By blackmountaincycles,
Filed under: Uncategorized
Some of my parameters that went into the build were based on using parts I had and getting a more sit-up position, not easy my seat knows it’s raining before the average height person. The largest Big Dummy had a tall enough front end that I could get the Nitto Promenade bars up in a nice comfy spot with a 130mm Titec stem I had laying around.
The other part I wanted to use was a set of old Shimano XT forged cranks and a first gen XTR front derailleur. Grrr – problem there. The Big Dummy has cables routed for top pull front derailleurs and I didn’t have any other front derailleurs in my private stash that had the right combination of seat post size and compatibility with the chainrings I wanted to use. Welp, it wasn’t going to get finished that day because I had to wait for a nifty Problem Solvers part – a clamp-on pulley that allows a bottom pull derailleur to be used with top pull cable routing. Pretty brilliant idea.
Got the bike build finished but still couldn’t figure out how to transport my cargo, which in my case is my 55 lb. dog Sport. Initially, I built an open top box out of plywood, but it was pretty heavy and even with Sport’s harness clipped to an anchor, he could wiggle out of the box. Then it was back to my initial thought of bolting a pet crate to the deck (which was fully secured to the Xtracycle rails). After a few test rides, I think it will work perfect for our one mile commute.
(What’s playing: Tom Waits Soldier’s Things)
0 responses to “Surly Big Dummy – Sport edition…”
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Sweet ride, I'm very jealous and that pulley is cool too.
I have a 22" Pugsley that fits me like a glove but I was surprised how low the front end was when I purchased the largest size Cross-Check (62cm). I've had to put an ugly high-rise stem on there to get the bars anywhere near seat height.
I'd love a Dummy myself but the budget's not there at the moment, especially living in NZ. I may start out with an Xtracycle on the back of my current commuter MTB and see how much use I get out of it.
A one mile commute? Shouldn't a dog called "Sport" be running beside the bike for a bit of exercise? That's one spoiled mutt!
I know what you mean about the front end heights of bikes. I still need to use a riser type stem on my 62 as well. Since I'm use to the old 80's rise stems and LD stems for drop bars, the rise stem on a contemporary bike doesn't bother me.
Sport could definitely run the 1 mile to work very easily. However, when the commute means being on Highway 1, not a good mix with the cars. Before I open the shop, he does get a run on the local trails – every day, twice a day. But, yeah, he's spoiled.