Categories
Surly Bikes

Surly Pugsley and Moonlander

In a previous post I compared and contrasted the Surly Pugsley and the Pug Ops. The Moonlander is Surly’s fattest fatbike with mammoth 4.8″ Surly Lou and Bud tires with 120t.p.i. (25% bigger than the Pugsley tires) on 100mm “Clown Shoe” rims. In order to make room for the fatter tires the Moonlander’s rear triangle is offset a little bit more than the Pugsley or the Pug Ops with a corresponding additional offset in the rear wheel. And the Surly Offset double crank gets a few more spacers so the chain won’t rub on the tire in the lowest gear.

two front wheels
Surly Nate 3.8 tire on Pugsley is on the left. On the right is the Surly Bud 4.8 on the Moonlander. Both bikes use the same Moonlander fork.

You can see the 180mm brake rotor on the front of the Moonlander compared to the 160mm rotor on the Pugsley. A little more leverage to deal with the momentum of those taller, wider tires. The Pug Ops is spec’d with 180mm front rotors too.

The huge tires on 100 rims on the Moonlander can be ridden at very low air pressures for more flotation and traction on snow, sand, gravel and/or roots. Surly claims this bike is “designed from the ground up to ride where there are no roads, no trails and no people.” When the sandy single track gets wet in the Boise foothills two inch wide mountain bike tires dig in and cut up the trail, but the Moonlander barely leaves a mark! A bike like the Moonlander can expand the riding season as well as the areas and terrain that can be explored by the bicycle traveler. If you still think fat bikes are limited, look at this article in bikemag.com about the Walmart fat bike tearing it up at Sea Otter.

the footprint in sand of the big fat larry tires next to a narrower tire
The 4.7 inch wide Big Fat Larry tires (top) leave a very low impact footprint compared to a standard mountain bike tire below.

chainstay and tire

Categories
Crossroads Music

Blues

This guy, Pat O’Bryan, has a complete understanding of the blues. This is in Terlingua, TX. outside of Big Bend National Park….outstanding music is only one of the reasons Texas is a great place to tour!

Categories
Surly Bikes Touring Bicycles

Surly Disc Trucker -Redux

In an earlier post I talked about cable actuated disc brakes on the Long Haul Trucker.

Surly rolls out bikes in new colors each year (or so). They continue to sell bikes in the previous year’s colors until they are gone. For 2014 the new Disc Trucker color is burgundy. We just finished this bike for a customer:

1/4 view of bike
A 62 cm Surly Disc Trucker with 26″ wheels

side view of bike
Tubus Logo rear rack and Surly front rack

tubus logo
The Tubus Logo rear rack; simple, strong and practical.
rack attachment
The Surly front rack can be fined tune to clear the disc brake caliper and there is a special hole for the fender stays.

Additions and Substitutions:
Gilles Berthoud stainless steel fenders- 26×60
Gilles Berthoud Aspin saddle– black
King Cage Andrews stainless steel bottle cages
Shimano PD-A530 double sided pedals
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 26×2 tires replace the stock Continentals
Surly front rack– silver
Tubus Logo rear rack– silver

Categories
Touring Bike Accessories

Ultralight Bike Mirror

picture of mirror
Ultralight Bike Mirror
a.k.a. Ultralite German Mirror

The Ultralight Bike Mirror is made in Germany by D+D Oberlauda and is a consistent best seller in the Bike Touring News store… for good reason; not only is it lightweight (about 2 oz./57 grams) but it will attach to virtually any handlebar. Instead of being inserted in the end of the bar it attaches by means of a hose clamp which is tightened by a brass screw. A locking ball and socket joint allows the mirror to pivot through a wide range so that the view can be dialed in precisely. And the lens is a unique asymmetrical design with a parabolic curve for an incredible wide-angle view. Here’s a little video we did on how it installs. Did I mention- these make great gifts?