Surly Pugsley 2.0 aka PugLander; 1 year of Beachriding - Update of so far the best Fatbike/29+ concept bike yet...

 

It`s not quite 2 years since I got this size Large Surly Pugsley frame set 2.0 from Surly to build as a project from Surly HQ when I was recovering from Cancer... 

The Orange frame sets were the last Surly Pugsley version and were only available in one production run sadly , as they are definitely the best Surly Pugsley made yet - more why I think so in a bit, but it has been my go to beach bike the last 12 months after the first 6 months it having been built as a 29+ build for bike packing, in this guise the older Pugsley models had their bottom bracket raised a full 25mm fitting 29+ wheels (3" tyres), however the new Pugsley 2.0 has a lower BB for centre of gravity when heavily loaded for off road touring and it is also designed for 4.4" tyres that have a taller side wall than 3.8" referred to as 4" tyres) so it rides a treat 29+, I planned a lot of riding and camping with this bike set up but it never happened... as it would end up hanging in the garage not in use as the Covid Pandemic and lockdown hit the UK in 2019...

Surly designed the production complete bike to run 26 x 4.4" tyres both ends on 80mm rims with reversible wheels for bail out emergency's if a freehub or rear mech fails, or to offer different single speed gear options, a  feature of the original Pugsley concept... 

The new 4.4" tyre size that was introduced and filled the gap between the original 4" tyres (usually stamped 3.8") and newer 5" tyres (usually stamped 4.8"). The original 5' tyre that came on the Surly Moonlander was the Surly `Big Fat Larry`(BFL`s) and was stamped 4.7",   but it is actually the same size as these newer 4.4" tyres. You still with me?, right then,  the bike as all Pugsley`s do takes 29+ tyres but Surly said it will also take full 5" tyres front and back, though they said you will need to use a  Moonlander fork on the front and you may have to pull the rear wheel back a bit AND it is still able all gears to be allowed to clear the chain...

This is by the way with a Pugsley 100mm wide bottom bracket (BB) - not the 120mm wide BB that the Moonlander used to get this to work, and later the Ice Cream truck despite being symmetrical used....

Here it is with a pair of stock Moonlander wheels and BFL`s on it as a trial...

With loads of tyre and chain clearance i splashed out on a Moonlander fork and pair of 4.8" Schwalbe Jumbo Jims...

Buying the ugly but quirky offset Moonlander fork  a year ago allowed for full 5" tyres to fit front and rear as well as reversible (swappable) wheels...

The bike has proved in a year of coastal cycling to be my favourite Fatbike yet and the big Moonlander wheels eat up rocks and soft sand with ease...

Back to back riding the Pugsley 2.0 alongside my Moonlander that G used most of the Lockdown summer showed just how good the new Pug 2.0 design is,  with a higher headtube increasing handlebar height and less pressure on your wrists, and  increased standover,  perfect chain alinement (great thing also with the Moonie) while on a regular 10mm BB so no `John Wayne` bowed legs rubbing ankles on the cranks riding out the saddle like happens on the Moonie (noticed how polished the crank arms are on a well used Moonlander....).   The 142mm rear hub frame drop outs ( frames comes with spacers for 135mm hubs) also allows any type hub to be used from 135mm x 9mm qr, to 142 through axle, or the Shimano Alfine Internal Gear Hub (IGH), or more expensive Rolhoff IGH, making it truly versatile in Pugsley tradition...

Here is a film I made soon after the bigger tyre swap, see it eating up rocks of all sizes with ease...

After being real impressed with the ride of the new Pugsley 2.0 i was now searching for a Medium Orange Pug 2.0 frame for G and one eventually turned up (now here Pink Pugsley), and we had matching bikes with same parts which keeps spares stocks simple... 

I also managed to buy another size Large new Pug 2.0 frame set via Italy, which is squirrelled away as once these are gone there gone, this one will get built up as 29+ in the new year as I have the wheels sitting along with 10 speed drive chain and cranks etc......

After a good years beach use I decided to sort a few things on my bike. First was the wheel set I bought used via eBay, the rear wheel was laced wrong and with cheap spokes that are now rusting... 

See the gap between the spokes at the valve?, they should be parallel to allow your pump to fit in easy...

The front wheel spoke line is correct leaving a parallel gap...

Rusted cheap spoke kit with steel some nipples and steel spokes...

With a spare Surly Clownshoe 100mm rim and another Hope Pro 2 EVO hub I laced up a replacement wheel with white Halo spokes same as G`s bike...

Steel freehub is a better idea for saltwater exposure and easier to remove old worn cassettes which will dig into alloy free hubs...

Here is the only negative thing about the newer Pugsley 2.0 - the internal mounted rear brake calliper needs removed to allow the 5" tyre/100mm rim combo to be removed, also it is track to access the bolts you loosen/tighten to aline the calliper...

With the rear tyre off the older wheel I soon had it mounted up on the new built wheel using the tried and tested `Ghetto Tubeless` Split tube method, using a wrap of camp mat foam, then a 19 x 2.75 motorcycle inner tube which works perfect...

160mm of Stans Sealant added after tyre seated ok then re inflated and give it the `Stars Shake` , and done...

Trim off excess inner tube carefully using a new Stanley knife blade with a round magnet under neath to keep the blade away from the rim and tyre to leave a good finish...

Rear wheel done,  removed and stripped the front wheel and replaced with new white spokes...

One side...

Then the other...

Trued and centered in the fork using a cable tie...

Wheels ready, I removed, sanded, primed, then painted the fork...

Next day a second coat of orange then clear lacquer...

Fork fitted I ran a tap through the bottle cage mounting threads to clear the threads of paint...

Some fresh cables always freshen up a bike and some white Jagwire cables soon arrived via eBay and were fitted...

I also decided to try applying some Lanoguard Moto Spray on surface areas which usually get corroded in time...

And I coated the control cables in it as well as oiled the cable outers with 3in 1 spray using a Motorcycle control cable lubricator...

With the cables on I used a small paint brush and dabbled Lanoguard on the usual suspect areas I find Fatbikes suffer from externally...

Disc rotor bolts...

Steel inner chain ring and bolts...

Exposed cable and alinement spacers and mounting bolts on BB7 brakes...

Spoke nipples and valve, including the threads of the dust caps...

I put on a new set of Nukeproof riser handlebars while at it as at £24 from Chain Reaction Cycles (CRC) are good value, G has these same bars on her Pink Pugsley and I like the bend. I also fitted a new Madison Flux saddle and all done...

 

Out for a spin with G on her Pink Pugsley 2.0

Wee film of our cycle... song is `#3` by Aphex Twin,

Back home and there was not much sand stuck to the Lanoguard I had applied to stop corrosion on exposed surfaces, and it washed off easy enough with the garden hose...

Some thoughts on prepping...

If starting a Fatbike build again - and I still have another Orange Pug 2.0 frame set I can build - I think I would prob spray inside the frame tubes with Lanoguard as they sell what is called a Wand - a 360 degree spray nozzle for chassis box sections etc, and externally spray around the bottom bracket and seat stays behind the seat post tube as this is where surface rust always starts. I am going to do this first on the Army Green Pugsley as it is a kind of test bed to see how clean it stays and if sand and dirt wash off ok...

What I am trying to build is a completely rust free low maintenance coastal cycling bike...  I have worked out the parts that work well and last, and how to stop things siezing with salt water exposure using Marine Grease and Coppergrease over the years...

The Lanoguard treatment liquid and grease could be the ideal Beachriding preparation solution for here on the East coast...

Ideal for riding in these corrosive conditions...

Wee film from yesterday, song is `Grey Horizon` by Jaytech Feat. Melody Gough

More soon...