Surly Pug Ops

[expjawa]

OK, not a rat per se, but a fat bike no the less. I bought myself a Christmas present, in the form of a 2014 Surly Pug Ops. I just picked it up from the LBS a couple days ago.

Next to my Columbia 3-Star rat, it makes the 24 x 3" Berm Master tires look downright small:

The Ops model has several upgrades over the regular Pugsley, including wider Rolling Darryl rims and 120 TPI Nate tires (amongst a bunch of other things):

Now I'm just waiting for some snow to put it to good use. Based on the forecast, it won't be long. But in the meantime, I've been content with riding wheelies across the dining room...

 

[Rat Rod]

That bike is awesome...you must have been a good boy.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Wheelies across the dining room? Pics, videos or it didn't happen!
I would love to see that!

Luke.

 

[expjawa]

I'll see what I can do...

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I'll see what I can do...

YES!

Luke.

 

[kingfish254]

Santa was very good to you!!!

 

[ronark]

Very nice Pugsley, I would change the rear end with a Shimano Internal Hub, I've got a post on page two of Fat Rats..... Enjoy...... Ron

 

[expjawa]

I'm not sure if I'd want to go to an IG hub, at least not at the moment. I can see the arguments for doing so, but for me at the moment, they don't outweigh the cost and effort to do it. To get a comparable range of gears, I'd have to spring for an Alfine 11 hub, and then lace it into the original rim. Figure $500 for the hub, $35 for spokes, plus new chain and whatever changes were needed on the crank and it adds up pretty quick. I plan to ride this on MTB trails too, so I don't want to give up the gearing range.

 

[expjawa]

Santa was very good to you!!!

Well, I know the guy and he's alright. It helps that I offered to build him a custom cargo bike based on a Luxury Liner frame, which I might have to deliver on since he came through on his end...

 

[expjawa]

Well, winter storm Hercules dropped 6 or 8 inches of snow after I posted initially, so I got to try the Pug in its intended environment. I rode around the parking lot at work in both plowed and unplowed areas, then at home around the yard and up and down the street. I'm impressed with how well the big tires grip in the snow. They're not infallible. But I didn't dump it in a lot of places a conventional mountain bike would've. It trucked through loose unpacked snow without drama, and on packed snow I could carry decent speed and use the rear brake to skid it around curves like I do sometimes on trails with my Kona. The only trouble is that at 7 degrees, my nose froze up pretty quick...

 

[Tater]

Very nice. That color is awesome.

 

[expjawa]

Wheelies across the dining room? Pics, videos or it didn't happen!
I would love to see that!

Luke.

OK Luke, here you go. Not an easy thing to video solo, it turns out. I'm probably opening myself up to all sorts of abuse by posting these, but here...

Hmm, I seem to be having some issues embedding them in the post. Here's a link:
http://s19.photobucket.com/user/expjawa/media/bikes/Pug/WP_20140104_010322Z_zpsa733f247.mp4.html
http://s19.photobucket.com/user/expjawa/media/bikes/Pug/WP_20140104_010704Z_zps304a50fd.mp4.html
http://s19.photobucket.com/user/expjawa/media/bikes/Pug/WP_20140104_010041Z_zpsb9b5fc44.mp4.html
http://s19.photobucket.com/user/expjawa/media/bikes/Pug/WP_20140104_010151Z_zps4ea5100b.mp4.html

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Great videos Rick!
I have to wonder though, what keeps dragging the chair across the floor, is it on a rug or something?

Luke.

 

[expjawa]

Yeah, there's a throw rug that I'm running over, just as I'm braking to keep from hitting the wall...

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Ah! That make sense! Awesome work Rick, not much room there!

Luke.

 

[Big_Daddy_Sloth]

Awesome! I love my Surly Moonlander.

 

[Jaxon]

Great Videos!! I see I am not the only one who rides in the house...lol

 

[expjawa]

Here are some more recent photos, though none are quite current...

 

[blown240]

I love the fenders! Are they from a motorcycle?

 

[expjawa]

No, they're fat bike fenders, they're a molded black ABS plastic. The company that makes them is called Big-O Mfg. They have a pebble-grain finish normally; I sanded them rather extensively to smooth them out before painting them.