Surly Karate Monkey Update Pt 2; Drop Bar conversion

Nearly there on the build, Sunday was spent at home tinkering most of the day in the man cave.
Waiting for friend Colin to pop round to re lace the rear wheel i got the gears on.
Bar end shifters on...

Mechs and cables...

Rear not trimmed yet in this pic...

Taped in place...

Cable protector thingy that came with shifters taped onto the drops...

Some some bar gel pads on the lowers...

Colin arrived and soon laced the wheel...

Final true in the bike...

Waiting on Surly `Monkey Nuts` to arrive from the nice man Charlie Bikemonger so until they arrive used a Surly chain tug to pull back the rear wheel 10mm to clear the tyre/rear mech...

The easy way to use Shimano chain rivets, an old spoke works as a third hand while you install the rivet...

Front triple chain rings on i aligned the mechs- then trying out the gears i could not get enough pull on the front mech to engage the big ring. Mmm... bit of head scratching then dropped out the Bottom Bracket and remover the drive side spacer...

Better now but still struggled to shift onto the big ring, and the cable will stretch in time...

Answer = fit an Avid cable brake barrel adjuster to take up some slack on the gear cable!, sorted!...

Err just make you cut the correct cable first... Oops!, what a plonker!, that just cost me another inner cable lol...  fixed with a Sram cable joiner...

The Karate Monkey 29er has a great chain line, just like the Pugsleys and Moonlander, out of the 27 gears you can use more than half with a good 5 rear gears on each front chain ring...

Bar tape on, gears and brakes working...

Some bar tape around the top tube to protect the frame from the bar end shifters...

Nearly done...

One thing missing for commuting, a rear rack for my panniers when needed. I used a regular 26" MTB   £15  rear  `Revolution` rack i got for the Pugsleys at Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative . I swapped the flat front mountings for some tubed ones i had lying about as they look neater but the stock one will fit fine...

A 6m nut used as a spacer and the guard stay clears the calliper and cable...

A cheap lightweight front rack again originally bought for the Pugsley was added. Amazon have these racks in stock but there nearly £30, i only paid around £14 for mine on eBay, do not see any in stock in the UK this now, buit if your looking for one google; Sunlite Gold Tec Front Bicycle Carrier

The original mounts i removed ,and a DIY fork mount was shaped out another rack mount, and i used some stainless  P Clips on eBay.. to fasten the rack to the Fork having removed the rivots and canti brake mounts to fit it to an offset Pugsley fork. P clips were also used for the front mudguard stays as you can see in the pic blow. The rack is not that strong but and it will do fine for work clothes etc...

28mm P clips for the rack on the upper fork leg (same diameter as a Pugsley),
20mm for the lower P clips where the mudguard stays are attached...

Ready for commuting, detours home off road after work, and general roughstuff cycling around the county and further afield on the Wind turbine maintenance roads across the Lammermuir hills...

Surly Karate Monkey 29er update...

You may remember i bought a another Surly Karate Monkey frame set in April...

It was an ex demo from UK importer ISON. I bought it as i sold my red KM to build another after being disappointed with the Salsa Fargo frame set i built up, you can read all about that and the Monkey Here. Read the comments after and you will notice how much love there is for the Karate Monkey... -:)

Or just watch the film, this is exactly what i had in mind for the bike... -:)




So i pinched the rear Hope Pro 2 hub, monkey nuts for the drop outs and gears for the KramPug as it is so fast and makes it more versatile. With more roll and comfort with 29+ it kind of replaces the Karate Monkey for trail riding around here in East Lothian, so the Monkey is going to be used for a new roll in the fleet. It will be my winter night riding bike, single speed with the GATO mud tyres it will be great on muddy trails around the local woods near my house and night rides with friends at Pencaitland, and being single speed it can be put away dirty, ridden to work the next day and then cleaned in daylight and lights charged.

Friend Colin popped round the other evening and laced the Surly single speed hub onto the 29er rim, I made him coffee while he worked away, and err i had a cider and watched...

He soon had the wheel laced and trued then tensioned it then gave it a few more tweaks until he was happy with it...

An old tool of the trade, his Raleigh spoke key which he reckons has built hundereds of wheels...

Something new i learned tonight, the wheel was that perfect it always spun to a stop with the valve hole at the top, Colin says this usually only happens with road wheels...

Another day at work then home and i got on and finished the Monkey... KramPug was 32/18 gearing. 29er tyre diameter is a bit smaller so i fitted a 17t Shimano BMX sprocket along with the Surly 32t chain ring and chain from the KramPug...

I had a Surly Tug Nut chain tensioner when i had an Alfine 8 speed internal gear hub, but it was not really that good on that application. i loaned it to friend Mike who was not using it so got it back to fit this bike, this is perfect, i have a quick release tool free single speed hub so i can quickly drop the wheels to put in the car in winter if i want...

Finished...

Nice and simple,  still to get another 25.4mm 90mm stem as the 100mm stem fitted (from the Moonlander) makes the front a wander a bit, and another pair of flat pedals. Also going to refit the 740mm bars as these 720s i fitted thinking it would be better for in woods i did not like after a quick spin, rather just slow down a bit through the trees and have the bigger bars...

Friday half day it threatened to rain at any moment so i nipped out for a spin for an hour or two...

Here's a shop that you don`t hear advertising much about fatbike related stuff these days,

Brixton Cycles sell Surly Bikes, and they had one of the original few that came in to the UK, It is still going and single speed and was at Forth Fat with owner Pete...

Along the JMW to North Berwick...

Horses going on the Law soon, same as Traprain...

A new pond...

See the guy walking down the closed path that is signed not to use due to erosion?, what an arse!...

Down in North Berwick and chatting with friend Eddie, no sign of the traffic warden... -:)

The things you see in Vans...18" Surly Krampus frame box... -:)

Quick visit to see dad then back home as it was getting real dark and the heavens were about to open very soon,  Gorse being cleared around the Law...

Old bottle top...

Flat out home and just caught in the rain as i got in... -:)

Wild evening with sideways rain...
Fire on, some tunes blaring, and some Henry Weston 8.2% Cider... bliss...

The big Surly Moonlander has not been out for a few weeks, been riding the Pugsley and the KramPug, sitting looking at me from behind a pile of bikes in the living room (where all your good bikes should be!) glaring at me... better take it out to the beach tomorrow and do some dune surfing and rock crawling on the big beastie...

Another Big Sky Day...Golf Coast? - yes, but also nice for 29" wheels...

The Endless Summer continues...
Been some amazing skies last week as the thunderstorms have moved on and been replaced with little fluffy clouds...

Midday high tides this weekend and English holidays mean busy beaches of day visitors, and it was windy, very Windy!, so a day on local trails where i could keep out the wind a bit.  It would not be much fun grinding into the strong wind on the single speed SURLY KramPug, then have to just sit freewheeling with the tail wind, so i spent Saturday cycling local trails on the SURLY Karate Monkey 29er...

Monkey mischief... -:)

Down to Gullane Village for ice cream. It was Gullane Games day...

There was a lot of folk there with their kids that i know but only seen a couple of them in the crowd, so ice cream done (choc chip and vanilla double) i rode to North Berwick on the John Muir Way...

It was really windy, here is how windy it was...

Flickr film

Pics done i rode the trail to Yellowcraig, then returned back up to Dirleton Village and cycled it again as it is riding so nice this now, a sweet bit of single track...

Fantastic sky of fluffy clouds...

And listened to The Orb on my Ipod... -:)

Expect to see combines out next week... -:)

The Rowen Tree, Folklore says they were often planted on routes to stop travellers getting lost. also they were planted near doors to buildings to ward off witches here in Scotland. There is a door in the high garden wall to to the House across from this tree... -:)

Gravel grinding...

Next week is Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick...

More on that next week, sailing boats already arriving for the week...

Went and seen Dad at the Nursing home, Mum was there too, then with the strong westerly wind i tacked back to Gullane using tracks around fields and through woods to keep out of the worst of the wind...

Long days when the weather is like this i could cycle forever, be nearly 40 miles by time i get home today...

Back along the sweet single track after a few laps around the woods of Yellowcraig..

Good fire wood! ...

Gullane...

Must be getting fitter, up Whim Road on the middle ring. And one of the best views in East Lothian, still windy though!...

Flickr film

Perfect...

And so is this bike, Oh the red pedals are off the Moonlander, Slim Jim plastic flats which used the same axles as Superstar etc, but half the price at £20 inc P&P on eBay. The gears are going onto the KramPug sometime soon and the Monkey will be Single speed for winter gloop and night riding...

Big wheels and no suspension are all you need for off road here in East Lothian, be it 2, 3, 4 or 5" tyres...

29" rocks!... need a sign saying  ` Welcome to Scotland's 29er Coast`   -:)