May Day-Or is it Xmas day?

You could wash your face this morning in the early morning Dew soaked grass, or swing fire things about as they do on Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh this evening to celebrate May Day and the end of Scottish winter as is tradition  here on the east coast...
But this evening the May 1st is more like Xmas day for myself as i have just had a visit from a good friend who gave me some gifts which i cannot say thank you enough for....
Scotland`s second Surly Pugsley owner Gary emailed me to say he was having a clear out and wondered if i was interested in some bike stuff,  free to a bike loving home as he could not be bothered to sell it...

Gary was waiting in his car when i rolled around the corner home on the Cross-Check and while i put the kettle on he unloaded his car and has left me all this! :)

This is a classic British tourer that i have always wanted to one day own, i am still pinching myself!...

all drive chain is there, brakes etc...

And a load of other stuff, Alfine Drop bar paddle shifter levers...

Chainrings, track cogs, lockrings...

Ergon grips...

2 Old Man Mountain racks ready to fit Pugsley,  and the Dawes rack...

Avid disc rotors...

Bottle cages, seat post and bars for Francis`s green Pugsley...

Bar bags, two of...

29er Crud Catchers...

And a pair of Surly `Rabbit Hole` 29 x 50mm rims, with 3" `Knard` tyres and tubes, and rim tapes...

Really cannot thank Gary enough for this and i will hopefully one day have something to give to him that puts as big a smile on his face as mine this evening!  :)

More soon...

Brooks Cambium Saddle

I have quite a few bicycles, and a few have classic British made Brooks leather saddles, made right here in the UK in England since 1866, one of the few remaining British products.
I own an old 1950`s B66, 2 1960`s Professionals, and 4 B17s that will probably all out live myself...

Saddles for life for a daily cyclist, and something still made from a classic engineering past of out country that the everyday man can still afford. Some things work so why change them?...

 Pt 1



Pt 2



All of these leather saddles are great for cycling-except in extreme wet weather conditions, and as i found also for coastal cycling with salt water saturation being leather, until now...
I just received one of these from Wiggle after seeing one on friend Mikes Pugsley at Forth Fat last weekend-a waterproof  Brooks saddle!, not made in the UK this new model but still hand made with fine detail...

Made in Italy this saddle maybe a move with the times for Brooks...



Just the job for my Purple Pugsley...

Loads of stuff available by Brooks along with saddles...

More soon...

Another new bike coming from Surly

The guys at Surly have been busy again and released a far away pic of a new bike that is undergoing testing!

On twitter Surly said;
"They said it couldn't`t be done. Well wait and see what we have come up with"

Er this -:)

So what is it?,  looks like a 29er wheel with 3" fat tyres?
like a `big fat Karate Monkey`.

Update!
More pics appeared on line today, looks a big fat 29er indeed!...

Over on MTBR just like before when Surly released the test pic of a bike called a  `Moonlander` us geeks got all excited, a similar pic released has caused a multi page thread on MTBR Forum on ideas and just as interestingly readers ideas of what they would like to see/own and ride. And everyone has a different idea on what they want out of a bike - which is what makes bikes so great, they are a personal part of your life.
The thread link to this bike is here;    Clues to Surlys newest Bike

One of the things i like about Surly is they listen to joe public and what they like to ride. maybe it is why they have a loyal following, also their bikes are so multi task with many rack mounts and drop outs that allow any rear hub set up - geared/singlespeed/internal gear hub etc...

And they are steel, good old 4130 Cro Mo steel, it does what it says on the box and does not cost the earth, so you can afford several bikes and still go to the pub -:)  steel is real you know -:)

If this is a 29er or 650B semi fat tyre bike then the real true `sports fat` bike for xc riding has arrived soon.
A lot of people including myself ride fatbikes on trails, some build light and expensive fatbikes solely for this purpose. On One are developing a fatbike aimed at a new `fat trail` market with a fork rake more akin to a regular MTB supposedly. Each to their own but it is the slower steering geometry of snow bikes which allow you to get away with murder on regular trails in wet/slippy conditions as well as rolling over drops etc...

My own 29er is what i regard as a `Sports fat` - a half way house between a fatbike and a regular MTB,
a Surly Karate Monkey 29er with 47mm wide Kris Holm Uni cycle rims and 2.55" WTB  tyres that can be run as low as 18 psi, yet has been near impossible to pinch flat with the wide rim set up.
But what lets it down is steering that needs to be a bit slower so the front is not as twitchy, esp on wet roots and rocks. a fork angle the same as the Pugsley would make this bike close, real close... Maybe i can cure that with an offset headset?

 It is way better to ride than with the original regular 29er wheel set of 32mm rim/ 2.25 tyres.
But unlike a fatbike with 3.7" tyres you can bomb along the roads between trails with a lot less effort and climb hills out the saddle without the squirmy feeling of a full fat bike, but these are just my own findings riding here on the coast in our local conditions...

And that is the (tyre?) rub with bicycles now, we are spoiled now and all bikes are `niche`, designed for a specific type of cycling - gone are the days of doing everything on one bike...
If a bike company does not create a need for a bike, which is marketed by magazines, we do it ourselves via like minded people on the Internet, it`s great! -:)

3 non regular bikes by Surly, all are multi purpose in design,  but all `Mission Specific` for my own riding requirements here in East Lothian;

Semi fat 2.5" tyre Surly Karate Monkey  29er,
4" tyre Surly Pugsley,
5" tyre Surly Moonlander...

So do i really need another bike?, no, would i have another bike if i can justify it? hell yeah!
Along with a want for a Surly Disc trucker to use as a road/commute/pub bike.
If this new Surly is a fatter 29er with a regular 73mm BB and has wider xc light 3" tyre`s then it should roll well and have massive grip, and if it does have a slow er steering head angle ala Pugsley has then this could be a great fun bike to own for regular xc trails, damn i need another bike! -:)

Hardtails rule...

Back in 2005 i built a Kona Cowan signature jump frame in a size large up into a fun hardtail, here is a pic of it at Glentress with a rather skinny race snake looking me 6 years ago -:)


I built the bike up with the then new out Rock Shok Pike 140 coil fork (set to 120mm travel), the metallic red frame looked ace with bling gold trimmings from Hope - hubs, brakes, headset, stem, seatclamp etc, XT 2x9 gears and a pair of Maxxis High Rollers and it stuck like glue on berms,
That aluminium frame was rock solid with no give and pounded you once tired on rough trails but on smooth stuff like Glentress it absolutely flew and has to be one of the best bikes i have owned, because it rewarded you the more effort you put into your riding...


I even did an uplift day on it at Innerliethen and rode the then newly opened Matador Red Bull run - but that was getting a bit silly, but it could do it,
In 2005 the Cove Stiffee was the `must have` hardtail frame according to magazines, i rode a few at Glentress and i don`t think they were a sniff on the Cowan, and they were £500 too, the Kona was £299...
I sold the frame after 2 years to help fund a 5 inch full suspension frame, something i have regretted ever since...
Times move on and i rarely go to trail centres now, even though there only an hours drive away down in the borders,
Most of the parts are now on my 29er bike, and the forks are on my old Cannondale Uber V, now my only full suspension bike...


I have not ridden the Dale in anger since last May, when i did a solo ride around Innerliethen XC route, i filmed all the descents riding non stop, a feet up clean through the black section of the rock garden (9 min 18 secs on) proved that even an 11 year old suspension frame can do the business when needed, was glad to reach the bottom in one piece after a flat out run, on the edge, and hang the bike on the back of the car...


So its time to hang up the Super V frame (again)...


Its been fun riding it but i just don`t need a full suspension bike for riding around local trails here in East Lothian...

In fact i don`t think you need suspension forks on a 29er for around here, and once the Suntour forks explode on the Karate Monkey its going back to the Ridged fork.
26" bikes need a fork, esp if you want to razz em through roots or down at Glentress.
This is the second strip down of the old V for a hardtail frame swap, i bought an On One 456 back in June 2010, it was fun to build up and first rides proved fun...


But it was what it was, a £160 frame, it rode fine, did its job , and that was it, i liked it but had no real urge to grab it first out my bikes to ride,
Anyway friend Paul fancied it and bought it to replace his GT Aggressor alloy hardtail,
I swapped the frame over for him and riding his GT around the square outside the house beforehand i liked the feel of the GT, though i thought the Marzocchi forks fitted were a bit too tall, as was the long stem, anyway as it worked out i ended up buying the GT frame from Paul, and we were both happy!,
It has been hanging in the garage, unsure to strip the old Dale again or not, until now...time for another build!...
The GT came with a front mech, seatpost shim and QR clamp so everything was a straight swap...


3 hours spannering and a couple of ciders later...


Before hand i ordered some stuff from Superstar Components, i already use there Flat `Nano` pedals and sintered brake pads and cant fault them for the money...
The Pike fork has a short steerer tube cut for a 4" headtube so i used a Superstar zero stack headset to allow fitting an old school DMR 70mm conrod stem i had...


I also fitted a Shimano LX cassette, a 32t chainring and chain which at £45 from Chain Reaction Cycles is again a bargain, (8 speed is even cheaper!), New Superstar Nano pedals in red to match too!...


This bike has some of my favourite parts that i have had for a long time, like the 05 Pike forks, STILL NEVER SERVICED! -:)...


I bought these red Hope Pro 2 Hubs soon as they came out, they are still on there original bearings, and this one has a super loud freehub!,
The Hope Mono mini brakes i bought new for £240 the set in 2004, they too have paid for themselves over and over, they are still on there original pistons and seals and disc rotors...


Race Face Diablous Down Hill seatpost and DMR seat, i bought these back in 2002, still going...


This bike will mostly be used for riding around the Pencaitland trails with friends in the Winton Massif...


But if we get a 3rd proper winter then it will be fitted with these that i got last night...


£80 the pair (with a £10 voucher) from CRC, to those non cyclists that may sound a lot, to myself worth every penny, oh and half as much as pugsley tyres at 2 for £90 -:)...




Cant wait to ride across frozen ponds at work...on the back wheel...


Hardtails rule, keep it real with st, er alloy too... -:)
Should be a fun bike, maybe not as good as the Kona but it feels close,
Here is the man himself from back in the day, John Cowan, on the original orange frame... Oh that GT that Dave Wardell is riding is the same XCR frame as the Aggressor,