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Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

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It’s been 14 years since the introduction of the original Surly Pugsley. 14 Years! Given the aging platform, we weren’t all that surprised when we found out that the Surly Pugsley would be available as a frame only and no longer as a complete at Eurobike 2016. However, that seems to have changed with the introduction of the Pugsley 2.0. More importantly, the Pugsley has changed too – with a few updates that may once again make it a popular option.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

In a world of super light carbon fat bikes geared towards racing, the Pugsley 2.0 is decidedly different. Geared instead to the touring world, the Surly 4130 Chromoly 2.0 has been built so you can haul your gear into the backcountry and get out if you run into trouble. That includes full fender mounts, rear rack mounts, and triple mounts on the top and bottom of the downtube, fork mounts, and an extra bottle cage mount on S-XL frames.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

That means that the frame still uses the 17.5mm offset rear end to allow you to build the wheels with a “normal” mountain bike hub. Surly has also brought back the matching offset fork theoretically allowing you to swap the front and rear wheels. The idea is that you can build the front wheel as a single speed or fixed gear to swap for the geared rear should you have a derailleur failure or a frozen freehub.

New to the frame though is the ability to clear up to a 4.8″ tire – though the stock bikes will include the new Surly Edna 26 x 4.3″ tire on MOBD 80mm tubeless ready rims. Surly says the 4.3s will fit along with a rack and fender, and they’ll also clear the narrower q-factor cranks with the chainring flipped on a 1x drivetrain and a 100mm threaded BB. Running a double or the 4.8″ tires may require different cranks, but Surly says that the option is there.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

While the frame ships with 135mm hubs front and rear, the rear dropout will actually clear a 142 x 12mm hub. The frame uses 10/12mm adapter washers on the “Gnot Boost” spacing to allow both 135mm and 142mm rear hubs. Obviously, using a 142mm hub out back eliminates the ability to swap the front and rear wheels, but if you are building up a frameset and want to use the centered Moonlander fork (needed for 4.8″ tire clearance up front), it wouldn’t matter anyways. That should result in a stiffer rear end as well which is good news for the offset design.

The new dropouts also include the dedicated Rohloff OEM 2 axle plate compatibility and special rack mounts. Putting a rack on an offset rear end is a bit tricky, so the mounts have been centered so that you use the outside mount on the non drive side and the inside mount on the driveside to help straighten things out.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

A horizontal dropout allows for single speed use, and the chainstays are 12mm longer to provide more heel clearance for winter boots and loaded bikes while also stabilizing the bike a bit when weighed down.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tires

Geometry has also been tweaked a bit to accommodate the bigger tires with more BB drop, 1° slacker at the head tube, and shortened seat tubes.

Surly Pugsley 2.0 returns as a complete touring fat bike with bigger tiresSold complete as a 1×11 with 135mm hubs front and rear, the Pugsley 2.0 includes mechanical disc brakes, and tubeless ready tires and rims – though you have to add the Surly tubeless kit for the rims to hold air tight. The bike also includes the new Surly Moloko handlebar in a nod to the more touring focus of the 2.0 for more hand positions and more stuff. Available in “Candied Yam Orange”, complete Pugsley 2.0s will sell for $1,899.

surlybikes.com

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kimbo305
kimbo305
6 years ago

Does Surly offer a fat bike fender that would use eyelets? The last product I knew of, the Big O fenders, aren’t made anymore.

DeafDaddy
DeafDaddy
6 years ago

I know I’m being subjective here and everyone has their own unique ‘taste’ but this is one eyesore of a bike. Sure it may be functional and is catered towards an (very) niche group of riders, but truth be told it is one appalling bike…

Laz
Laz
6 years ago
Reply to  DeafDaddy

Yeah I was thinking the same. Somehow I thought it would be more of an update. Not exactly groundbreaking.

mtb4me
mtb4me
6 years ago

Monsieur Subjective…you and your objectiveness are accepted;-) But just try to get the Surly “it”….

Technician
Technician
6 years ago

This is my browser fails or the front wheel in the third photo is angled?

Kenneth
Kenneth
6 years ago
Reply to  Technician

Read the article

cousin it
cousin it
6 years ago
Reply to  Technician

I am guessing that you are the only person that calls you ‘Technician’, right?

matt
matt
6 years ago

Purchasing this bike would be a mistake.

cousin it
cousin it
6 years ago

I appreciate that they kept the offset design, as it does provide a level of redundancy which is hard to replicate otherwise. HOWEVER, why on earth did they keep it at 135mm? you could do the same thing with 148 spacing which would provide for stronger wheels ( better for loaded touring) and importantly, a 148mm offset fork would be easier to get fat tires in and out of.

raymond
4 years ago
Reply to  cousin it

They kept it at 135mm hub spacing because if you are in other parts of the world, the most common and possibly only MTB hubs and parts you’ll find are 135mm.

Threeringcircus
Threeringcircus
6 years ago

Minor correction, I think…the new Pugs will take a 142mm or 135mm rear hub, but not 148, so I don’t believe it has Surly’s “Gnot Boost” 145mm spacing found on other models, like the Troll.

I love that the offset design was retained, which I’ve always thought was an elegant solution to running fat tires and makes the Pugs just that much cooler. I’m happy to see the character of the original Pugs wasn’t altered radically in the new version. The tweaks to the frame, particularly the option for wider tires are a thumbs up. If I didn’t already have a Pugs, I’d be looking hard at the new one.

Big Mike
Big Mike
6 years ago

How much is the new pugs?

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