time. Surly quickly follows suit with a complete Pugsley offering. Fat bikes were hitting the trails and unridden paths all over. Stock was preciously slim and the bikes and accessories specific to fat bikes were hard to get. Technology raced ahead leaving old standards in the dust. Then everyone and their brother had fat bikes by 2015. The "bubble burst" and even the poor, barely changed Pugs with its 135OD spaced frame was being "closed out". Surly introduced the Wednesday, but despite all appearances to the contrary, Surly said that the dear old Pugs would someday come back, albeit in a new form.

Well folks, the day has come. Pugsley 2.0 has arrived. Some things have indeed changed, and some things haven't, but the basic premise of the bike remains- the swappable front to rear wheels and back country, expedition intentions of the original Pugs are still here with version 2.0.

Hey Doode! I think yer fork is bent! Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

The magic lies in the fact that anyone with two rear hubs, a bunch of spare parts, and the ability to lace up some special wheels and that can buy a special crank set can still put together their own fat bike. Or you can buy a complete Pugs 2.0. Either way, the focus is still on redundancy, versatility, and capability with a new dash of fat tire clearances.

You can read up on all the changes here on Surly's post on this bike. I won't delve into all that nitty gritty here, but I wanted to talk about why this bike appeals to my mind.

First off, Surly doesn't necessarily buy into the term "fat bike", and now they feel "Omni-terra" is a bad  description too. (The Pugs is now part of the "Dirt Touring" category.........yeah, that'll work! )  Although, they liberally sprinkled the description for this bike with the term "fat bike", so maybe they are just foolin' with us. Dunno.....

And frankly, I don't care, and probably neither do you! Anyway..... The whole "bombproof" survive-the-apocalypse nature of the Pugsley is pretty cool. The idea with the offset "bend" in the frame allows the wheels to be dished in such a way that the cassette is pushed outward enough that the chain can clear a big fatty-fat tire and still be using all 11 speeds back there. The offset also helps you use standard 135mmOD or through axle 142OD hubs, which are a dime a dozen, not special, and easily sourced the world over. The front fork takes the same set up, only if you are smart, you lace up your single speed hub there and put a cog on it. If/when you blow up your free hub body, or rip off your derailleur, you can bail yourself out by swapping wheels, shortening your chain, and using the track end tips on the rear to tension the chain all proper-like. Then you pedal home, not walk. Single speed, yes, but mobile!

Surly also did something long necessary to the Pugs- they finally tweaked the geometry. Thankfully they did not make another trail bike with fat tires. (Yawn!) They actually made an expedition worthy geometry which I think has been overlooked by almost every fat bike design since 2015. The head angle was only slackened by a degree, so front loading the bike won't be adversely affected. The rear chain stays were lengthened by a whopping 12mm. This gives your heels clearance with panniers, but it also gives a fat bike more stability in looser terrain. It helps keep the rear tire from "punching through" delicate top crust on snow as well. I think longer wheel based fat bikes are better "trail busters" too.

Previously limited to maybe a 4.0"er on 80mm rims, the new Pugs can handle 4.8"s!

Another sore spot for the old Pugs, and honestly, this is why I never got one, was that those older Pugs were limited to a 4.0" tire, and for this big guy, that ain't gonna cut it! I need float and I need float now! Ha!

Well, Surly must have thought similarly because the bike can easily handle 4.3" Ednas on 80mm rims and with a bit of gear tweakage and axle placement, along with a proper fork, the bike could run 4.8"ers if you so wanted, on 80mm rims. That's wheel versatility, and that is something I could live with.

Of course you get rack mounts, Three-pack bosses, and full run cable housings. Front derailleurs are a possibility with skinnier tires, maybe with 4.0" fat tires? Not sure Ednas would clear, Surly isn't 100% clear there as yet. But no matter, the point is versatility is built in and expected to be made use of.

In fact, 29+, 27.5 fat, 27.5+ and obviously 26 fat should all be possibilities with this new frame. (Note- 29+ has been confirmed as a fit by Surly.) I like that, as one bike with many wheel sets can be a thing that might be useful to me. Yes, I said, "to me", as I am seriously considering this rig as my Snow Dog replacement bike now.

I was thinking about a Wednesday frame/fork and swapping over parts off the Snow Dog, but now I think the plan is to let my son ride the Snow Dog because he is quickly outgrowing his newest fat bike, which will end up becoming Mrs. Guitar Ted's after he's done with it. I'll talk more about this later.....

Interestingly the new Pugs 2.0 is being ridden in the Arrowhead 135 now, so we should get a read on how it does with that soon. Until then, you can check out this brief report on Bikepacking.com here.

We Always Knew You Would Come Back Again!

The rebooted Pugsley. Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

Background: It was sometime in the mid-2000's. My bossman took me to Frostbike, (back when it was relevant) and we rounded the corner to the view of QBP's front door, There it was. I could see it as plain as day from a city block away. A purple steel frame with these enormous, cartoonish skinwall tires parked in the snow bank just outside Q's front doors. I busted out laughing. My bossman wondered at this and I pointed at this bike with the gargantuan tires stuffed in it. Of course, it was Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley with skinwall Endomorph 26 X 3.8" tires.

Fast forward about five years. QBP announces via Salsa Cycles that fat bikes will be available as complete rigs in a box for the first time. Surly quickly follows suit with a complete Pugsley offering. Fat bikes were hitting the trails and unridden paths all over. Stock was preciously slim and the bikes and accessories specific to fat bikes were hard to get. Technology raced ahead leaving old standards in the dust. Then everyone and their brother had fat bikes by 2015. The "bubble burst" and even the poor, barely changed Pugs with its 135OD spaced frame was being "closed out". Surly introduced the Wednesday, but despite all appearances to the contrary, Surly said that the dear old Pugs would someday come back, albeit in a new form.

Well folks, the day has come. Pugsley 2.0 has arrived. Some things have indeed changed, and some things haven't, but the basic premise of the bike remains- the swappable front to rear wheels and back country, expedition intentions of the original Pugs are still here with version 2.0.

Hey Doode! I think yer fork is bent! Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

The magic lies in the fact that anyone with two rear hubs, a bunch of spare parts, and the ability to lace up some special wheels and that can buy a special crank set can still put together their own fat bike. Or you can buy a complete Pugs 2.0. Either way, the focus is still on redundancy, versatility, and capability with a new dash of fat tire clearances.

You can read up on all the changes here on Surly's post on this bike. I won't delve into all that nitty gritty here, but I wanted to talk about why this bike appeals to my mind.

First off, Surly doesn't necessarily buy into the term "fat bike", and now they feel "Omni-terra" is a bad  description too. (The Pugs is now part of the "Dirt Touring" category.........yeah, that'll work! )  Although, they liberally sprinkled the description for this bike with the term "fat bike", so maybe they are just foolin' with us. Dunno.....

And frankly, I don't care, and probably neither do you! Anyway..... The whole "bombproof" survive-the-apocalypse nature of the Pugsley is pretty cool. The idea with the offset "bend" in the frame allows the wheels to be dished in such a way that the cassette is pushed outward enough that the chain can clear a big fatty-fat tire and still be using all 11 speeds back there. The offset also helps you use standard 135mmOD or through axle 142OD hubs, which are a dime a dozen, not special, and easily sourced the world over. The front fork takes the same set up, only if you are smart, you lace up your single speed hub there and put a cog on it. If/when you blow up your free hub body, or rip off your derailleur, you can bail yourself out by swapping wheels, shortening your chain, and using the track end tips on the rear to tension the chain all proper-like. Then you pedal home, not walk. Single speed, yes, but mobile!

Surly also did something long necessary to the Pugs- they finally tweaked the geometry. Thankfully they did not make another trail bike with fat tires. (Yawn!) They actually made an expedition worthy geometry which I think has been overlooked by almost every fat bike design since 2015. The head angle was only slackened by a degree, so front loading the bike won't be adversely affected. The rear chain stays were lengthened by a whopping 12mm. This gives your heels clearance with panniers, but it also gives a fat bike more stability in looser terrain. It helps keep the rear tire from "punching through" delicate top crust on snow as well. I think longer wheel based fat bikes are better "trail busters" too.

Previously limited to maybe a 4.0"er on 80mm rims, the new Pugs can handle 4.8"s!

Another sore spot for the old Pugs, and honestly, this is why I never got one, was that those older Pugs were limited to a 4.0" tire, and for this big guy, that ain't gonna cut it! I need float and I need float now! Ha!

Well, Surly must have thought similarly because the bike can easily handle 4.3" Ednas on 80mm rims and with a bit of gear tweakage and axle placement, along with a proper fork, the bike could run 4.8"ers if you so wanted, on 80mm rims. That's wheel versatility, and that is something I could live with.

Of course you get rack mounts, Three-pack bosses, and full run cable housings. Front derailleurs are a possibility with skinnier tires, maybe with 4.0" fat tires? Not sure Ednas would clear, Surly isn't 100% clear there as yet. But no matter, the point is versatility is built in and expected to be made use of.

In fact, 29+, 27.5 fat, 27.5+ and obviously 26 fat should all be possibilities with this new frame. (Note- 29+ has been confirmed as a fit by Surly.) I like that, as one bike with many wheel sets can be a thing that might be useful to me. Yes, I said, "to me", as I am seriously considering this rig as my Snow Dog replacement bike now.

I was thinking about a Wednesday frame/fork and swapping over parts off the Snow Dog, but now I think the plan is to let my son ride the Snow Dog because he is quickly outgrowing his newest fat bike, which will end up becoming Mrs. Guitar Ted's after he's done with it. I'll talk more about this later.....

Interestingly the new Pugs 2.0 is being ridden in the Arrowhead 135 now, so we should get a read on how it does with that soon. Until then, you can check out this brief report on Bikepacking.com here.

Minus Ten Review - 4

We used to ride in the snow here in January......once....long ago!

Ten years ago here on the blog I was talking about feeling better and getting out for a ride in the snow. Not on a fat bike, of course. Not that you couldn't get one, but to get one you had to build it from scratch via Surly or have a custom fat bike made by one of a few builders making rigs for Iditarod riders in Alaska. Neither option was inexpensive.

The thing was, back then I figured I would only need a fat bike for what? Maybe two months? Then I would be back on my mountain bikes and forgetting those fat bikes for 10 months out of the year. I couldn't justify the thousands of dollars it would take to get something I thought I would use so little.

Of course, I hadn't ever ridden one nor had I considered uses outside the box of Winter riding in snow. Sand and mud are big deals here in the woods at times and a fat bike can traverse that sort of  terrain with ease. They also work as "just a mountain bike", and of course, many folks use them on gravel, so there ya go. I wasn't considering any of those options. Had that made sense to me in '07 or '08 I may have had a Pugs a long time ago.

But I was getting along on 29"ers better than I ever had with 26"ers. I used the widest rims and tires I could. I'm pretty sure those are WTB Stouts on some wider rims in that image there, probably 28mm rims. Later I ran 2.4" Ardents on 35mm Blunts and that was even better. It is why I feel that now a 29 inch by three inch tire on a 50mm rim would be the bees knees. But who knows? It doesn't really snow that much any more!

New frame, borrowed parts from another.

I also revealed a new rig I got near the end of 2007. An OS Bikes Blackbuck frame and fork was purchased from Mark Slate, who ran that venture but is better known as one of the pioneers of mtb and a tire designer extraordinaire at WTB.

I still have this frame and the steel fork that came with it. Here in its first iteration I did not use that fork, but the Bontrager Swicthblade I moved over from the On One Inbred. In fact, everything in the picture came off the Inbred.

This single speed is a real nice single track sled. I probably will never get rid of it. I haven't done a lot of riding on it the last several years, but in the beginning I spent a ton of time riding this bicycle. I used it most famously in my fork test for this blog and TNI where I used something like 8 or 9 different forks on it to see what they all did to the handling of the bike.

Mr. Slate apparently was fond most of all of the steel fork he deigned for this frame. It had a really short axle to crown measurement. Something like 425mm or close to that. (For reference, a typical 29"er suspension fork now is around 500mm or longer) Slate also used a 51mm offset. So with that fork and a typical 29"er tire the trail figure was around 52mm. (For reference a typical XC 29"er these days has about 90-ish millimeters of trail. You can check trail figures by plugging in the info here.)

Anyway, the result of the Blackbuck with its steel fork was nothing short of being like a razor sharp steering missile. You had better pay attention or the bike was going to cause you to crash! I could ride it, but the concentration necessary to do so, and do so fast, was draining. I ended up taking it off and using longer forks which were more forgiving. I still have that fork, of course, but I don't know when, if ever, I'd actually use it! Maybe for bike packing where you carry a weight on the front? Anyway.....

Minus Ten Review - 4

We used to ride in the snow here in January......once....long ago!

Ten years ago here on the blog I was talking about feeling better and getting out for a ride in the snow. Not on a fat bike, of course. Not that you couldn't get one, but to get one you had to build it from scratch via Surly or have a custom fat bike made by one of a few builders making rigs for Iditarod riders in Alaska. Neither option was inexpensive.

The thing was, back then I figured I would only need a fat bike for what? Maybe two months? Then I would be back on my mountain bikes and forgetting those fat bikes for 10 months out of the year. I couldn't justify the thousands of dollars it would take to get something I thought I would use so little.

Of course, I hadn't ever ridden one nor had I considered uses outside the box of Winter riding in snow. Sand and mud are big deals here in the woods at times and a fat bike can traverse that sort of  terrain with ease. They also work as "just a mountain bike", and of course, many folks use them on gravel, so there ya go. I wasn't considering any of those options. Had that made sense to me in '07 or '08 I may have had a Pugs a long time ago.

But I was getting along on 29"ers better than I ever had with 26"ers. I used the widest rims and tires I could. I'm pretty sure those are WTB Stouts on some wider rims in that image there, probably 28mm rims. Later I ran 2.4" Ardents on 35mm Blunts and that was even better. It is why I feel that now a 29 inch by three inch tire on a 50mm rim would be the bees knees. But who knows? It doesn't really snow that much any more!

New frame, borrowed parts from another.

I also revealed a new rig I got near the end of 2007. An OS Bikes Blackbuck frame and fork was purchased from Mark Slate, who ran that venture but is better known as one of the pioneers of mtb and a tire designer extraordinaire at WTB.

I still have this frame and the steel fork that came with it. Here in its first iteration I did not use that fork, but the Bontrager Swicthblade I moved over from the On One Inbred. In fact, everything in the picture came off the Inbred.

This single speed is a real nice single track sled. I probably will never get rid of it. I haven't done a lot of riding on it the last several years, but in the beginning I spent a ton of time riding this bicycle. I used it most famously in my fork test for this blog and TNI where I used something like 8 or 9 different forks on it to see what they all did to the handling of the bike.

Mr. Slate apparently was fond most of all of the steel fork he deigned for this frame. It had a really short axle to crown measurement. Something like 425mm or close to that. (For reference, a typical 29"er suspension fork now is around 500mm or longer) Slate also used a 51mm offset. So with that fork and a typical 29"er tire the trail figure was around 52mm. (For reference a typical XC 29"er these days has about 90-ish millimeters of trail. You can check trail figures by plugging in the info here.)

Anyway, the result of the Blackbuck with its steel fork was nothing short of being like a razor sharp steering missile. You had better pay attention or the bike was going to cause you to crash! I could ride it, but the concentration necessary to do so, and do so fast, was draining. I ended up taking it off and using longer forks which were more forgiving. I still have that fork, of course, but I don't know when, if ever, I'd actually use it! Maybe for bike packing where you carry a weight on the front? Anyway.....

Fat N' Single

Waiting on Andy......

Wednesday I had planned on meeting my co-worker, Andy for a fat bike ride. He had just gotten his Pugsley single speed at the shop the day before and was itching to check into some of the local single track. I said I'd be happy to take him around.

We settled on a time and a meeting place, so I decided I'd ride over from the house. I went through some of the areas we'd be riding later, and the dirt was looking really fine. The day was Sunny, dry, and cooler than it had been in a long time. Perfection, really. What a great day to have off to go plunking around on single speed fat bikes!

Of course, my fat bike wasn't technically a single speed, but I did leave it in the "high range" for the entire ride, so I think that counts! I've become accustomed to using that higher combination, and I'll likely not be needing the lower geared combo until after the snow flies.

I allotted a bit too much time to meet Andy, and I was at our meet-up spot way ahead of schedule, so I went ahead and did a bit of recon for our ride. The sand underneath the four lane highway bridge was deep and loose as ever, but the ol' Blackborow just walked right through it all. I had also hit a couple of other big sand piles on the way over, and cleaned those as well. Big tires make such a big difference here. I turned around after a bit, not wanting to get too far away from the prescribed meeting spot, and went back to sit on a nearby bench and wait for Andy. I figured he'd be fashionably late, but it ended up he was actually almost 15 minutes late. Oh well! At least he made it!

After a quick saddle height adjustment we were off, and then it was a fast, ripping single track ride for the most part. It's funny how fat bikes are not really that big of a deal to motor along twisty single track. Especially the newer breed of fat bikes. I tried to discern if I felt anything making me work all that much harder, but other than huffing it a bit more up any steeps, I really think the Blackborow just carves up single track as well as any 29"er I have in the stable.

Andy's brand-spankin' new size small SS Pugs. What a lovely color, and it sparkles!

It was obvious that Andy's Pug wasn't holding him back either, as he was almost always right on my wheel. Andy mentioned the 3.8" Knards were really easy to roll and had great grip. Oddly enough, his size Small Pugs fits that size Medium Revelate frame bag perfectly.

So, I showed Andy a taste of both sides of the river. Honestly, for my tastes, I like the South side stuff better. Many of the newer, North of the river trails seem to be more about getting from Point A to Point B, and aren't all that challenging. A few places on the South side do give you pause, and I like that, but maybe I am out of touch with the tastes of the local off-roaders. Dunno....... I think Andy had fun, so that was all that mattered.

A quick stop to smell the flowers and watch the bees at work.

This is another ride that really confirmed for me that the Bluto is a great addition to the front end of the Blackborow DS. I used up all the travel a couple of times during my three hours in the saddle, and the smoothness and control were palpable. I was suspicious of the spindly looking stanchions on the Bluto when paired up with 4.8" of mondo-griptastic tires. However; I've been pleased with the performance so far. If I lived somewhere with a lot more speed and bigger rocks? I probably would be wanting more stiffness and more travel than the 100mm that this fork is set up with. That said, a Bluto simply transforms the bike's capabilities on twisty single track. I'm really glad I have the option to run it.

So, anyway..... A great day on the bike and I am looking forward to getting all the parts lined up for this bike's transformation, which would be the "normal Summer set up". So, yeah..... I'll probably get that done come Winter!

Fat N' Single

Waiting on Andy......

Wednesday I had planned on meeting my co-worker, Andy for a fat bike ride. He had just gotten his Pugsley single speed at the shop the day before and was itching to check into some of the local single track. I said I'd be happy to take him around.

We settled on a time and a meeting place, so I decided I'd ride over from the house. I went through some of the areas we'd be riding later, and the dirt was looking really fine. The day was Sunny, dry, and cooler than it had been in a long time. Perfection, really. What a great day to have off to go plunking around on single speed fat bikes!

Of course, my fat bike wasn't technically a single speed, but I did leave it in the "high range" for the entire ride, so I think that counts! I've become accustomed to using that higher combination, and I'll likely not be needing the lower geared combo until after the snow flies.

I allotted a bit too much time to meet Andy, and I was at our meet-up spot way ahead of schedule, so I went ahead and did a bit of recon for our ride. The sand underneath the four lane highway bridge was deep and loose as ever, but the ol' Blackborow just walked right through it all. I had also hit a couple of other big sand piles on the way over, and cleaned those as well. Big tires make such a big difference here. I turned around after a bit, not wanting to get too far away from the prescribed meeting spot, and went back to sit on a nearby bench and wait for Andy. I figured he'd be fashionably late, but it ended up he was actually almost 15 minutes late. Oh well! At least he made it!

After a quick saddle height adjustment we were off, and then it was a fast, ripping single track ride for the most part. It's funny how fat bikes are not really that big of a deal to motor along twisty single track. Especially the newer breed of fat bikes. I tried to discern if I felt anything making me work all that much harder, but other than huffing it a bit more up any steeps, I really think the Blackborow just carves up single track as well as any 29"er I have in the stable.

Andy's brand-spankin' new size small SS Pugs. What a lovely color, and it sparkles!

It was obvious that Andy's Pug wasn't holding him back either, as he was almost always right on my wheel. Andy mentioned the 3.8" Knards were really easy to roll and had great grip. Oddly enough, his size Small Pugs fits that size Medium Revelate frame bag perfectly.

So, I showed Andy a taste of both sides of the river. Honestly, for my tastes, I like the South side stuff better. Many of the newer, North of the river trails seem to be more about getting from Point A to Point B, and aren't all that challenging. A few places on the South side do give you pause, and I like that, but maybe I am out of touch with the tastes of the local off-roaders. Dunno....... I think Andy had fun, so that was all that mattered.

A quick stop to smell the flowers and watch the bees at work.

This is another ride that really confirmed for me that the Bluto is a great addition to the front end of the Blackborow DS. I used up all the travel a couple of times during my three hours in the saddle, and the smoothness and control were palpable. I was suspicious of the spindly looking stanchions on the Bluto when paired up with 4.8" of mondo-griptastic tires. However; I've been pleased with the performance so far. If I lived somewhere with a lot more speed and bigger rocks? I probably would be wanting more stiffness and more travel than the 100mm that this fork is set up with. That said, a Bluto simply transforms the bike's capabilities on twisty single track. I'm really glad I have the option to run it.

So, anyway..... A great day on the bike and I am looking forward to getting all the parts lined up for this bike's transformation, which would be the "normal Summer set up". So, yeah..... I'll probably get that done come Winter!

Fatbikes: Just What Are They For Anyway?

My Mukluk: It's more than just a "snowbike"

I was riding my fatbike home from work yesterday when "it" happened......again....for the umpteenth time. "Hey! What kind of bike is that?"

(Or variations upon that theme including questions about the tires, and where I got them, etc.)

So, I figured a lot of you folks visiting here probably are shaking your heads wondering what in the world all the fuss is about these enormously tired bicycles. I know this is true because of the questions I get all the time, and the fact that "non-endemic" media is coming around asking a lot of the same questions.

So I figured I would put this little ditty together for all of you that do not quite understand what all the fuss is about.....yet. Hopefully you will understand a bit more after this.....

• Fatbikes are not just for snow: This was something I used to think, and it held me back from getting one sooner than I did. I was stupid. Don't make the same mistake I did. Fatbikes are imminently capable mountain bikes. I like to call them the "Human powered two wheeled ATV". 
• Fatbikes Are Not Slow: The tires and rims on these bikes are really big and heavy looking. Yes- they weigh more than most bikes, but many bicycles on bike shop floors weigh more than, or similar to a fat bike, and you never hear folks complain about them. The perception is those wheels must be cumbersome and slow. Nothing could be further from the truth. They take more work than some bikes do, but the pay-off is well worth the extra efforts. 
• Fatbikes are not for shy, introverted people that do not like fun: Seriously, if you are a curmudgeon, or if you can't stand being the center of attention, don't buy a fatbike. You will hate life with this sort of bike. If, however, you are a gregarious, outgoing fun-hog, you really are wired for a fatbike ownership. Get one and watch the attention come in like waves on an ocean. You will love it! You also will have so much fun riding a fatbike you might get giddy and laugh out loud. Really!

• Fatbikes like to run in packs: It's kind of like magnets to steel, or white on rice, but these bikes seem to like getting together and rumbling together. The riders seem to just come along with it. If you like doing things with other people and making car tire noises on gravel, or floating over snow, or if you veer toward mad creek riding adventures, you will find other fatbikes will want to come along for the fun of it. 
• Fatbikes take you to places you can't get to on other bikes: This should be obvious, but those "ATV-like" wheels can float over sand, chunky rock, woodland debris, snow, mud, and other surfaces that trip up an ordinary mountain bike. Road bikes? Whatever.  Let them have the pavement- fatbikers will go where cars can't even go! Want some solitude after all the group riding and attention whoring? A fatbike can crawl back into places no one else will ever look to find you, if you want to go there.
• There are lots of choices in fatbikes now, they are not all "Pugsleys": Used to be that the only turnkey fatbike choice available to the general public was a Surly Bikes Pugsley. They pretty much dominated the scene unless you happened to know the inner circle of Alaskan based fatbikers that knew about Wildfires, Fatbacks, 9 zero 7's or a few others. But the times have changed and now you can easily get your hands on Salsa Mukluks, Surly's newer models, the aforementioned Fatbacks and 9 zero 7's, and now On One is coming out with a fatbike. Tire choices have also ballooned, (no pun intended), in choice over the original Endomorph fatty tire.

•  And yes.......they are good on the snow!: Of course, the fatbike excels at riding over soft surfaces, including sand, mud, and snow. In fact, the bikes were pretty much evolved from the desire to race bicycles on snow. Yes.....racing on snow. There is a great series of fatbike races in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, plus the long running races on snow like the Arrowhead 135 and Triple D events. 

The bottom line is that these bikes are a fun way to get around. They may seem weird and unnecessary, but don't judge them till you've tried them. I can go on and on about these rigs, but most of the time it takes a personal experience on one to get the "light bulb" to turn on, and trust me- If you try one, that light bulb will turn on!

Oh, and that question I got? I stopped and answered it. The entire time I spoke with the gentleman who was asking me he was fixated on my front tire, ignoring the wails of his toddlers coming through the front door.

Never underestimate the power of the fatbike! 

Fatbikes: Just What Are They For Anyway?

My Mukluk: It's more than just a "snowbike"

I was riding my fatbike home from work yesterday when "it" happened......again....for the umpteenth time. "Hey! What kind of bike is that?"

(Or variations upon that theme including questions about the tires, and where I got them, etc.)

So, I figured a lot of you folks visiting here probably are shaking your heads wondering what in the world all the fuss is about these enormously tired bicycles. I know this is true because of the questions I get all the time, and the fact that "non-endemic" media is coming around asking a lot of the same questions.

So I figured I would put this little ditty together for all of you that do not quite understand what all the fuss is about.....yet. Hopefully you will understand a bit more after this.....

• Fatbikes are not just for snow: This was something I used to think, and it held me back from getting one sooner than I did. I was stupid. Don't make the same mistake I did. Fatbikes are imminently capable mountain bikes. I like to call them the "Human powered two wheeled ATV". 
• Fatbikes Are Not Slow: The tires and rims on these bikes are really big and heavy looking. Yes- they weigh more than most bikes, but many bicycles on bike shop floors weigh more than, or similar to a fat bike, and you never hear folks complain about them. The perception is those wheels must be cumbersome and slow. Nothing could be further from the truth. They take more work than some bikes do, but the pay-off is well worth the extra efforts. 
• Fatbikes are not for shy, introverted people that do not like fun: Seriously, if you are a curmudgeon, or if you can't stand being the center of attention, don't buy a fatbike. You will hate life with this sort of bike. If, however, you are a gregarious, outgoing fun-hog, you really are wired for a fatbike ownership. Get one and watch the attention come in like waves on an ocean. You will love it! You also will have so much fun riding a fatbike you might get giddy and laugh out loud. Really!

• Fatbikes like to run in packs: It's kind of like magnets to steel, or white on rice, but these bikes seem to like getting together and rumbling together. The riders seem to just come along with it. If you like doing things with other people and making car tire noises on gravel, or floating over snow, or if you veer toward mad creek riding adventures, you will find other fatbikes will want to come along for the fun of it. 
• Fatbikes take you to places you can't get to on other bikes: This should be obvious, but those "ATV-like" wheels can float over sand, chunky rock, woodland debris, snow, mud, and other surfaces that trip up an ordinary mountain bike. Road bikes? Whatever.  Let them have the pavement- fatbikers will go where cars can't even go! Want some solitude after all the group riding and attention whoring? A fatbike can crawl back into places no one else will ever look to find you, if you want to go there.
• There are lots of choices in fatbikes now, they are not all "Pugsleys": Used to be that the only turnkey fatbike choice available to the general public was a Surly Bikes Pugsley. They pretty much dominated the scene unless you happened to know the inner circle of Alaskan based fatbikers that knew about Wildfires, Fatbacks, 9 zero 7's or a few others. But the times have changed and now you can easily get your hands on Salsa Mukluks, Surly's newer models, the aforementioned Fatbacks and 9 zero 7's, and now On One is coming out with a fatbike. Tire choices have also ballooned, (no pun intended), in choice over the original Endomorph fatty tire.

•  And yes.......they are good on the snow!: Of course, the fatbike excels at riding over soft surfaces, including sand, mud, and snow. In fact, the bikes were pretty much evolved from the desire to race bicycles on snow. Yes.....racing on snow. There is a great series of fatbike races in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, plus the long running races on snow like the Arrowhead 135 and Triple D events. 

The bottom line is that these bikes are a fun way to get around. They may seem weird and unnecessary, but don't judge them till you've tried them. I can go on and on about these rigs, but most of the time it takes a personal experience on one to get the "light bulb" to turn on, and trust me- If you try one, that light bulb will turn on!

Oh, and that question I got? I stopped and answered it. The entire time I spoke with the gentleman who was asking me he was fixated on my front tire, ignoring the wails of his toddlers coming through the front door.

Never underestimate the power of the fatbike! 

Friday News And Views

Videos To Waste Away Your Friday By: Okay, today I am going to feature a couple of things that tickled my fancy recently in the form of videos. The first is from a U.K. persona, Ed Oxley, better known on the "inner-web-o-sphere" as "Great Rock". He is a mountain bike guide and skills instructor, and generally all-around good egg, from what I know of him. And.........he has a rockin' beard!


Edventure from Whitenosugar Productions on Vimeo.


Well, recently the video above made the rounds and it is really representative of his humor and shows what you can do to just have fun and "adventure by bike". Check it out. (Note: There may be  a foul word in here, but with that dialect, I have a hard time knowing if I've been offended or not. On the whole this is harmless. I would definitely let my kids watch it, for instance.)

Next up we have this sent to me by T.I. Vet "Dr. Giggles". It is one of those electro-vox-animated deals that you see a lot of, but the subject matter, (concerning cyclist's propensity for odd, pain related activities and for excessive spending on gear), really hits close to home. I found myself laughing, despite myself, at a few points. A bit long at 7-plus minutes, and definitely Not Safe For Work due to language.

 

The "no-name" "Neck Romancer", er..whatever!

A Bit On The Surly Black...er Necro...er....Whatever! Black Pugs!

In what can only be termed as "ludicrous", a recent paint scheme naming frenzy surrounding the innocent looking fat-bike in the image here has occurred.

First shown as the "Black Ops Pugsley", this bike was basically a "murdered out" Pugs with a twist on the typical parts spec. Okay. No big deal, right?

Well, a certain "importer" has used "Black Ops" as a branding name and, (we're guessing), because of that, made Surly change the name. Surly then chose "Necromancer" as the designation for this special Pugs. Well, the "dark" nature of this name brought howls of disapproval from the peanut gallery, and apparently, to assuage them, Surly made yet another change to the name. Now called the "Neck Romancer", it has gotten to the point of being ridiculous and has gone waaay too far. How about we just call it the "Black Pugs" and be done with this madness?

Besides all of that nonsense, the bike itself seems pretty cool. It feels shorter and more nimble than a Mukluk, but doesn't weigh much different, and they both are great bikes. This is a pretty rare bird right now. The "Black Pugs" is tough to come by due to high demand. We were lucky to score this one for a customer at the shop where I work. 

At the 450L/High setting

 Update On The Lezyne Super Drive: Well, I got out on the bike the other evening with the Lezyne Super Drive attached to the Snow Dog. Here are my initial thoughts...

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!  Uh.......'scuse me! Well, you might find yerself singin' the same tune when/if you try the Super Drive. It is a commuter's dream light, I think. Bright, yes, but that beam pattern! Look at how it floods and throws light down the trail in my, (not so great, I know), shot here. Very even, not much of a hot spot at all, and no halo/ring effect from the lens. The light color is also really good.

Of course, that is on High. What about the other settings? Well, Medium/300lumens is just as impressive and boots the run time up a bit. Only when dropping off to the 150 lumen setting do you see a dramatic dip in visibility, but honestly, I could ride gravel in the country as fast as I dared to go in the day for the entire 4.5 hours of run time available on Low setting. 150 lumens is really quite enough for that sort of riding.

Again, it is the quality of the beam pattern and throw that get me excited about this light. I'll give it some more runs before offering a final opinion, but this thing is really impressing me so far.