Pugs Update

Bottom bracket, cranks and pedals.

More drivetrain parts on the way.

Later.

Break On Thru

After much consideration, I finally decided to go with a SRAM drivetrain for the new Pugsley. Unfortunately Shimano simply makes it too difficult because they don't participate in the fat bike market.

The first thing I purchased was an Eagle GX Dub crankset.

Unfortunately, I did not realize all my Shimano bottom bracket tools are not compatible with the Dub cups. To the Internet!

Tool ordered, but it won't be here for a few days. Oh well, I had one more thing I could do.

One of the things that drove me nuts about the old Pugsley was rear wheel removal. Getting the cassette past the derailleur with the horizontal dropouts was a nightmare that usually ended with greasy hands, a little blood and a lot of profanity.

The new frame alleviates this, but only if you use a thru axle. This allows the wheel to be dropped out vertically rather than horizontally.

Luckily my rear hub is a DT Swiss 350, which can be converted. The new end caps were simple to change out and I have a new appreciation for the modular design of DT Swiss hubs (although I am still a Shimano hub fan at heart).

So it was a short day in the shop, but I am ever so much closer to a running bike.

Later.

Bicicleta Gorda Anaranjada

I starting building up the new Pugsley this morning. Unlike the old one, this one actually looks like a mountain bike.

Compared to my old medium Pugs, this new large frame has a shorter seat tube, longer top tube and longer head tube—all good things.

The handlebars are just a placeholder for now. I haven't decided what to use, but it may well be another pair of Jones bars.

The rear end takes either a 135mm QR (currently, with Surly adapter washers) or 142mm thru axle. I am happy to have a DT Swiss 350 hub in back so I can easily convert it to a 142mm thru axle with new end caps. This will make wheel removal much easier, which has historically been a huge hassle on Surly bikes with newer Shimano derailleurs.

Speaking of Shimano, I have not decided how to approach the drivetrain. I have an XT 11-speed setup ready to go, but an 11-42 is lacking gear range for a fat bike. You can put a tiny chainring on the front to compensate, but then obviously lose some high end. This bike will eventually have another wheelset built for it so I can use it on vacation like I did with the old Pugs. A 32-tooth chainring is the smallest I want. So maybe Sram Eagle is the way to go.

Later.

New Pugs

I just ordered a new Pugs frame. As I mentioned before, I kept the offset fat wheels and tires from the old one, so it won't take much to build up. I bought it for 25% off, which is nice.

The new model addresses the issues I didn't like about the old one. I moved up to a size large from the previous medium (they shortened seat tube lengths), so I will feel much less cramped. Should be fun.

Later.

Thinning

The Pugs is gone.

I probably hadn't used it in fat bike mode since Roger and I rode on the beach in Monterey, and that was Christmas of 2017. I enjoy riding a fat bike in certain situations, but this particular bike wasn't my favorite. The geometry is weird and outdated.

I substituted a bunch of parts I wanted to be rid of, so there wasn't anything on the bike I was in love with—narrow bars, long stem, 10-speed drivetrain, torn seat, creaky seatpost, heavy tires, really old brakes.

I kept the most expensive part of the bike, the 26x4 wheels and tires, so there is still the possibility that I build a new bike. I am looking at the new Pugsley numbers in an effort to determine if they corrected the things I hated about the old one.

Later.

Fat Bike Forecast

Our fat bike correspondent Roger checked in with the fat biking conditions out at Folsom Lake.

"Conditions are mostly sunny with 100% chance of wood."

Costco No

"I hate my new fat bike. It steers funny and I keep crashing when my foot hits the front wheel. Fat bikes suck."

Well, it might be because you spent 170 bucks on it, which is less than what a good pair of fat bike tires costs. Also, one of the meat butchers assembles the bikes at night. And he put your fork on backwards.

MD6+7

Yesterday Jenn needed a recovery day between rides, so I went out for a quick 20 before dinner. It was foggy and cool.

This is a guy we have seen a number of times who we call Sockman. Yes, those are socks on his hands. I fear if asked, he would give you a really creepy puppet show. In his pants.

There is an ocean out there somewhere. And probably a guy with dirty socks on his hands.

The breeze picked up near the end and helped blow the fog out.

Today we decided to ride around 17 Mile Drive. You can see the route here. Along the way we saw some baitfish boiling on the surface of the sea. This is usually because predatory fish are hunting from below. We stopped to watch the birds hunt from the sky for a while. Very cool to see.

A breeze and the king tide made for some spectacular views.

The king tide occurs in January when the Earth's orbit passes closest to the sun and the moon is either full or new. The January new moon occurs tomorrow, so the water is higher than we have ever seen it.

Even though I have done it a number of times now, I still have a tough time believing I get to ride along this beautiful ocean.

Taking a short break at Bird Rock.

As we wound around the route and headed inland, the terrain became more hilly. After a while we popped back out near Pebble Beach.

Here we are stopped at the Lone Cypress, which is said to be the most photographed tree in North America. Therefore, I refused to take a picture of it. I am not a follower. So you get yet another ocean shot.

As we reached the outskirts of Carmel, we turned inland and took on a tough 2.5 mile climb. After that we descended into Monterey and finished our ride.

For dinner we ate at Peter B's again. The food was great, the portions huge, the beer awesome, and once again the waiter very nice. Highly recommended.

Tomorrow morning we head home. It was a wonderful and much needed vacation, but I am looking forward to getting home and seeing the family. I am not looking forward to work . . .

Later.

MD4+5

Friday was a quiet day free from bikes. We walked, had coffee, went to see the film American Sniper, and walked through the aquarium.

I liked American Sniper. A lot. I cannot say for certain if it was a great film because I tend to love every project Clint Eastwood touches. I really need to see the film again and watch it from a reviewer perspective rather than from a fan's. Regardless, I do think this is another war movie anyone who never served should see, especially young people (if they can pull themselves away from their iPhones and sense of entitlement for a couple hours).

Even though we knew Chris Kyle's fate going in, I have never exited a quieter theater. Ever. Dead silence. Nobody said a single word.

We walked a few blocks to the aquarium in a somber mood, but for me that faded quickly as we entered the facility. We really love the aquarium, which I guess is why we are members. We are not rich by any means, and we only contribute the minimum, but if feels good to be a small part of something great.

We talked to a volunteer docent and asked about all the dead sunfish we saw a couple days ago. She told us it was not uncommon to see dead sunfish wash up. The seals and sea lions like to play with them and unfortunately they are not built to be Frisbees for marine mammals. The good news, she told us, is that a female lays so many eggs that juvenile fish are fairly plentiful.

We ate at a place called the Green Artichoke. I can't really recommend it.

Today we rode north on the bike trail. Being the weekend, trail traffic was dense around town, but after a few miles it thins out.

We did a little exploring on the way back.

Here Jenn flies down a descent.

It was probably the coolest day so far, but not bad, somewhere in the low 60s.

We finished up with dinner at the Indian restaurant again. I really like that place.

Later.

MD3

After owning my Pugsley for over three years, I finally had the opportunity to put the fat tires in the sands along the sea.

We started from our hotel and rode along the bike trail past the wharf where we hit the beach.

The sand near town was fine and dense, making it easy to ride on.

As we rode farther north, the sand became more course, and that made it tougher to ride on.

Here I am setting up for a timer shot.

It was pretty difficult to time it right. Either I would have tough time getting back to the bike and moving or Jenn would.

It made for plenty of laughs.

I almost ran over a Flock of Seagulls. Fortunately they flew (and ran) so far away.

This is a sunfish, which in adulthood is the heaviest bony fish. They can weigh over a ton. Unfortunately we saw a dozen dead ones washed up on the shore. The gulls eat the eyes and fins and leave the rest. It was a real downer to see them. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium it is one of our favorite fish to see.

Almost back.

Jenn's front tire had a slow leak. After pumping it up, I nicked my finger on the disc brake rotor when I removed the pump.

For dinner we went to Peter B's, which is in the Portola Hotel. Unlike the Cannery Row Brewing Company, they actually brew their own beer. The place was packed, which surprised us. The food was good and so was the beer.

Another fine day. Later.

MD2

Today was a very mellow, slow-paced day. We started off with a nice 11-mile walk north along the bike trail and through the town of Seaside. We had coffee, did a little shopping and had some fish tacos for lunch.

On the way back I took a picture of this big sand dune. I think it would be pretty cool to ride the fat bike down the steep face of it.

In honor of our Mexican food lunch, we took a siesta after we returned to our room. Naps are a real luxury.

In the evening we went for a little ride south along the water.

Jenn was still a bit congested, so we kept it short.

Our color coordination was NOT planned. We are generally not one of those couples, although it isn't uncommon for us to both be sporting beer-related clothing.

Anyway, she was in my borrowed jacket, so it doesn't count.

After our sunset ride we showered and headed into town for some Indian food, probably my all-time favorite thing to eat.

Another fine day of vacation.

Later.

Monterey Day 1

We're here in Monterey for a little vacation. Jenn is getting over a cold and opted for a lower-impact walk, so I was going solo today.

We brought the fat bikes and a second set of 29er wheels so we can vary our riding. I recently purchased a set of Surly Rabbit Hole wheels for my Pugs. I went with a low tread 29x2.25 tire, so they roll pretty good on the pavement.

I headed north on the trail, which was going into a pretty stiff headwind. I hate headwinds.

Still, I'm on vacation, so even though it was slow going, life was good. See?

The end of the trail is a little over 13 miles from the hotel. Once I made the turn my speed increased significantly. It seems rare, but sometimes in life you do get a tailwind.

There are opportunities to jump on some trails here and there. They are typically sandy and slow, though.

Almost back to the hotel.

A nice, scenic 26-miler to start the trip.

Later.