Big Dummy: My Build
 

Thought it might be more pleasant to not hijack vik's or anyone else's Big Dummy Build thread and start my own.

Perhaps my early adopter actions and ramblings will help someone...

In all, I intend to keep my comments as brief as possible.

WHY am I building a BD? Two main reasons:

1. I want to use my vehicles less. I live too far from work to commute, but what I can do is put a BD on the road and stop using my big bad Tacoma for dumb little errands and short trips: groceries, hardware, bank, bowling, the gym. You get the idea.

2. I've always wanted a touring bike, but always hated the frail appearance of road bikes. They lack...beef, brawn, a utilitarian look and function. Furthermore, I've always wanted a touring bike that could haul me cross country. I know that many hundreds of standard touring models have carried better folks cross-country before, but when the Dummy first appeared, I knew I found The One.

The cost of the build will take a while to offset in fuel. To me, worth it.

Build List: Wheelset
 

Here's my wheelset part list. I'm really excited about the Rohloff factor. Should be ready in a couple of weeks:

Front Wheel
Mavic EN321 Disc Rim 32 Hole
Surly Disc Front Hub Black, 32h, QR, IS 6-bolt Disc
DT Swiss Champion Spokes Drive-Side Black, 14 Gauge
DT Swiss Champion Spokes Non-Drive-Side Black, 14 Gauge
DT Swiss Nipples Brass, 14 gauge, 2.0mm, Black
Laced 3 Cross, Both Sides

Rear Wheel
Mavic EN321 Disc Rim 32 Hole
Rohloff Quick-Release Disc Speedhub 16t Cog 32-hole Q-R
DT Swiss Champion Spokes Drive-Side Black, 14 Gauge
DT Swiss Champion Spokes Non-Drive-Side Black, 14 Gauge
DT Swiss Nipples Brass, 14 gauge, 2.0mm, Black
Laced 3 Cross, Both Sides
Rohloff Speedhub Rotor: 160mm — I'll probably use my existing Hope brakes, front and rear
Rohloff OEM2 Axle Plate

Looks like my weekend will be spent pulling apart my Santa Cruz Heckler for parts...anyone want a black medium Heckler with a big ass Zocchi fork?

Additional parts for the Dummy, which are probably getting yanked from my Heckler*.

- Thompson seat post
- Chris King no logo headset
- Hope disc brakes
- Terry Fly seat

*For newbies: Surly keeps sizes for most of their stuff pretty universal, which makes migrating parts to Surly frames easy in many cases. Take my ol' Santa Cruz Heckler, for example. Most everything is a perfect fit for any Surly MTB frame. Gotta love those crazy kids at Surly...

Sounds good. I'll be interested to see some pics when you get that baby on the road.

BTW - I think you'll need a set of tandem length Rohloff cables due to the length of the BD.

Fancy! It sounds like the Rohloff is a popular pairing with the Xtracycle. I can't blame you either.

Disc Brakes: I'm leaning towards the Avid BB7's since most users claim they're easy to work on. I have to admit...I ain't mechanical. My Hope's have been reliable, but if they broke...I'd be clueless.

Any thoughts on the notion of running BB7's on a Big Dummy? Thoughts on BB7's in general? Am I bat crap crazy?

Avid disks are much easier to work on than my Shimano units, I would recommend them. I've worked on a friends bike equipped with these, and they're much easier to calibrate.

I am using BB-7 discs with 160 mm rotors on my current Xtracycle equipped MTB. They installed easily and they have been trouble-free with tons of stopping power. These will be making the move to my BD when it arrives (soon I hope). I went with mechanical discs because I can get a new cable at any bike shop, whereas hydraulic stuff might be harder to find in a pinch.

Thanks to both of you. John, I've been thinking the same way: Easy enough to stow an extra cable or three in case of emergency. Otherwise, with a busted hydro system, I'd be in Fred Flintstone mode on my BD.

The BB7 is a good choice for cheap/effective/reliable.

Have you sourced the BD frame yet? I passed on my spot in the xtracycle buy because I didn't like the build, but now I'm getting nervous about actually getting my hands on a frame. Xtracycle mentioned that they had frames to sell, but not in my size.

I did source it: Speedgoat.com: 888.545.GOAT

My 18" is pre-ordered through them, and if you're nervous about getting your hands on a BD frame/fork, I'd call Chris and the gang immediately.

Don't mean to be a drama queen, but I do believe that this first batch is going to be gone VERY quickly, and my Spidey-sense tells me they'll be here any day...

For the record, I don't care for that build either. But I am considering using Xtracycle's recommended bar.

According to an extremely reliable source (my favorite LBS), Big Dummy's are at Surly, and have just passed QC. Should be moving out to dealers in a few days...

Sweet!..:p.

I have a fantastic relationship with my not-so-local bike shop (NSLBS). I deal with a LBS in Colorado and I've asked him for information on the Big Dummy for a while. A month or so ago I gave him the heads up that Surly stated they were out of the factory.

Today I got an email telling me that the QBS inventory now shows Big Dummy inventory. They are going fast, though. He was amazed, too. When he sent me the email telling me that he saw the inventory, there were 50. When he got my email confirming that I wanted it he told me there were 18 left in inventory. I don't know if that was for my size or for all sizes but he was pretty shocked.

My 2-cents on the BB7. These are great mechanical disc brakes. I have them on my Kona hard tail and they served me well for XC riding using 160mm discs. I moved onto a full suspension bike last year and decided to use the Kona as the donor bike for my Big Dummy.

That means the BB7 brakes are going on.

I've got an original set of Avid mechanical discs [essentially BB7s] that are over 6 years old and going strong. I also have a new set that are performing well. The BB7 is my go to brake if I want to run discs.

BTW - I stared a Big Dummy/Surly Xtracycle Google Group if any BD owners want to join and talk about how they are building/setting up and using their BDs.

Sweet. Thanks for the heads up. I am curious what people are putting on and what they're going to use for kickstands.

Yikes. Well, to those of you reading this that want to join the cult...better grab the koolaid 'cause Reverend Surly's batch is goin' FAST!

Thanks for another nod on these, Santiago. Sounds like I'm definitely movin' in the right direction.

Dang, dude. Six years is a good long loyal time for a piece of equipment. Best I've had was a 7-speed Shimano group that I abused for over 12 years. Gave it away in very good working order last year.

Anyway, great to know about your BB7s.

Schweet. I'll wander over...

Over in the Mountain Biking forum we give it our overall stamp of approval for mechanical disc brakes. For the most part we are all on disc brakes and there are only a few that still stick to rim-brakes. The general consensus is that the BB7 are by far the best of the mechanical bunch. I had a set of mechanical Shimano disc brakes that didn't hold a candle to my BB7s.

My suspicion is that the BB7s will serve well on a decently loaded Big Dummy, but I obviously won't know until I get to try it out. The other key thing is to get a decent set of teflon coated brake cables.

Well, we've got evidence that the Big Dummies are in. One guy picked his up from his LBS in Surlyville and posted a picture of it on the stand in his basement.

So, only a matter of hours or days 'til mine's at Speedgoat.

We are friends with a couple who rides and deals full suspension tandem mountain bikes (daVinci Symbiosis). Those bikes come with hydraulic discs, but they replaced them with BB7s and swear by them. I've piloted the tandem a couple of times and also have BB7s on my single bike, they are fantastic. One of my favorite pieces of bike hardware, reliable, durable, and practically zero maintenance.

Looking forward to pictures!

Please link us, I need to devour any and all dummy tidbits as they come out!

btw... BB7s are amazing brakes, and the avid speed dial levers are amazing levers. Simple, well priced, well built and great support form the company.

And at $50 per brake, why would you put anything else on your bike? I was skeptical about discs and I lucked into the avids on my MTB purchase in 2001 and never looked back.

Behold, brethren...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kstoerz/

What tires are those?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/...878126.jpg?v=0