Saturday 8 November 2014

Pugsley`s Updates- Do not panic! (Updated 11th, 13th)



Quite a few friends emailed surprised i was selling the Mk 1 Purple Pugsley...

Do not panic!



I have indeed sold the bike last week to another local lad called Ali who makes this really nice chocolate...

Panic over;
The Purple Pugsley is quite special being the original production fatbike, but, it is not my original frame which was the Grey frame currently on the KramPug 29+,
So i sold the purple bike with the plan to buy a brand new Pugsley frame to put on the KramPug as with the 29+ wheels the stand over height is a couple of inches higher and it needs a drop top tube frame for crotch clearance!...

And i want to restore Scotland`s first fatbike to it`s original Grey and similar build that it did most of it`s 6000+ miles racked up when i used it daily for nearly 3 years, then when i bought the frame back used it as a second 4" tyre fatbike...
Here it is when new!...




The bike originally had 9 speed gears with a cool bash guard. I would like to run it with a Shimano Alfine 8 speed IGH (Internal gear hub) again as i did for nearly a year to suit it`s future role....



Recognise that other Pugsley in the picture?, well keep reading...


Try finding another used frame set...
Secondhand Pugsley frame sets in medium size rarely turn up for sale, most folks keep them, so i had settled on buying a new frame set which would mean an in line front fork-not ideal for my offset wheels...

Stroke of luck;
In the last few days i also chased up and contacted friend Neil who bought friend Gary Buckhams first Pugsley-Scotland`s second Fatbike,  and was selling it through lack of use. I thought it was sold but Neil still had the bike,
I picked it up this morning...

This bike was originally Pee yellow, here is a pic of the Mk 3 Pugsley when they first came out in late 09 for 2010...


Scotland`s 2nd Fatbike;
Gary got in touch, then visited my house around 18 months or so after i built my Grey Pugsley, interested in building a big beastie too.
I did not hear from Gary until a year or so later one day riding along at Aberlady beach he cycled along the other way...





I had a visit from Tommy from the Netherlands a few months previously and we rode the coast on a cold wet Febuary day,,,


Apart from Tommy and his Grey Pugsley i had never seen another Pugsley...

After 2 1/2 years riding alone on the coast i will never forget that day another local Pug appeared on the coast when Gary came along, after 2 1/2 years on the coast cycling alone i had someone else to ride with!, They had started to breed...


You can ready the blogpost of that day in May 2010 Here...


The Plan;
So instead of just a new frame set i have a complete bike for around the same money!, It has got the dropped top tube and off set fork i wanted , a frame bag that fits this frame, and i now have another Alfine 8 speed hub...

The plan will be to strip this bike asap and get the frame powder coated black and swapped onto the kramPug 29+ Pumpkin Pugsley...

When i say restore the original Grey Pugsley i don`t mean `totally original`- There are a lot better tyres to run up front now than the original 60 tpi Endomorph!

Really looking forward to riding the bike again back as it was- had some real fun micro adventures on it, like the amazing winter weekend snow ride of December 2009...


-18 Celsius midday!...



And it would get even colder the following winter!,

More on doing up the bike next week. It`s Saturday and time to go ride on the coast...

Update 13th Nov;
On holiday this week but not much time for cycling a getting the Multi fuel stove installed. Turning out to be a bit of a bigger job with a whole new system to plumb in!, boiler and everything!..,





With friends helping i am working on bikes while they fit me into to their days work,

KramPug 2 replacement frame set update;
Got to work on the replacement frame set before it goes for powder coating.
I ground off the canti brake mounts and rear canti brake cable routing pipe...






And bought a Rivnut tool and a pack of Stainless Steel 5mm Rivnuts to add some bottle cage mounts...


Some on the down tube for tools later when bikepacking...




And on each side of the fork...


And having the time, and Patience not  being tired after a days work, i laced up some of  the offset Pugsley wheels from spare hubs and Surly Large Marge rims and 262mm spokes that i have been stock piling in the man-cave...


Alfine hub gear, single speed, regular derailleur gears...


The re built KramPug will have 3 pairs of wheels;  3" 29+,  and 2 pairs of regular 26" x 4" fat with  Larry tyres, and a pair of Nates, sorted...
I will be sticking with Surly Pugsleys with offset forks- and reversible wheels as my 4" Fatbikes for the foreseeable future, As i have said before despite all the other options available in the 4" Fatbike world the Pugsley is still a perfect 4" Fatbike for around here on our trails and coastline with it`s hub and wheel size options of 29+. 29er, and 4" Fat,  and as i blogged before;

Surly Pugsley; Still Fit for Purpose

More soon...

2 comments:

  1. So the 1st Pug in Scotland was a Mk2, and the 2nd a MK3?
    You Scots are a bit slow on the uptake! ;^)

    ReplyDelete