Computercyclist.com

I am sitting here drinking Pernod.  Every since reading Foucault’s Pendulum it has been a favorite of mine…. enough.

Todays news…. the Pugsley is alive.  I went on the maiden voyage today… more about that later.

Yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and have the local bike shop install some Avid Juicy Seven hydraulic disc brakes on the Pug.  I knew the price going in but during my ride I realized I had just paid more for brakes than I had paid for my first mountain bike (a diamondback topanga).

Here are the Build Details:

Frame: Surly Pugsley
Fork:   Surly Pugsley
Crankset: FSA Carbon MTB
Hubs: Shimano XT, Surly SS Disc
Brakeset: Avid Juicy 7
Seatpost: Thompson
Seat: Brooks B17
Tires: Surly Endomorphs
Pedals: Wellgo DH
Headset: Cane Creek
Stem: Weighless 120
Bars: Titan Hellbent 3/4″ rise
Grips: Ergon

That is pretty much it…  I have been slowly building this thing over the past three years… I did I quick back of the napkin calculation and I am into it for $1522.00.  I purchased a lot of components and even the frame off ebay.  I think I have saved about $1K if I where to have had it built to spec by the LBS (local bikeshop)… I got my stem for  1 cent plus $5 shipping, my Carbon Fiber MTB cranks for $92, and the Frame and fork itself for $200.  I am thinking of building another for Wendy…. so she can join me.

Now the ride….  WOW… it is unique.  I was amazed at how well the bike rolls over stuff. Having read a number of reviews an realizing people complain about the Surly Puglsey weight I was interested in HOW heavy it would be… its not too bad.  It is heavier than my Titanium GT MTB but hell what isn’t?  I have the Pugsley rigged up as a Single Speed so I think if you set your expectations in line with what the bike is… a beast for covering snow, sand, and mud you will be suprised at how well it rolls.

The two things that impressed me the most…. It tracks like magic!!!  This bike can hold a line.  I was traveling roughly 30 MPH downhill in a snowy truck tire rut and had no worries at all about drifting.  The big tires grip.  The second thing I was wondering about was how a 4130 CrMo frame would feel…. I have no idea…. the 3.7 endomorph tires offer such a cushion I have never been so comfy on a bike… I went with 10 PSI in the tires and got a little bob action when my cadence went over 90 but other than that it was smooth…  smooth like a big leather sofa or or Knob Creek on the Rocks.

My first ride was a 16 mile ride… an 8 mile out-and-back on unmaintained county roads that get groomed as part of the Southeast Idaho Snowmobile Network.  The conditions varies from ice to packed powder to broken-up compacted snow…  As I said I road about 16 miles…. I  had to get off and walk twice for a total of about 150 yards.  Each time was when the grade exceded 10% and my wimp-ass could not pedal my 32×18 single speed up the grade.

Elevation Profile

All in all the Puglsey excedes expectations… I am riding again in the morning.