In desperate need of your opinion on wheelsets and bikes...

[Yukon Jack]

Okay, here's my first world dilemma. Stick with me here...it's kinda messy but I'll keep it as clear as I can...

I've got a pretty much stock Pugsley with the double-wall Large Marge wheelset with Knards mounted on 'em.

All this crap is stuck in my head as I move away from racing and more towards adventure cycling / bikepacking.

The Pugs is my only mountain bike...but I'm wanting a Karate Monkey Ops (I'm a big Surly fan - also have a Disc Trucker)...

So here's my choices.

First, do I lighten up the Pugs by going to a Marge Lite wheelset? If so, I have two choices - buy new Marge Lite wheelset OR build with new rims and spokes, using current hubs. Or, do I just stick with the stock Large Marges and not worry about losing the couple of pounds?

Second...transform the bike into a KramPugs by adding a Rabbit Hole 29+ wheelset...again, two choices here - buy new Rabbit Hole wheelset OR build with new rims/spokes/hubs (or hubs from Large Marge wheelset).

OR - do I ditch the Rabbit Hole 29+ idea all together and just get a Karate Monkey? I've pretty much ruled out a Krampus due to the lack of suspension.

I really suck at making decisions like these. I can afford to do any / all of the choices, but only wanna spend money where it's gonna actually benefit me in the end.

Thanks everyone for your opinions and thoughts!
Ride safe
Andy

[DaveB]

For the wheel change options, cost out the rims and spokes first.  You may find, as is often the case, buying complete wheels is less expensive than rebuilding existing hubs with new rims and spokes, even if you do the labor yourself.

[Successor to the Professor]

If this were my bike, here's what I would do:

1. Buy a new Marge Lite wheelset and drop 1.5-2 pounds of rotating weight.
2. Keep the original Large Marge wheelset hanging out in the garage with a different set of tires mounted.

This way you've always got a backup wheelset at the ready, and you don't have to swap tires around for changing trail conditions.

[RussSeaton]

You're wondering how to make your Surly Pugsley lighter weight?  Did you slip on the ice this morning and hit your head on the ground?  And are now crazy, stupid, dumb, and delusional?  For fun I did a Google search on Surly Pugsley bike weights.  One of the links was for a discussion about this topic.  People said their Pugsley weighed 35 to 40 pounds roughly.  35 to 40 pounds for the Pugsley.  If you have any interest in weight, then you CANNOT start with a Pugsley.  Weight and Pugsley are not compatible.  They do not relate.

[Yukon Jack]

You're overlooking the rotational mass part of things. I'm not trying to lower the overall weight of the bike - hell, I'm 6'4" and weigh 230# - but if I can lose 2-3 (or more) pounds of rotational mass, that makes more sense. I bought the Pugs cuz I don't care about the weight of it. It's a tank and I love it!


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[Yukon Jack]

If this were my bike, here's what I would do:

1. Buy a new Marge Lite wheelset and drop 1.5-2 pounds of rotating weight.
2. Keep the original Large Marge wheelset hanging out in the garage with a different set of tires mounted.

This way you've always got a backup wheelset at the ready, and you don't have to swap tires around for changing trail conditions.

That's what I'm gonna do. Just ordered the Marge Lites today, and will keep the others setup with the Larry/Endomorph setup it came with. After my next paycheck I'm gonna order up the Rabbit Hole wheelset...and in the spring see how I like that.


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