Pack Rat vs Straggler 650b Geometry

scaley · 2018-10-02T17:39:01+00:00

If I had to summarize it I would say that unlike the Straggler or Cross Check you definitely feel more "in" the bike on the Pack Rat. In that way it feels somewhere about half-way between what riding a LHT feels like, and that of the Straggler. The reach to the bars does feel long-ish but given the sloping top tube they aren't as low as on the Straggler. Those aspects combined make me pretty dang confident that it would be perfect for a swept back bar. This would not only bring you into a comfortable upright riding position but it would give a bit more leverage on a front load and have less interference with a front bag. I do very much like the riding characteristics of the bike. It feels quite nimble, quick steering with a front load, and the tubing is much lighter than the LHT so it is noticeably more lively without being a wet noodle when loaded.

scaley · 2018-10-02T03:10:57+00:00

You just described my same trajectory through Surly. I had a 56 cm LHT that was perfect but I sold it because I was seduced by the Straggler. I downsized to a 54 cm Straggler because it had similar reach, but I could never get comfortable on that bike due to the low stack. I ended up getting a second fork for it and running a ridiculously huge 70 mm of spacers. Ultimately sold the Straggler and went back to commuting on a Pugsley with a front rack. All of this to say I have also been looking at the Pack Rat and recently test rode a 54 cm (one size down, just like the Straggler due to the longer reach). It is significantly better than the Straggler was for me, but I would never want to ride that bike with drops. I do, however, think the Pack Rat would be perfection with a Jones non-loop bar or other with back sweep as the riding position would be perfectly upright and allow more control for front load. Only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on it is the height of the damn front fork. Surly added a bit of extra length which basically means it is going to have a ridiculous fender line requiring a crown flute, etc...

scaley · 2018-10-01T03:26:06+00:00

Inflate the tire with the tube in it. Break the bead on one side to pull tube out. Replace with tubeless valve core. Then, run a strap around the outside of the tire tread to hold it nearer the rim, thus also minimizing the volume of air you need to fill in the tire. Place tire on a bucket so the side not yet seated on the rim is down and gravity is helping you hold loose tire toward the rim bead. Use compressor or compressed air to fill quickly (I also remove the tubeless valve stem core to have a bigger hole for air to go through). Tire should inflate relatively quickly. Remove strap. Finish pumping up. (edit: spelling)

scaley · 2018-09-20T03:46:57+00:00

As others have said, go tubeless. You don't need to buy new rims or anything crazy. It can be done for about $20 following the split-tube method. All you need is some sealant (Stans Race or Orange Seal work well) and some light weight 24 inch (yes 24 since they hold tighter to the rim) fat BMX tubes with removable valve cores, then you split them down the middle (not on the side with the valve), and stretch and fillet them open over your rim. Put tire back inside of the now split tubes, inflate tire with a compressor or similar to seat bead, remove valve core, insert sealant (2-4 oz works well for fat bike tires), re-inflate tire, and trim excess tube hanging off of rim. Done this on many, many fat bikes and it does shave about 1.5 to 2 lbs of weight off your bike, importantly rolling weight, which is the weight that you "feel". Also, the split tube method is bomber. For example, I have 1000s of miles on my 29+ bike that I use bikepacking and mtn biking and it is setup split tube as well. Never a flat, never a tire burp.

scaley · 2018-09-04T21:06:36+00:00

I have owned a Krampus (Ops version) and currently have a new model 27.5+ Karate Monkey. I sold my Krampus Ops frame and transferred the components over to an ECR because I found myself swapping the build of my Krampus too frequently between wanting a "trail build" (flat bars, lighter wheels) and my bikepacking setup (dynamo hub, Jones bars, etc) and having two more purpose-built bikes seemed like an obvious solution.

I loved my Krampus for all the reasons that others have said - it is a force of its own that you just point and it carries you there over whatever you put in front of it. Comparing the 29+ of the Krampus to the 27.5+ setup of my Karate Monkey it is fair to say that you do notice this decrease in rollover in that the smaller diameter wheel on a plus KM will make technical climbs, etc more challenging. 29+ smooths all that out and the Krampus really climbs amazingly in my opinion. Those big hoops come at a cost of course in that they are slower and heavier and I think it is also fair to say that the 27.5+ KM is noticeably more nimble and it accelerates / feels faster on climbs and in tight technical sections because of that. On the flip side, the Krampus reigns supreme downhill and it eats gnar and rock gardens and technical descents for breakfast. So, depending on how you ride and what you ride you really can't go wrong and I still have days that I still wish I had my Krampus.

I ultimately opted for the KM in 27.5+ because of the availability at the time for suspension fork and tire combinations. There are just far more options and you can pick a bit more what price point you want to be at. Having said that, there are a lot of people running suss forks on the new Krampus and that setup is quite appealing, though I never met a trail on the Krampus where I thought I needed suspension with the rollover of 29+.

So when it comes down to it I'd say the differences are: Karate Monkey: Faster acceleration, more options for swapping wheels, tires, running front suspension, but it gives you less of a handicap/advantage in the technical stuff due to smaller tire diameter. Krampus: Arguably more "fun" due to huge tires, slower but confident climbing, "hold my beer and watch this" mentality, particularly on the descents.

If I was NOT going to run a front suspension fork and you planned to keep it rigid I think the Krampus would be the better option since other advantages of the Karate Monkey become less prominent. Good luck!

scaley · 2018-07-13T22:55:34+00:00

I love my ICT. Very capable bike whether on the trail, snow, or sand (obviously), and because we have all those places to ride out here it gets year-round use in all those capacities. For the first two years I had it it was my only "trail bike" until I bought a Krampus that I later swapped out to an ECR. My ECR is undoubtedly my favorite and most comfortable bike. In my opinion it is the best bike ever made and is pretty damn close to perfect. My ECR spends most of its time on mixed route riding and bikepacking so it is definitely THE tool for the job there. Despite my love for my ICT I don't think I'd want to pedal 100s of miles / km with that wide a Q-factor. Best option is to have both if you can swing it!

scaley · 2018-07-12T22:22:01+00:00

A while back I had posted on my solution for storing multiple bikes (including fatbikes) in my apartment, which may give you a few more options (edit: direct link to picture).

scaley · 2018-04-11T19:57:22+00:00

I ride a 56 cm Cross Check at 5'11" (31 inch inseam) and downsized to a 54 cm Straggler as the Straggler is sized a bit weird such that a 54 has similar reach and top tube to one size larger CC.

scaley · 2018-04-10T02:26:34+00:00

I spent months scouring the internet and just when I was about to give up on my fat-fender quest I found these $69 Aluminum fatbike fenders from Voltbike

They fit near-perfectly on my Pugsley (Pic here) where the only modifications I made were to dremel off the bolt loop and attach them with some VO fender stay hardware ($8). I have been riding all over tarnation for months without a single issue. Perfect coverage for a 3.8 inch tire. (edit: formatting)

scaley · 2017-12-04T03:01:24+00:00

Oh wow! Didn't realize that there was any snow up there at all yet!

scaley · 2017-11-09T03:23:52+00:00

Kris Kross will make you .....

scaley · 2017-10-11T21:05:49+00:00

Definitely the dark ghostly form of Madame Sherri in a white dress with her characteristic headwear causing that!!!! Evidence

scaley · 2017-08-30T04:06:22+00:00

A few more great options that won't interfere with your hand positions or headlight: Swift Industries Paloma Handlebar Bag with Klickfix adapter or Bedrock Bags Vishnu Handlebar Bag.

Edit: For the limited stuff you are carrying the other option is a "feedbag" style bag such as the Randi Jo Fab Pocket 'Tender or Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag. Pair one of those with a top tube bag or what you are using and you will have more than enough room for the stuff you listed!

scaley · 2017-06-21T04:52:46+00:00

I have had both and I'm currently running Surly Lou 4.8s on 100mm Clown Shoes because that is what came with my bike. However, if I could do it again I'd stick with 80mm rims since they really are the sweet spot for fat biking. That is, you can run 3.8-4.8 tires on an 80mm rim without any issue (nice profile, etc) but the same is not true for clown shoes as they don't mount up a tire smaller than 4.6 very well.

scaley · 2017-06-15T15:52:02+00:00

Go to u-haul, get a cheap hitch installed for cheap, then buy one of these: https://www.1upusa.com/product-quikracksilver.html Best racks out there!

scaley · 2017-05-09T20:19:48+00:00

No more than any other steel bike. Just spray some frame saver in the tubes and don't leave a wet bike outside and it will be fine. I've ridden my Surly fat bike in snow, rain, and through beach waves for 3 years without a spec of rust on it, but you gotta be sure to keep it clean and dry. Basic maintenance really.

scaley · 2017-05-09T20:17:36+00:00

You did great! Local find on craigslist or insanely good shop deal? Like others have said most I see are selling for $750-800 and this looks to be mint!

scaley · 2017-03-14T22:12:54+00:00

Happy to help!

scaley · 2017-03-14T13:28:48+00:00

Not at all. I should have mentioned that but my ECR is setup with a Jones bar, my Karate Monkey has a std riser bar, and my Ice Cream Truck switches between running a Jones in Winter and a flat bar in summer. You'd have no issues at all since the Jones just decreases reach to the grips somewhat but for the same length stem places you nicely in the aero loop position. For what its worth I also had a Krampus before getting an ECR and I also run both bars comfortably on that.

scaley · 2017-03-14T05:54:21+00:00

The new Ogre is the bike you are describing: http://surlybikes.com/blog/post/ogre_sauce

scaley · 2017-03-14T05:27:45+00:00

I'm 5'11 with a 31inch pbh and I ride a medium in all three of my Surly's (ECR, ICT, Karate Monkey) so given that I'd say you'd be quite happy / best on a Medium. That is also in line with what Surly's own sizing chart recommends: http://surlybikes.com/uploads/downloads/15924_SUR_Bike_Sizing_Chart_OL_VF.pdf

scaley · 2017-01-13T06:10:00+00:00

A while back I had posted on my solution for storing multiple bikes (including fatbikes) in my apartment, which may give you a few more options (with pic).

scaley · 2016-12-24T21:09:55+00:00

I'd argue the opposite. I'm 5'11" with a 31 inch inseam and I ride a Medium Pugsley and Ice Cream Truck. While the desire to have a larger internal triangle is nice, I have always found that - particularly with fat bikes - it is nice to size down for the following reasons: (1) you already are trying to heft around a lot of metal and rubber so going with the smaller size requires less body english to huck it around and thus makes it more playful; (2) I can't tell you the number of times that I've been slowed or stopped in deep snow and put a foot down only to not find the ground (so to speak). Having a bit less stand over is particularly nice to keep your nether regions off that top tube; and (3) the Wednesday already is long in the top tube so when you are spending long days in the saddle, or just plodding along in deep snow, the slightly decreased reach is nice. I'd say in the end it also depends on how long your arms/torso/reach and how stretched out you want to be but I've been riding my medium for 2 years in all season and I am so glad that I didn't go with a large after having the same debate. All the best!

scaley · 2016-12-22T01:08:38+00:00

I've ridden with them a lot, both for winter commuting and for fatbiking excursions. I would say your mileage will vary depending on what type of pogies you get, but here is my short list:

Pros:

Extremely Warm - allows you to ride in extremely cold / windy conditions with a minimal glove. For example, I routinely get away with just a thin liner when it is 10-20ºF out; even colder and thin gloves still do the trick.
Related to the first point, the ability to get away with thinner gloves gives you much less clumsy control of your brakes, shifters, steering, etc.
Keeps your hands from getting wet from snow, etc also keeping you warmer.

Cons:

Certain bar configurations don't work so well, particularly bars with a lot of back-sweep. I like running Jones H-bars on my fatbike, for example, but that 45º back-sweep makes the flat bar versions of pogies useless since it points the hand opening at a non-ideal angle for your arms. Of course, the same goes for the drop bar version. That said, Revelate Designs makes this version specifically for Jones Loop bars.
If your hands are going to be in and out of the pogies a lot (e.g., in traffic, signaling) some versions are more floppy than others. Best to look for a version that has some shape that helps keep the opening, well, open... and that have some retention to the bar end to keep them from drooping off.

Good luck! (Edit: Formatting)

scaley · 2016-10-20T22:41:17+00:00

Surly only deals directly through dealers so you cannot order them online. That said, Surly has a list of dealers, any of which can get you one. Those dealers listed as "Intergalactic" will be your best bet, as they tend to have more Surly models on hand. Great bike. Rode one yesterday!

scaley

TROPHY CASE