Ride Anywhere: Pugsley, the Bicycle SUV

My bike guru tells me that disc brakes are not a good idea for winter riding; salt gets into them and wrecks them and they are very expensive to repair. Good old caliper brakes are higher on the bike and so simple that the salt can't do anything to them.

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Writers note: I guess the Pugsleys are primarily designed for offroad use, where salt is much less an issue. But in this case the the frame is also set up to accommodate cantilever brakes.

However, caliper breaks lose their "springiness" under a certain temperature. After riding my bike all over Ottawa for a full winter, the breaks were shot. Granted, temperatures easily hit under -20 C, and I don't know how many other people would ride under those conditions.

I'm no expert but surely being a disc system the brakes are located in the centre of the wheel, farther away from the salt on the rims.

A cantilever system operates on the rim which gets wet and salty much easier.

People hang up their bikes in winter for good reason: how safe is it to bike in winter, with ice, snow, and out-of-control drivers making things even more dangerous for the winter biker than for the summer biker? I broke my leg this past June on a dry day on a dry sidewalk; I am simply not brave (read: foolish) enough to ride a bike in winter.

I disagree on the disc brakes in winter comment. If you ride with cantilevers or calipers in salty (gritty) conditions, you will just wear out the sidewall of the aluminum rim. I have worn though rims over time with sandy grit on the pads of cantilever brakes. Disc brakes may also be affected by salt, but they also stop much better in those conditions. I think they are the better choice for winter riding. Besides, cars use them on salted roads without any major problems, right?

Rim Brake don't work well in the wet, and in the snow they are practically useless. Rim brakes also limit the size of the tyres you can run.

A quality hydraulic disc brake is made from two (or even one) pieces of aluminum, the fittings are all stainless steel and theres only two moving parts; the pistons, which are insulated from the caliper by a rubber seal and the hydraulic fluid, which is a reasonably good rust inhibitor.

Mechanical disc brakes are a really maintenance intensive, they have a lot more moving parts, are made from cheaper materials and there is usually 3 or 4 different metals used in the caliper. They are prone to jamming up from moisture or dust (here in Australia it's usually the dust that causes problems)

Hydraulic systems are really the only choice for a dedicated treehugger because they are the most durable and lowest consumption option:
- you get more even pad wear so brake pads are replaced less often
- you don't have to replace brake cables
- you don't wear out your rims

... and from a performance point of view:
- consistent powerful braking no matter what the weather is like
- you can run fat tyres
- you can continue riding with buckled wheels
- they self adjust as the pads wear
- pads last about three times longer than rim brake systems.

I use studded bicycle tires in the winter. They grip so well, it feels like riding on dry pavement.

I am in awe of the serious winter guys/gals. I ride down to 0 degrees (F) in New York City / Brooklyn. Our roads are kept OK.
But you Canadians and other higher lattitude folks are heros. If I see snow and ice I take the train. I have 2.4 inch tires for my Cannondale hardtail and I still feel unsafe on snow annd ice. I never tried studded tires because I think that exposed pavement wears them down pretty fast. Plus the melting and re-freezing stuff on the bike parts is hard to handle I think. I have no indoor storage so I'll be locked to the sign post all day.
I always mention icebike.com when talking about winter riding.

I'd live to see this Surly up close, I like to ride out by the beach every now and then.

vsk

Disk brakes bad in winter??? Absurd.

Rim brakes bad in winter??? Yes:

If you are riding in below freezing weather, but ride through a puddle, or break through a partially frozen puddle, the water instantly freezes on your rim, rendering the calipers useless. Years of winter MTB in the late 80's and early 90's made me acutely aware of this problem. Also, just the heat of the rims after braking can result in any snow touching the rim freezing to it, no puddle necessary.

Rim brakes are so over with, except maybe for fair weather road/race bikes.

Nokian studded tires are amazing. Icy conditions actually make them grip almost as well as non-studded on dry rock. Packed down, iced up snow mobile trails are perfect for a good MTB with Nokians. They last forever too, since the studs are carbide car studs, and the rubber does not wear since you are riding on snow/ice. Heavy and expensive up front, yes, but well worth the investment.

The disc breaks on my pugsley work very well in the winter. I've had it for 2 years now and so far no repairs have had to be done on them.

When you ride through 1 foot of snow rim breaks are useless.

However a normal bike with studded tires work much better on ice. The pugsley goes down pretty easy on ice.

I still use my road racing bike nearly every day, since there are rarely days when snow and ice are actually on the roads here in upstate NY. On the bad days, I either take my old trashy mountain bike or ride the buses. I can't imagine trying to ride on 4" tires on anything but deep snow. The downsides to that bike just seem too restrictive for winter commuting to me. Heavy, huge rolling resistance and judging by the image here, it looks like it comes with extremely easy gearing, which would need changing for actual road riding above 10mph on flats. This looks designed well for off-road ventures, but I'll stick with my road bike.

I'm not convinced building this bike with no suspension is such a great idea. In Wellington. Spring is not just a matter of comfort, but is a safety issue when braking on downhill slopes. 2 inches is not enough in my opinion, but then I do live in a place with steeper hills than most other cities.
Good to see it has disc brakes though. Much better than rim brakes in all conditions.

My understanding is that this was purpose designed for IditaBike (and similar riding) so isn't intended for road use or for big downhills.

I've ridden rigid bikes on plenty tough trails, and suspension isn't needed, although you might have to ride slower and with less comfort. Big tires make a huge difference in comfort, and these are beyond big.

I don't like riding bikes with suspensions.. I prefer a hard tail even over rough conditions. I have never actually done serious off roading, but the Pugsley sounds good.. though I don't understand the tires fully. the article mentions that the tires mold over obstacles... does that mean that the rubber is softer and/ or the air pressure is low? and wont that wear them down faster on dry pavement?

and @ andy : I suppose it's possible to get a gear train that has three gears on the pedal as opposed to just 2 as indicated in the picture...but that would probably mess balance while pedalling. mebbe the boffins at Surly could get a three gear train into the pedals as part of their line up.

"I suppose it's possible to get a gear train that has three gears on the pedal as opposed to just 2 as indicated in the picture...but that would probably mess balance while pedalling. mebbe the boffins at Surly could get a three gear train into the pedals as part of their line up."

The really fat tires may not allow a good chain line with three gears, and besides a big ring and those tires in snow would never be used unless you're a pro or the Hulk :)