Apocalypse Pugsley...

 

I have been looking for a WW2 BSA Paratrooper bike which I can fold up and sit on the front of my Willys Jeep...

Image from BSA Museum

They were a bit crude built and just steel pipe tubed with a single speed  and two big wing nuts which allowed them to be folded in half and went out the door of a Dakota or similar aircraft with an Allied Paratrooper in WW2...

These are real basic bikes, a bit crude and similar to a non folding bike of similar spec  to the time, right into the 1950`s and any single speed or 3 speed British bike of that period can be bought for £50 or a bit more, I have an old Raleigh Sportster in the garden painted Drab Olive, it even has a black out lamp I picked up cheap...

So when BSA Para bikes which used to cost up to £600 started appearing on eBay for £1800 and one recently for £5000 Buy It Now price!!! and another by someone which has obviously been a complete bike which the seller has split to sell to make more money appeared I thought stuff this! crazy money for a basic old bike, which may or may not actually have any military history - probably not if it is still in Britain...

So... I thought I could have some alternative fun instead...

I  own 3 of the original MK 1 (non drop top tube-top cable mounted) Surly Pugsley Fatbikes...

First was my original  2nd colour edition 2007 Thunderbird Grey bike - The 1st Fatbike owned in Scotland... Then a new unbuilt  first colour edition 2005 Purple Pug frame set I bought from Ireland, and then recently another Grey Pugsley from 2008 which i came to own via friend Chris. This bike had been given a very nice re powder coat in a metallic grey by Chris after he acquired it as it had lived a life with an Obree Bikes employee who had to ride it in their team colours, here is the colour when Chris bought it...

Aye it was an fugly one!... Lol!...

It did come to the UK though dressed in (very rare in the UK- prob only one other drilled pair on a 1st generation ( 9Zero7 fatbike) Alaskan Snow Cat 29" diameter x 55mm wide rim offset wheels after it was ridden in Alsaka on ice spiker tyres, not only that,  but this bike has also cycled the Tour Divide!...  So this one has been around the block a few times...

Chris had the bike returned to Grey and I gave him some fat wheels for it, which are still on it now which I also set up Ghetto split tube tubeless...

The bike has recently has Microshift Acolyte 1 x 8 which is a brilliant cheap strong budget group set for the coast...

With an all steel group set - a steel 32t narrow wide front chainring, steel 11-46t cassette, and pressed steel clutch mech on a KMC nickel plated chain,  plus bombproof twin wall original Surly Large Marge 65mm wide rims, with the original reversible wheel back up option if a mechanical failure with the mech or free hub, and loads of spares in the cave for these bikes I can run this bike for years on a budget,

I do of course ride a new Pugsley 2.0 with Moonlander wheels giving the widest  wheel and tyre option available as my go t Fatbike - G`s bike is the same set up, but I still need a 4" wide tyre Fatbike to use my Fat BOB trailer as it cannot take the larger 4.8" tyres on 100mm rims (Surly Moonlander wheels) that are on my Pugsley 2.0 bike so i will often use this bike, Add that I still have a set of full mudguards (Made in USA by `Big O Manufacturing - no longer available) and racks and lights etc it made sense to build a bombproof cheap reliable bike for winter beach riding including night rides as the evenings draw in  and give the whole thing a good rustproof coating...

So back to wanting a Military bike and having a stock of bikes I did what they say in the Military and i improvised...

3 cans of Red Oxide primer later...

Tyres masked after removing the grips, complete brakes and drive chain and adding Stooge Klunker bars it got 3 coats of Red oxide primer, then 3 coats green...

Think Fatbike, Rust proofed beach bike, Klunker bike, Utility Bike, Firewood trailer hauling Bike, metal detecting bike... that was the plan for this build...

Sniper tape added to the seat tube and bars where the Magic Shine lights mount, all removes parts got some matt black spray before adding, and my original Epic Designs frame bag and fuel tank bag added, which is a massive frame bag to carry extra stuff needed when sawing wood or metal detecting etc...

Out on it's first ride at the weekend and it's ace!, same bike as before - the plastic mudguards and alloy racks don't add much weight, while the 4" rise Stooge handlebars are a lot more comfortable - I have always said Pugsley`s have too low a head tube height and these bars take all the weight off your wrists and keep your back straighter...

Test ride successful I added some graphics and will do a bit more as and when needed for the bike...

Won a Surly Steel rear rack on eBay as need a stronger rack to carry heavier items which should arrive this week, it will of course get the Olive Drab treatment...

Looking forward to nightrides through the week now with lights on this bike ready, as it is dark around 7pm nowadays with the clocks soon to change  later this month...

I`m still looking for that shed find WW2 BSA Paratrooper bike at a real world price but in the mean time I`m going to have a lot of fun on this!

Hotchkiss Willys Jeep - make it your own...

Surly Pugsley Fatbike - make it your own...

I have since posting this a week ago bought a used Surly Steel rear rack on eBay and added this to the bike

having got the green treatment and being a lot stronger and direct mounted will handle loads a lot better...

Real happy with both these additions this year!...

More soon...