Surly Moonlander Update; Favourite drive chain set up fitted and out on the coast

Having got my Surly moonlander bike back i have been reminded just how good a Fatbike it is  on the coast. With the wider available 5" wide tyres and 100mm rims it makes light work of soft sand and has massive grip on rocks. Just before i had to sell the bike 3 years ago i had fitted new tyres -Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.8" and set up with my home made `Split tube` tubeless set up i have eliminated pinch flats which was a major headache when running pressurses on soft sand as low as 4psi, then riding straight onto rocks. You can read about how i did this wheel set Here...

Since getting the big Moonie back i have been itching to change the gearing to the same 1 x 10 set up with stealth 22t crawler front chainring as i have done to several other bikes now. A used pair of shorter lenght (preferred) 170mm length Middleburn RS7 square taper crank arms would be used. The RS7 triple chain ring spider allowing a bash ring to be used - this is some thing that gets put to good use rock crawling and is something devoid on the latest crank sets. The state of the Bashring on the original Surly MWOD cranks proves this. The usual preffered parts were then sourced;

30t Narrow Wide Uberbikes front chainring, £18 (posted from Italy) JP square taper 100mm BB in a massive wide 164mm to match the standard Moonlander crank spindle that is 20mm wider than the 4" tyre Pugsley Fatbike. Shimano SLX 10 spd shifter, Zee Clutch mech, KMC zinc coated chain, and a Sunrace 40t 10 speed cassette, an affordable set up is not bank breaking for the wear and tear of coastal conditions, and gives a perfect gear range for the coast and if near any hills a quick stop and drop the chain onto the 22t front stealth ring and winch away. So best of both worlds; 1x10 with a well tucked in rear mech with the Moonlanders narrower (than other 5" fatbikes) 135mm rear hub,  no front mech to gather mud, and a real low gear for big hills away from the coast,

Cranks with all rings fitted, the bash ring i had on another pair of Middleburn  RS7 cranks and had been modded with a section ground away with the Dremmel to fit under the crank arm...

Frame is bad with surface rust-this frame gets serious abuse on the coast, a sand and repaint where needed with Smoothrite around here to do...

100 x 164mm square taper VP bottom bracket, these BB`s take a bit finding in the UK and i have been buying various lenghts from Europe all for under £20 posted, bargain and once the original bearings eventually go and are replaced with quality SKS bearings repacked with Graphite or Marine grease will last years....

Coppergrease is essential for beach riding with salt water exposure...

Perfect crank arm clearance both sides!...

Alloy Freehub is not ideal for its corrosive ability, and cassettes end up sticking on so Coppergrease again. A steel Freehub will replace this alloy one once it`s bearings go...

Nice Zee mech tucked in out the way for riding through rocks,  11- 30t top gear and chain tension is ok...

As it is on the 40t rear...

And 40t rear 22t front,

Stealth granny gear!...

And check the chain line in the centre of the rear cassette where i will mostly be riding in those gears, perfect!...

The 9 speed drive chain may end up on my original Pug if i can find a Pugsley width 100mm MWOD crank axle at a good price (£60 new), i budget build on my Fatbikes so needs to be used or as new (Sold never fitted), there is one out there somewhere!...

Midweek daylight rides are back on!
I finish work most days at 4pm and so there is now 2 hours daylight - growing a few minutes daily to go ride after work, and the clocks go forward this weekend so be 3 hours daylight after work and growing a few minutes daily now!,
I have more or less given up road commuting to work now - off road routes away from busy commuting times is more fun and you can get a blog post and some film, be it riding to work or as today a ride from work once finished with a bike in the van, love having a van these days!...
Today i  cycled along to Gullane Point and the Nature Reserve , although high tide around 6pm there is still loads of good coastriding to do and bringing the Moonlander i looked forward to some rock crawling, and the new drive chain is a perfect set up as  knew it would be, as it is also on 4 other of my bikes, so much more quieter than a 9 speed system with a front mech and no clutch mech, i cut through inland out of the strong westerly headwind and from Gullane car park rode out past Gullane Cliffs and dropped down onto the Reserve, stopping to grab a pic of one of my favourite views...

Out at the Reserve point and as everywhere else on the Forth Estuary there is loads of timber dumped off a ship in the North Sea at the beginning of March in a big storm a month ago, 200 tons or bundles depending which News you read!...

8 Go Pro pics...

1 x 10 with a clutch mech is so much quieter than the old 2 x 9 speed set up, no clattering chain on the chainstays!,

Quick to get in the right gear quickly i like it and the Mooine rides better for it...

Still plenty of cycling options here on the coast despite high tide...

A quick wee film,
Song is `Super Nova` by Le Pico


Surly Moonlander; Rock Crawling at Gullane Point; March 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

More soon...