Older Pugsley - worth $750?
 

Seems like a pretty good price as long as the bike is in good condition and fits me. I'm taking a look at a grey/brown/black one tomorrow. I think it's 2013 or earlier
Any thoughts on whether that's a good price? Also, are there any trouble spots I should look for -- other than just basic bike part conditions?
Thanks

Tires are the cheapest thing to replace, so check the wear. Look at the brake pad wear, not that pads are expensive but to make sure there is some left so they haven't damaged the rotors. If you have a chain-stretch tool (or set of calipers) you could bring that and check the chain as well. If the existing owner has run the chain > 1% "stretch", the next time the chain is replaced you might need to replace the cogs and possible a chain ring or two, which can add up $ fast.

The Pugsley has very old outdated standards (135mm rear hub etc.) and is a heavy steel pig. It is basically an attempt on a fatbike before they built actual fatbike hardware.For the same price or less you can get a fatbike from bikesdirect with the (older but better than a pugsley) 177mm TA. Better get one with 197mm TA for up to 5" tires.

Other than that, condition of all wear parts and bearings may be good or bad depending on what it was used for. Like for any other bike.

The compromise to use 135mm hubs limits tire width and requires an odd asymmetric wheel dishing....which is why no one uses that old standard anymore.

Given what is available nowadays, $750 is too much.

If some one else buys it they were OK with the price...
you can sit and watch, if its unsold long enough, maybe the price will be cut..

Typo on my part, I meant "aren't the cheapest thing to replace", which as you can tell fits better in the my first sentence. My brain gets too far ahead of my fingers at times. :-)

LOL! I totally get that! And correctly stated, fatbike tires are big ticket items. Did you get this Pug?

That's my feeling, the Pug doesn't have the high-end components, but they are cheaper/easier to get upgrades/replacements.

My Pug is heavy, but that doesn't stop me from riding and racing, and loving it. I've had it on narrow single-tracks, uncut summer ski trails, cyclocross,
frozen lake races, snow races, gravel races (short and ultra endurance), ...

It's not sexy, light, or new, but there's nothing wrong with a Pug as a workhorse. It's the start of the mass-produced fatbikes and has a great history.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2fc92a719a.jpg

I'll likely get a CF fatbike next year*, but I will not stop riding and loving my Pug!



* I downsized my house in 2018 to open up budget for more important things ... bikes!

Thanks!

I had a GoPro running on that race (thankfully, I opted for the 30-minute race instead of the 45-minute) - enjoy the grunts of hulking a Pug over the barriers :lol:

And nobody buys them anymore and I haven't seen one on the trail in over 2 years. They are history.

Surprised Surly even stays in business anymore.

I damn near pulled a muscle laughing at this post! OMG!

You're not from 'round here... are ya? Surly could be a very successful brand with Minnesota business only. You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting 5 Surly bikes.

Here's the new Surly Pugsley and guess what, it's not the single-track focused bike .... it's designed for touring where other bikes will not go - you know, like the Arrowhead 135. Let me know when you bring your fatbike up to the Arrowhead, OK?

I'll put my Pugsley up against anybody's fatbike (or gravel bike), and most of the time, I leave them behind.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0b8c6dfe64.jpg

2018 Filthy 50 - photo credit Markman Outdoor Photography

I live in WI. About 3 hours from QBP / Surly. I am from around here.

They used to be a thing when fat bikes came on the scene. Now they've fallen so far behind...their fat bikes aren't relative anymore. Like I said...hard pressed to find one around these days.

Nobody wants a heavy steel bike. The rest of the industry passed them up with better bikes.

The fact that you can "leave someone behind" has nothing to do with the bike. It has to do with the physical fitness of the rider on the bike.

Feel free to come to the Twin Cities and make the same statement ... you might be 'close' but you're not here - you're likely closer to Trek than Q.

Steel bike are very relevant, depending on the riding you do. I want steel bikes (I must be nobody), I have three steel bikes: one classic & two new bikes. I ride these heavy :rolleyes: steel bikes long distances on demanding races/rides. Comically, I see most people ride their big $$$ CF bikes DNS or DNF on the same rides.

Thank you for the compliment on my fitness :)

I wonder if the industry passed up steel fatbikes (or steel in general) because the public will spend much bigger $$$ on CF bikes? (I don't hate on CF, I have CF bikes in my house and look to add more)

Oh ... and don't forget, Q also sells Salsa, you know, like the CF Beargrease. In other words, Q is smart enough to play in both markets and not be 'left behind'.

Yes...over in the Twin Cities there are a lot of "hipsters" devoted to Surly. I get that.

Used to see a lot of them around here at one time because that's all that was available. Now they've been sold off by their owners and I don't see them anymore. Even the local dealer that used to stock Pugsleys dropped them because they don't sell.

No they did it because aluminum and CF is lighter.

Yes...I do know that.

I'm still laughing about weight-weenies with fatbikes ... it's like the Bizarro World.

Your opinion is duly noted. But your opinion is just that, your opinion.

Local bike shops don't stock Surly so now nobody can buy Surly (reminder: this can cut both ways).

I go back to my statement in post 13 - Pugsley is not designed or intended for fast single-track riding, it best suited for long rides on the road less traveled. Based on your posts, it appears you don't use your fatbike on endurance ride, so you'll not likely see the value in balancing the reliability of steel and the additional wight. While out on self-supported endurance rides, you need to carry a lot of gear with you ... you'll never be 'light', so there's a bigger focus on reliability. It's been a great balance of me. Many of the riders I leave behind on races ... they're dealing with mechanical issues. My Pugsley, it's never forced me to stop on a race.

In case you're not clear on this, I don't hate on CF fatbikes, I'm planning to add a Beargrease to the stable, it'll be for single-track riding - it's the right bike for that kinda riding.

I do trail rides and races with my fat bike. It's a CF fat bike that weighs 25 lbs.

My previous aluminum fat bike I did some endurance rides...50-100 mile gravel races.

I've ridden a Pugs...the geometry never appealed to me. Plus it was heavy.

Yeah, how can a business keep setting one industry trend after another and still stay in business? :foo:

What happened to your glove?

Took it off so I could eat, left it off until we got to the headwinds ... Then I put the glove back on and went hungry.

+1

They started the industry trend. I'll give them that. Hats off to Surly. But they are no longer a trend setter.

But in the big picture of fat bike sales they (Surly bikes not QBP) are irrelevant. There is a only a small dedicated group of people that buy them. Like I said...I haven't seen one on the trails in over 2 years of traveling the different trail systems of WI and Upper Michigan. Nobody rides them because there are better lighter bikes out there.