Dakota82

Hello, everyone~! How's the Summer time coming along?

I am on look out for what would be a decent bike for Winter cycling this year. I am looking for a non-suspension mountain bike that can accomodate at least a rear rack, if not both a front and rear rack.

I thought I would just go ahead and check out Surly's 29er Karate Monkey but, I was disappointed to read that you can not do disc brakes and a rear rack at the same time. Not that it has to be disc brakes but, does this mean that you can not do regular brakes and then mount a rear rack? Is it possible to do a rear rack at all with the Surly Karate Monkey? Is there any other brand of Mountain bikes anyone might recommend for Winter cycling? I did a crappy-cheap-target-bought Magna last Winter and it just fell apart on me.

Well, look forward to reading your replies~ (^_^)

Loving Kindness,

Dakota82

wolfchild

The rear braze ons on the karate monkey dropouts are really meant for the fenders , not a rear rack. What you can do instead is get a front rack or a wald basket for the front. Or get a different frame. Surly Troll, Crosscheck are more suitable for mounting racks. Personally I prefer the front racks or baskets, I don't really care for the rear racks, the steering can be a little funky with a lot of weight on the front, but that's ok, I am used to it by now.
There is one company called Old man Mountain, they make front and rear racks to fit on just about any bike, but their products are expensive.

electrik

It's an ok ride... most guy put the rack on the front since i think the surly fork has mid-mounts for a rack.

Kona unit... do you want a mountain bike for a reason - there are hybrids which might do.

Dakota82

Thank you for your reply and suggestions.

I probably will not go with the troll because it is not offered as a complete bicycle but, I definately will keep the cross check in mind.

I just wanted to ask, how is the Pugsley for speed? Does the larger tires really slow you down? Well, I guess I wont know until I try. ::Sigh:: I just can't decide what bike I should do for Winter cycling. I pretty much am just looking for a decent mountain bike, studded tires, and can accompany front and rear racks or at least just a rear rack.

I am thinking for a Trek Mountain bicycle if they do not cost too much like, 4K. Any suggestions for a good Winter bicycle?

irclean

Pretty much any bike will get you through the winter if it's well-equipped and well-maintained. People here ride on everything from road bikes to recumbents during the winter. Having commuted through some tough winters I've come to the conclusion that MY ultimate winter bike will have relatively narrow (35mm) studded tires to cut through snow and bite the icy pavement beneath, disc brakes, an internally geared hub (IGH), belt drive, and fenders. A 29er like the Karate Monkey equipped with fat, aggressive studded tires would be overkill for me, but would make a great backup bike for those really hairy winter commutes. Ditto a Pugsley.

My winter warrior:

wolfchild

What type of area are you riding. Is it a rural area ? Is it a big city/urban area ? Gravel and dirt roads ?
If your winter riding is out in the rural area, then a 29"er with big agressive tires makes sense, or maybe even a Pugsley. A mountain bike frame with a rigid fork and big tires is a good choice if you are riding out in rural areas where the roads can be very rough in winter. Now if you are riding in a big city then a bike with more skinny tires would be a better choice. Stay away from those fancy and expensive mountain bikes with suspension. All you need for winter commuting is a basic frame with a rigid fork and braze ons for racks and fenders+ lots of clearence for bigger tires.

Captain Blight

You totally can use the KM as a winter bike,and you totally can use the stock eyelets for fenders; you just need a spacer to get them out past the disc calipers. A length of 5mm alu tubing works like a champ.

TruckerMike

Sorry for the delay in replying to this thread, but thought the OP would interested to know the 2010/2011 Karate Monkey has two sets of rear eyelets: 1) A pair on the seatstay, above the disc mounts, and 2) a set at the dropout as in past years.

The 2011/2012 Monkey also has these rear braze-on's. On the fork, there's no mid-blade eyelet, you can always order up a Fargo fork from Salsa and substitute it, giving you all the mounts you could ever want.

I don't think the other posters in this thread were trying to steer you wrong, they just hadn't see the current model year KM when they posted their 2c.

Mike (2011 KM owner)