Thanks for the input Clifton, i have also been looking at the Mukluk as well. There is a shop near me that carries both Salsa and Surly so I will take a look at both at the same time to get a better feel
funrover: I will be using the pug on dirt trails in and around the lakes and parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Trails usually are dirt with rocks and tree roots in some areas and wide open smooth dirt trails in other areas. On the rare occasion it snows I will def take it out then...
Mithrandir when i decide between the diff options I will post some pics.
Gravity most of the time i will be off the pavement so I am looking for more of a dedicated trail bike. However when I looked at the Nishiki website they had some pretty sweet bikes so you may have opened my eyes further to other options.
I will post pics as to what I purchase in the next few weeks... Thanks for the input everyone!