The premise behind Pugsley’s design is based on the allowance of tires with a larger-than-average footprint. It was created to go where other bikes may flounder. Our frame and fork will accept 4" tires on 26" rims. The floatation and traction gained by using large-volume, low-pressure tires (we highly recommend the Surly Endomorph 3.7 tires) can get you over and through otherwise-unrideable terrain: ice, snow, sand, mud, wet rocks and roots. In many conditions, bigger is better.
Strengths: Amazing bike, and more than capable on ANY trail.
Weaknesses: Some of your friends may make fun of you if your tires are positively correlated to your waist size :)
Bottom Line:
This is my first real mountain bike. I work in a shop and could have gone in any direction on the cheap, but decided to be different. So glad I did. I sold a road bike in the fall to fund my "winter fun bike", well winter never came this year and I barely road my pugs. I even had it on the classifieds here at one point. My mentality completely changed the first time I took it to some actual MTB trails. This bike is truly inspiring in its capability. I have no regrets anymore on this purchase. If you are wondering at all if this is the bike for you, just go get it. Every review mentions smiling for a reason, it's pure fun. I experienced mountain biking for the first time ever on a fat bike, and I wouldn't change it. It's forgiving in line choice, climbs great as long as your legs can keep pushing, traction for days, and pisses your full suspension friends off when you can go places they can't!
Strengths: Fit and finish is top notch.
Components are really nice.
Rolls over anything in the way.
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
Just got this bike a few weeks ago and have taken it out a couple times on the trails. I usually ride a Felt Trail Nine 29er with front suspension so this was a little change up in hitting the trails. The bike worked beautifully and I had a total blast. There wasn't anything on the Pug that I couldn't do compared to my 29er. Haven't used in the snow yet but am looking forward to it in the winter. Additionally, people LOVE this bike and always stop to ask about it if they haven't seen one before.
Weaknesses: Pulls in the turns. Mainly to the right it seems, possibly due to the wheel offset? But you get used to it pretty fast.
Bottom Line:
I laughed, I cried, I said "this is only awesome" 10 times in a row..all within the first 5 minutes of pushing off. Don't get me wrong I was skeptical on my way to demo it. Being a connoisseur of fast single track with my Stumpy 29'r hardtail (which I still love,) surely I was going to hate something twice as heavy and with the drag of a 4" tire. Buddy, I stand before you today a humbled man. The Pugsley absolutely rocks the trail. Wet, snow, sand, loose gravel/dirt even dry this thing rolls through it like a monster truck tearing through a parking lot filled with Toyota Prius's. Though the Stumpy is still my go to ride, as soon as I click into the Pug, I grin from ear to ear and and start singing Rage's Guerrilla radio "ALL HELL CAN'T STOP US NOW!" Love it..
Submitted by
Nlulek79
a Cross Country Rider
from RutVegas, VT, USA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2011
Strengths: It is a tank on 2 wheels, rolls over everything... the cat, the kids, the wife's flowers!
Weaknesses: The only thing i could nit pick about is the weight, other than that everything is ideal!
Bottom Line:
This is the most fun one could possibly have on 2 wheels. It rides better than any full susser I've owned, it has its own personality. I feel like I'm piloting a 2 wheeled BigFoot monster truck. It is AWESOME... nothing left to say other than get one and make sure you setup your tire pressure accordingly, that makes all the difference!
Submitted by
Gordo5183
a Cross Country Rider
from Liberty Lake WA USA
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2010
Strengths: Solid, plows through mud snow and sloppy conditions.
Weaknesses: Accelaration, manuverability
Bottom Line:
Maiden Ride today, had a blast! Conditions ranged from greasy mud to deep snow. The Pug just kept rolling. Climbed better than expectected even at 35lbs. You ride it at Surly Speed. I gotta say it really happy with the way it rode..Tried to sell it glad I did'nt.
Bike Setup: Sram XO-X9 Avid Elixer Brakes, Vicious Cycle Rims
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Submitted by
P.M.Harris
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage,Alaska
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2010
Strengths: the whole bike,built to crash
Weaknesses: tires a little thin,i put in a 1/4"thick,4"w strip of rubber,got to many flats,works good
Bottom Line:
year round rider,best bike i ever had,have another one with studs ride that when the temp hits +40 then it goes back to normal temp of+3 or lower.this bike works good in cold,1'of snow,need to lower tire pressure down to 10lbs to make it threw 2' of power.now that's what i call fun..
Similar Products Used: nothing comes close,harley davidson of bicycles
Bike Setup: stock,change nothing except seat
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Submitted by
slalomjez
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney NSW
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2009
Strengths: Unique, quality frame, traction and ride, cool purple colour
Weaknesses: you can feel the weight up hills. Unusual set up limited with 100mm BB shell, 2 rear brakes so can just buy a set. Cost of replacement tyres (in Australia RRP for Endomorphs is A$180)
Bottom Line:
First time I rode this was on a street and i thought it sucked. The steering was terrible - it kept wanting to go in a straight line, and the drag on a road made it slow. Think speed difference metween a mountain bike ands a road bike on pavement and it was a greater slowing of speed again back to the Pug.
BUT, get it on the dirt and this thing rocks. THe lack of suspension is not an issue and it some ways makes for a smoother ride than a FS as bumps are absorbed rather than stored in a shock and then spat out again with rebound. Handling is great on where there is sand and looose rocks on the trail. The only place it suffers it up hills (but you can granny gear up anything). Feels like ity has a lower BB height than other bikes.
Whever I think of selling it I remind my self that this will be my touring bike when I take a 6 month cycling holiday - full pannier mounts, can handle V brakes and if you want to commute on it, just pop in some 29 wheels and she's a smoking city bike.
Purple colours is tops (not so keen on the new gray) but yo0u get plenty of looks and questions. If you want to get some support from spectators in race, roll up on the Pug and you'll have an huge squad.
I'd still call it a second bike for most people i.e not generally for those with only one pushy
Similar Products Used: nothing simiilar, but Gary Fisher 29 SS, dual suspension Jamis
Bike Setup: I run it geared with XTR brakes and gears and Race Face Diabolos cranks. Surly Endomorph tyres. 2 chainrings and a guard at the front. Bolt on hubs
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Submitted by
skinner2909
a Cross Country Rider
from OC, CA
heavy + slow + funny looking + clumsy = the most fun ride ever...in the history of biking. Not sure why exactly, but I love the damn thing! And for as much as I complain about it, I think I'm faster on my 35 pound single speed Pugs than I am on my 28 pound full suspension dealy. Bottom line...one ride and you;ll be hooked. 5/5 for sure.
Similar Products Used: my other ride is a Gary Fisher SuperCaliber 29er...but not even remotely similar to the pugs.
Bike Setup: Endomorphs, Large Marge, cheap seat, FSA singlespeed crank, truvativ gigapipe, crank brother 50/50s, sunline handlebars and stem, Hayes Nine disks w/8" rotors front/rear
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Submitted by
CrimsonEclipse
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. USA
Weaknesses: Heavy (suck it up!) Strange parts (like wheel set), adds to the charm
Bottom Line:
Redefines fun. Every patch of sand on the trail makes me laugh, especially when I hear the sound of "SHOOOFFF" of the guy behind me washing out. It's the SUV of cycles, and it stops for nothing. Steering is unique and takes a bit of getting used to. It's not a bad thing, just different. The Pugsley is the absolute best bike I've even ridden. Bottom line: FUN! and that's why we ride.
Bike Setup: XTR 2x9, Avid BB7 disks, Friction Thumb Shifters. Ergon Grips.
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Submitted by
Sharkboydad
a Weekend Warrior
from Templeton, CA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2008
Strengths: Wow factor - people actually yell stuff at me from a block away
Weaknesses: Heavy, not good on ice, ideal tire pressure in various conditions requires experimentation
Bottom Line:
I lived in Montana and bought this bike to ride in the snow. It's good on packed snow but less good on deep fresh snow. It's also not good on the ice (I still prefer studded tires for that). I used it to do the Little Su 50K race in Alaska and it performed better than the geared mountain bikes. I moved to California and brought it with me - I just can't part with it because it's so much fun. It can be used on soft sand, the beach and is great on gravel roads as well. It's fun but has a limited role for me now - a nice toy but probably won't be your primary bike.
Submitted by
Robert Stianche
a Cross Country Rider
from Elizabethville, PA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2007
Strengths: A bike Companys quest to please the odd balls out there. Bike is just one rad ride, can go over, just about anything and has the balance of a trials bike.
Weaknesses: odd ball tires, side walls are just alittle too prone to abraision (thin light construction ), you must be careful otherwise it really has no actual weaknesses
Bottom Line:
Hmmm, this things got the goods to get anywhere you want to go. You might think its a slow pig, but you find out real fast , it really goes quite well, mind you this is no 24 hour race rig, you will find that because of its relaxed geometry, you can ride all day with it, no problems, no suspension, funny how that isn't an issue with this bike, you find yourself just rolling over stuff that would of gave you a second thought before. The balance of the rig is also a great atribute, you can balance on technical sections , the grip of those large tires at low pressure is unreal.
Purchased At: Black Creek Bike Shop, Elizabethville
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: surley Large Marge rims , Endo's, Avid mechanical disc stoppers, Ritchey stem, seat post, ODI lock grips, SRAM twist shift, ft derail shimano, real derail SRAM, SRAM rear 9sp cogs, with XT hubs, front Single speed SURLEY hubs, WTB seat and headseat, 1X1 Surley bars, PUGSLEY front fork, CB eggbeaters and TRUVATIV firex double cranks.
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Submitted by
Vee
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WI USA
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2007
Strengths: The huge tires easily handle rough terrain and more than make up for the lack of suspension. Roots and rocks disappear, and I've even found riding across rough fields enjoyable.
I feel the weight on climbs, but if I pick an easy gear I can spin up almost anything. The handling is a little slow, and the tires don't like to accelerate or change direction, but I began to love the bike once I understood that it's almost unstoppable when ridden at a measured pace.
And it's a great conversation-starter. A girl even approached me at a bar recently: "Did I see you riding a HUGE bike by the lake last week?"
Weaknesses: I thought it would be a good snowy-day commuter but it's actually lousy in fresh snow. The Endomorph tires slip around a lot and it takes massive effort to pedal them through wet snow. On a flat road or bike path that's covered in fresh snow, almost anything works better than the Puglsey. But once the snow is packed down a little, it's great - it holds its line really well.
It's similarly poor in mud. The tires are too wide and too smooth.
And it's wasted on dry pavement, where I'd say it's two to three gears slower than an ordinary mountain bike. But that's besides the point.
Idiosyncrasies abound: two rear brakes, 100mm bottom bracket shell, confusing and expensive to build the wheels, and what am I going to do for fenders?
Also, the tires need to be tubeless. Those tubes are just adding two pounds of sluggishness. In this high-volume, low-pressure application, tubes make no sense.
Bottom Line:
It won't replace any bike you own now. It probably won't win you any races. And it damn sure sucks carrying it up the basement stairs.
But riding the Pugsley is fun in a big-grin, big-kid kind of way. If you feel like riding over something ridiculous, the Pugsley can probably manage it. And all kinds of people - cyclists, motorists, pedestrians, kids - will gape and ask questions. Ridiculous yet functional. Overweight but unstoppable. Expensive but worth it.
