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its a Pug's life

186K views 913 replies 83 participants last post by  Obi 
#1 ·
so they say nothing but rain, rain, rain. well, i think its great. to top it off, it aint even cold. temps seem to be hovering around 60F.
the bead on one of the Endo's started to tear away from the casing so i had to replace it. i was amazed to see the difference between a new tyre and the old one. The Pug has been in almost constant service since Oct, and the tyres show the milage.
i took off the rack and panniers, cleaned up the Pug, took off for the day to run around town, do errands, get Mexi food, etc.
it aint single track, save for tmrrw or so, but instead its the commuter life in the drizzle. Splashing gutters, bunny hop curbs, get coffee, messanger bag, with laptop. How yuppie could it get?
aint got to count calories, watch diet, measure anything, just ride, hang out, and ride some more.
let it rain.

peace.........d
 

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#908 · (Edited)
Willin

ok... so here's a recap
a kind of "where is Devo now"

so i had worked as a Hospital Pharmacy Technician at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for about 13yrs after serving 4yrs in The Army at Fort Ord in a Light Artillery Air Mobile unit, of which I was deployed to Panama in '89 for Operation Just Cause

I think it was 8/07 when I resigned from my position, moved from Pacific Grove, Ca. down to Ventura, Ca to help with my Dad who had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, my grandmother has Alzheimer's and my grandfather was simply old.

I have now been back in practice at CHOMP for a bit more than 2yrs. I'm happy to be back!

the time off was amazing!
hands down, time off like that was the best time of my life.
it had some ups and downs... amazingly cathartic moments <--- of which i still think were the most beautiful of it all.

when my dad passed away, which ironically was 5 years ago 4/15/09 (today)
i'll never forget that day, I had landed a staff position for SOC (sea otter classic) as the on site operation coordinator. It was Wednesday 4/15, and I had a line of Hertz rental sedans that I was inspecting, and signing for, when my phone rang...
it was an old family friend, and he was rattling off a bunch of stuff...
i was amidst dealing with a bunch of people, a lot of cars, trucks, fuel, etc...
not to mention the final stages of SOC build out...
I'll never forget it... I had a Hertz rental agreement under my left hand, and my right hand was scribbling out my signature... when I spoke into the phone, "are you saying my dad died this morning?"

I looked up to hand over the rental agreement to the Hertz guy and the look on his face caught me off guard, as if he had just heard that someone had passed away...
then i realized... whoa... dude... your dad just died.

Life with Pug was a lot like that...
in those days, I had so many experiences that I had built upon
the Army, some 24hr solo races, a few years of fanatically driving myself... as if chasing some kind of elusive goal, by racing as much as I could muster

in many ways... Life with Pug, had marked a begging of a new chapter in my Life which I somehow thought I understood, but to actually experience that life, was something quite different than what I had thought I had studied and prepared for. total naivety.

life on Pug was totally that; of course I had ridden road bikes and mtbs A LOT, getting on The Pug was totally different. suddenly the same trails were different, i could crash thru small brush, roll across sand... all those things were familiar, but the Tacit knowledge base which was growing thru experience with Pug was very different from what it would seem like on paper. Tacit vs Explicit knowledge

my Life seemed to unfold in a similar... way? method?

of course, I'm familiar with hospitals, and I've done home care in the past, but being with my dad, was an amazing flash back. suddenly i was with my best friend, and the language we spoke was as if from a long time ago... it was bitter sweet. we'd joke about old times, all the while venturing into new territories.

explicitly, The Pug gave me plenty of opportunity to "re-explore" my old haunts in Ventura. As crazy as it sounds, in the early 80's, as a kid around 12-14years old, I used to ride old bikes that I cobbled together out of thrift stores, and I'd do my hobo ramblings, crashing out in a bush while wearing an old army field jacket and wearing work boots... I'd ride up around Ojai, into Santa Barbara, and back home to Ventura. all the while escaping a crazy life of living in hotels and a 1958 Ford Step Side van (think UPS truck), which Vietnam Vet hippy dad and I had converted into the classic hippy rv. of course, living like that, and coming into adolescence, sparks flew... i'd just hop on the bike and GO. screw it! just go!

20yrs later: the world had changed. I was now 38.
my grandfather and i shook hands.
I was 20yrs and ten days upon returning "Home" to my grandfather's house where my dad lived in the 1956 Fireball trailer which we had bought, and pulled with ARVee out to Valencia where we had painted 384 condos inside and out during one summer.
My grandfather being born a bastard child to a part Choctaw woman in Kiowa, Ok, 1923... no one would take him in... he never went to high school.

ironically 4/14/39 Steinbeck's novel was first published, today marking the 75th anniversary.

with that said, my grandfather had taken up the life of hopping freight trains...at the age of 14, and had come to Cali a few times tramping and looking for work.

thru my dad, and grandfather, I grew to love work... i crave it! will work for money!

The Pug was very much contrarian, finding the obvious solutions and opportunities to commonly prescribed routes and ideals. it very much played to my Devian(t) persona.

after my dad passed away... I totally thought I had my crap together and that it was an easy event to handle... in hind sight... I'm glad I resigned from my position, and completely threw myself into my world with Family... it was crazy. I can't imagine having put my "homies" (now middle management) thru this kind of crisis as if any type of "management" could possibly manage "devo on a meltdown". and as crazy as it was... i just thought it was "the norm". I was in some kind of Army mode, and ride, ride, ride I'd go...

The Big Dummy saw a lot of use between Monterey, and Ventura. Either touring down the coast, or a jaunt on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, which has a stop right at the Ventura Fairgrounds, which ironically was actually Camp Ventura, where my grandfather went to boot camp, and across the tiny Ventura River over in "Hobo Jungle" are the remnants of two old costal artillery howitzer bases...

there was no doubt in my life that I wanted to be a thirteen bravo, and there was never any doubt that i wanted light infantry, and no doubt i wanted to repel out of blackhawks...

returning to ventura on an O.D. green Pug.... rolling along the sands... seeing my dying dad, my nana, my blind grandfather... argh!

sigh... all i can say is that it was cathartic to say the least...

the pug and big dummy gave me plenty of opportunity to make my escapes.
it was just like when i was a kid
i'd study and get straight As. my GPA was a solid 3.84... i studied. i knew everything.
but yet... i was a kid, and actually knew very little.
i worked
i wrenched
i wrenched on cars, motorcycles, and bicycles...

it was the same...
i returned to ventura
i had studied.
i had helped other people in this stage of their lives.
i was a COMBAT VET!
i can totally handle a crazy old man, my nana with Alzheimer's and my grandfather whom i held as my ultimate authority, only to realize dementia was setting in, he was becoming bigoted, and i was a ******...
damn... for realz? and there was my dad, smoking cigarettes and anything else he could scrape enough money for... pissing blood...
i knew his prognosis would be about 15 months

my dad passed away
my grandfather went CRAZY
my nana had no idea... then she died
my grandfather became an empty man, often times just huddled down, with a thin blanket... and we'd talk... often times i envisioned him in a box car... with the cold wind wiping around, the smell of the engine exhaust... looking for the next string of work.
looking for the Promised Land... following the harvest. tramping in America

and so it went... my family. my dad, nana and grandfather...
his estate went somewhere... i have no idea where... nor do care to go there and dig thru my emotions... for what? a few bucks? maybe...

i'm motivated, i can work, i'm focused, and seems like i'm plenty capable of taking care of myself...
very much like getting on the pug, going for a ride, and simply being on a Ramble...

when my dad passed away, 2 months later, I found myself at the starting line in Banff on my custom Hunter 29er, ready to make an attempt at the Tour Divide. what a glorious 7 days, 1,000 miles that was. in Butte, i conceded to my fatigue. i was seriously concerned about some nasty saddle sores, fearing incubating a infection... and succumbing to a comfortable bed, soaking in a hot bath... talking to people, etc...
it was only a few miles back, when in Lincoln, Mt. I had Ted Kaczynski on my mind.

somewhere in Canada, one night i laid my back on the ground, to stare at the milky way, and watch satellites passing over head...

its in those kinds of moments, when i'd honestly realize that my life was really small. and that quite possibly, The Divide was much bigger than myself... no amount of self discipline, motivation, etc... none of that... was going to propel me the entire length of the Divide.

like Ventura... my ideas of championing a family cause...
the Divide... was not going to play out of me.

ultimately I became very comfortable with touring down the coast.
my favorite had become Astoria to Ventura
Arcata, Ca to Ferndale, then into the Lost Coast, and into the Sinkyone Wilderness, along Usal Rd, a combo of dirt and pave for about 125 miles, dumping out north of Cleone, Ca.

the Army
my family
the pug
the dummy
the hunter 29er
the divide...
my job...
leaving...
and now a solid return...

so i guess this goes out to my dad.

you folks are crazy...

 
#913 ·
ok... so here's a recap
a kind of "where is Devo now"
Devo,
Glad to see you are still kicking in this wide open world. I would look forward to your posts while day dreaming of bikes while back in college, and your thoughts, ride reports, and bike geekery never disappointed. Thanks for putting it all out there.
 
#3 ·
The endos look like they wear out quickly due to the lack of a tread. I have kept my endos as a snow only tire. I'm still using my pugs year round, but once the snow melted, I switched to some DH tires. I have some Kenda 2.7s that I'm running. Interestingly enough, the bead isn't quite wide enough for the rim, so the tire has a slight gap between the rim and the bead. I hope it will stretch a little bit to fit in there, but I'm not too worried.

If you do this, I would recommend the Nokian Gazzaloddi 3.0 tire. I'm a little concerned that the 2.7 tire isn't quite large enough. Right now the rim and the inflated tire are the same width and I worry about damaging the rim by hitting a rock or other trail obstacle.

Chris
 
#4 ·
pug's life

i was talking with a buddy, and we think the pugz got about 3K miles on it by now. its been my daily bike since Oct.
the tyre in question wasnt all that trashed. the issue was that bead started to seperate, and that worried me.
when the PSI is low, it seems the tyre wears faster.
if there were a "wish" i suppose it would be a lighter tube/tyre combo. but then again.
its a PUG.
thats how it is.
peace....d
 
#7 ·
2xNice Rack 1xMod Hack

So i finally got that front rack mounted up. I copied the mod from the thread listed below:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=200784

All in all, it seems really strong and it really wasnt that much of a project. I sat and pondered keeping more of the rack intact, but ultimately decided to hack it complete as per the above mentioned thread. In reality, the "rear" section of the Surly rear Nice Rack that i removed could have remained intact. No issues with wheel clearance. I just like the way it looks with the complete hack job. (oh the vanity)
The panniers were able to be mated up, and now it seems like the Pug should be primed for dayz on the ramble.
Maybe I'll get the rear pannier set, but 1st im gonna see what this set up is like.
After almost 9months the Pug is now outfitted.
peace...d
 

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#9 ·
toddk said:
Can anyone speak to the benefits of running geared on a pugs as oppossed to a single speed? Thank you.
I ride up and down the coast here on the beach and a single speed would be pretty much unrideable in the deep sand.

Some days there is a 20 knot wind in your face in one direction; combined with the deep sand, you are forced into a 22x30 to make forward motion. On the way back with the wind behind you, a 32x15 is usually about right.

Maybe for trail riding or just bumming around, a single speed would be OK.
 

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#10 ·
toddk said:
Can anyone speak to the benefits of running geared on a pugs as oppossed to a single speed? Thank you.
Gears give a wider range of gear inches. So you can crawl, or go fast.
For me...every day I'm running it with a 44x12T and often have wished to use a compact road crank with a 34x50T combined with a 32x11t cogset.
In the winter around here, i found the Pug to totally haul ass on wet pave with all the pine needles, debris etc. I was running it without the racks, and panniers. With the rear tyre pumped up around 20psi(ish) and the front a bit below 15psi(ish) i found i can push the descents faster than i have on anyother bike. Plus it transitions into the dirt really well. Which is a unique niche that it fills.
For quite some time i had been taking it out weekly on group road rides too. Taking a pull at the front of a group, you simply need the gear to go fast enough.

On the other side of the coin, I'm using the racks these days, got the panniers mounted up, and have been riding by myself. Having the low gears to crawl along with the load, and going in places that typically a bicycle wouldnt venture...well...having the granny gear is pretty damn nice.
Today i was doing a little bit of exploring b4 work, got the panniers loaded, nothing on the decks on the racks yet, lowered the psi, and crawled around some. The combo of the Thudbuster seatpost, all the weight (yes! a Pug starts puttin on the weight! I think mine is 38lbs w/o racks), the lower psi, big disc brakes, and a firm hand at the bars...well...its a unique experience. Im still always amazed at what i can ride up, over, down, etc. Those big tyres, not only wide, but the outside diameter = foot print, they really make for remarkable capability. Today i traversed a section of fireroad, with a huge rut at the shoulder and simply rode over it, lofted the front wheel (with rack and panniers) up a 2ft+(ish) ledge to access a dear track that lead into a forested area. did a small loop thru the area, and exited in the same area.

I havent used my Pug as a SS yet. Of course i have a couple of SS bikes too. The thing i could see would be good with the Pug is obvisoulsy to use 2 different size cogs. One on each wheel right? Make sure the rotors are the same size, or simply use cantis.
As a SS i think the Pug would be awesome. Its just that in this configuration, its intended application would be more specific, its range of use more limited.
With gears the Pug can be more effectively used in a wider range of conditions.
A SS Pug would be great for the snow, wet conditions, or maybe a commited sand bike. Very unique for sure.
I also think it would make for a pimp townie bike as SS.
obviously SS makes for less maitenance and there is something smooth and magical about having that perfectly straight chain line, no pullys to spin round and round.

rain and mud are the worst my Pug sees. Im on the beach some too, and i kind of cringe at the thought of saltwater washing over all the bling (KC hubs, etc) so i try to treat it nice when its at the beach.
with that said...
recently i rode sand with the rear rack and panniers. I managed to stand up a couple of times and use the big ring, but for the most part, im running 32x32t, or dropping into the granny (22t, i think) and dropping down a 2 or 3 cogs. Sand seems to necesitate that grannygear.

peace......d
 
#11 ·
toddk said:
Can anyone speak to the benefits of running geared on a pugs as oppossed to a single speed? Thank you.
Mine is set up as a "dinglespeed" (2 chainrings and 2 sprockets) as it's mostly used on the local beaches and I wanted something that was simple, light(er!) and easy to wash the sand off. I got Surly stainless steel chainrings and their steel sprockets on a PlanetX single-speed freehub that will take 2-3 splined sprockets, not a freewheel. The other wheel has a Surly hub with a freewheel.
The sram PC58 8-speed chain has a link you can break without a tool, so I take the chain off and clean it in turps and re-oil every few sand rides. A five minute job.

I use 32\20T most of the time which is perfect for deep sand and on singletrack I can keep up with geared bikes but on faster stuff like gravel fireroads (or on the road) it's way undergeared.

I am getting a rack and panniers shortly and it may be a bit of a struggle pushing more weight with one gear but you can always get a twin ratio freewheel or swap wheels (lower ratio freewheel on front wheel).

My Pugs is for cruising around and exploring, and I'm loving it. I am seldom in a hurry.

If you want to go fast, or ride a lot in the hills, go geared.
 
#12 ·
Pug takes R&R

The Pug has been put aside for awhile to make way for an Xtracycle. What! True.
For the last month or so, the Pug has been just sitting around, while i've been putting an Xtra thru the paces of daily life.
My conversion of choice is my 2000 Cdale F900.
Added 203mm rotors front and rear, and a set of Mavic Speedcitys with a Kenda 35c CX tyres.

The thing with the Xtra is that is has MEGA-VOLUME, and can carry a passanger. In fact it has so much capacity to cary stuff, it hauls a BOB with ease! However the thing that i dont like about it is...its almost impossible to bunny hop, do a wheelie, or simply loft the front wheel to get over a curb. Slow speeds, its "mostly" possible, but really when it comes down to it, at speed running around town, etc, getting over a curb is a hazard. I was really surprised to find how much i unweight the front wheel in daily life.

so for now the Pug sits. Maybe I'll get another set of panniers for it. I've been thinking about getting a rear set (about 900cu inches more).

peace..........d
 

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#18 ·
well, i couldn't stand it another moment. Being that i rent a loft, i basically live with my bikes. Every day i look over to see the Pug just sittin, and i say to myself, "i should ride the pug today." but somehow, i'm grabing a different bike.
today was the day.
then i asked myself..."why do i ride anything else?" Oh so nice to be back on the big-ol-Pug. Complete pannier set, i took my iBook into work and i reflect how incredibly yuppie i've become. Next i'll be ditching the Suunto on the bar for a Panerai. Oh god! (thats just too rediculous. i have limits)
its obvious why i switch out bikes. I've come to learn that its nice to keep things fresh. For about a week i was riding around on my Salsa Moto Rapido with crossmax, etc. and what an incredibly fast thing that bike is. Oh and last week i even took out my Fondriest complete with Zipps. Now that thing is stupid fast!
at anyrate...im glad to be back on the pug.

peace.......d
 
#19 · (Edited)
on the way to work today, i ride thru the forest, and come across some guys working, and they just kind of frown (well that was the tone in their voices) at me, i stop use my typical "friendly/concerned guy, asset to the community" approach. Lately there has a been a small arson spree going on. so i guess anyone is suspect. I had to laff to myself as i was reading into their body language, that at any moment i was subject to an anti-bike spew. However the crew started to comment on the Pug, the racks, the panniers, the big-ol-tyres, and its obvious that i aint out to build a trails course, go North Shore style hucking, bomb DH style, but rather i was simply going to work. What finished off the "friendly guy on a eco-friendly bike" was when i told them..."in the winter, when im running the psi way down, its footprint on the ground is lighter than a boot print." When one of the older guys chimes in sayin, "ya...I've seen those tracks, and i was wonderin what it was." So i asked him of his opinion of the impact. Basically this guy was sayin that he noticed that it was helping smooth things.
Now there is this section that i typically ride, and its really a mix of sand and clay. Horses use this area a bunch and once its muddy, it gets all chopped up. I roll the Pug over this slippery mess and i try to take a bit of a different line every day, with smoothing out this double track/small fireroad in mind.
so today i manage to escape an anti-bike campain and in fact...it was an upshot for those of us on 2 wheels. Albiet it helps to volutarily produce I.D., express interest/concern for our local environ, etc.
peac.....d
 
#20 ·
its a Pug's life for sure...

the one thing that never seems to fade away, are the moments when im on my bike. somehow, just pedaling, the breath in rhythm, and my body just does its thing. my mind is empty, my brain is empty, and i just do what is natural. gently lift the front wheel over some roots, bunny hop a rut, shift, brake, pedal, pull on the bars, and the world just passes by.
More times that i can recollect, the hours, the miles, the days, the weeks, yes...the years...have passed by under those pedals. when i get to work, or get home, i always lafff to myself when i "click" back to the "prescribed reality". As if I were transported, one moment i was "not on the bike", then i was on the bike, and again...back to "not on the bike". the in between, sure i go thru a process where i download and process my thoughts, but its pretty quick, and then there is simply nothing. Just my natural mind.
 

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#21 ·
Pug and Ferraris

It was Concours weekend here in Monterey. Friday night after work I rolled thru downtown, rode around a bit, watched the cars rolling by at midnight going up for auction. the peeps equally entertaining, a woman in a cling tight black and white stripped short dress, heals, i assume breast implants, as the guys flock all around her. I couldn't figure out what car she was associated with or what her deal was. she'd hold onto the arm of an older gentleman, then he'd grow tired of her, she'd drift less than 20ft away and flirt with the younger gentlemen.
the smell of alcohol in the air, cigars, men stumbling around with their women in arm, as they basically escort/guide the men along, all done in short skirts/dresses and heals. I have to admire the social skill and physical agility of these women.
 

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#25 ·
Pug Asana

today's commute to work totaled about 3hrs of ride time. I can get to work in about 20 minutes if i have to, but what fun is that? so today, it was out to send more bike parts off. thank you eBay! I am starting to experience a catharsis as all my old stuff ships off into...the wild blue yander. why do i grasp to all this junk i have laying around? ego and desire of course. my mind has been crazy, obsessed with buying stuff, this and that, all the bike parts laying around. How many tyres do i have? Oh my god! a life time supply. And i just rent a loft with a meager storage area. I can only imagine how i'd be with a house, a garage, etc. pure insanity for sure. the only rationale i can come up with is that its a mechanism developed from the days when my life was unstable. the days of life with Dad in the van living on Rincon, those days in the Army, etc. unstable, and to make up for it, i've pack ratted stuff away. well...I'm over it!
ya over it! like im over feeling like i had to prove something to myself. the years of racing, chasing some crazy elusive goal. as if i were still in the Army, and having done my missions in Panama wasn't enough. As if racing 24hr solo wasn't enough. Well it was! enough. nothing to prove. the center of my universe is the bottom bracket. we know this. that is THE primary root of Asana.
The Pug Asana is to listen to your body and mind. its heft automatically tells you when you are working too hard. Fatigue comes on much faster. the unlimited possibilities of places to ride, opens the mind. As long as you throttle down, take it a little bit easier, and enjoy things, life on the pug is for the long haul and nothing seems to phase this method. Pug Asana is supreme. Only having 1 small water bottle of just water, and an empty stomach, 3hrs on the Pug going all over paradise, produced a nice sublime post ride euphoria. needles to say work was a breeze.
today i rode a section of beach that i had never thought about. my commute route took me on and of pave, thru the forest, and up and up and up, until i got to work just in the nick of time to change and clock in exactly on time. It couldn't have been any better. PERFECT.

peace......d
 

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