dreading winter no longer...thinking pugsley

[spiderman]

even though the studded snow tires worked well
for the winter commute last season
and days i couldn't ride
i rediscovered cross country skiing...
i have been dreading winter!
maybe it's all the acorns
that promise
a particularly harsh season...
maybe all the layers
that seem so hard to go back to...
maybe it's just the length
of the ever increasing darkness...
but the tide has turned
as i've thought about building a pugsley
http://www.surlybikes.com/pugsley.html
with the four inch wide tires
and low tire pressures
for big fun
and trying something new??
anyone have one
or thinking along the same lines??

[chuckred]

Ode to Pugsley (http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/2008/02/ode-to-pugsley.html)

[Louis]

Ode to Pugsley (http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/2008/02/ode-to-pugsley.html)

Now there's a cool Alaskan...

More about Jill link (http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/)

[dogdriver]

Built a Pugs last fall. It's the most fun I've had on a bike in years. At 185 pounds, I can basically ride on anything I wouldn't bust through walking, so packed snow, multi-use trails, snowmobile tracks, and even hiking trails all work. Traction isn't anything to write home about-- you can't climb a pitch close to what you can on a mountain bike, and sidehill grip is sketchy. There are options to frames and wheelsets (Speedway bikes in Anchorage, IMHO, is the leader in design on both frames and wheels, his Fatback with 85mm rims is, quite simply, the sh*t... I just can't justify paying for one right now. Bikeman, with their Carver Ti frame is another nice one, but they use Surly rims, I think), but the Surly Endomorph is pretty much the only tire out there right now.

To digress, the best snow conditions I found was the Spring freeze/thaw (corn, for you skiing types) cycle-- go out in the AM before the crust melts and the world is your terrain park. Absolute freakin' blast-- including the occasional raging endo when you hit a soft spot (the front wheel will disappear from view-- I've had the front end sink all the way to the headset) and launch. My personal record was paced off at 12 feet of air from bike stoppage to impact. No worse on the bod than a ski crash, though...

If you go new, you can build a decent bike for about $2K. Keep in mind that the F/F. rims, and tires are all proprietary and will run you about $1200.00. After that, a DH BB and the rest is standard mountain bike stuff. If you get wheels built, make sure the guy knows how to factor the offset. Mine is Deore level and works fine, but I've seen blingmobiles with King, Hope, XO, etc.

Do it-- it's a blast. A decent alternative, tho it will decrease your flotation, is to mount 2.5 or wider DH tires on a frame that will accept them-- a potential second life for an old mtb.

Lots of good stuff on the web. The boys in MN and AK are leading the charge...

Dave Z owns one and rides the SLC area and Uintah mountains, though I can't keep him in site for long.

My $.02, Chris

[spiderman]

the thread should now be locked!
thanks!!
much to consider
to maximize the fun of winter riding...
...you've taken the idea
to entirely different level for me!

[Michael Maddox]

Remember that too much air in the tires will make you BOUNCE!

Although I'm hesitant to follow the prior post, I'll also recommend a sprung saddle. I ride a Brooks Flyer on mine, and absolutely love it. Personally, I think it adds a bit to the Pug' character. It's SUPPOSED to be weird.

[Lincoln]

LMAO, picturing Chris pacing off the distance from impact zone to bike!

[dogdriver]

Yo. Lincoln-- As slow as I ride, I have to be proud of something! I have foggy memories of you t-boning the Pugs into snowbanks, apparently just to see what would happen...

A cupla' other Pugs thoughts:

Grip shift is a good thing with winter gloves. Easier than triggers. Mine has bar-end shifters mounted on Paul's thumbies, which work fine, also. I like the "direct pull" on the cable when things get sloppy. Also, the ability to turn off indexing, tho I've never had to, is a comfort.

About 50/50 removing the big crank ring and replacing it with a bash guard. The guard keeps clothes out of the chain, and i don't think i could pedal those soft tires at a speed requiring the 46, anyhow.

LOW tire pressure rules. I have about a mile of pavement to the usual trailhead-- put the tires at 12 psi for the commute (anything over 14psi is essentially rigid), and let out air once on the snow. About 6-8 psi (!) seems to provide the best flotation, though I can't be sure, as I don't have a portable pressure guage. Being able to stick a thumb about 3/4 inch into the sidewall seems to be optimum. You can reasonably DOUBLE the tire footprint by playing with the pressure, and though I fear a field flat fix, pinch flats don't seem to be an issue. A guy at Surly (outstanding customer service, and always entertaining to talk to) who won the Arrowhead 100 uses 6psi. Everyone is looking forward to another tire manufacturer coming on board, as sidewall failures are the usual tire demise (hence the higher psi on pavement), and the quality of the Endomorph has its critics.

No suspension necessary, IMO. After all, it's essentially a 29er with 3 inches of air cushion.

Some guys use clipless, I had trouble with snow packing in the cleats after the first foot fault. I use studded BMX pedals with hiking boots, with good results. If you go clipless, egg beaters seem to be the best choice.

That's all I've got... Chris