Surly Pugsley electric

[BATFINK]

Hey guys I was at my local bike shop and I seen this Surly Balloon Bike, looked pretty amazing with HUGE wheels and Tyres. Has anybody did a conversion on one of these with those very large wheels and I think the spikes were off centre. Would those huge tyres affect range compared to a skinnier tyre as I remember reading recently that a fatter tyre bumps less in the road and therefore doesn't slow a bike down as much as thought.

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[BATFINK]

Pic 2

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[dogman dan]

Seems like a year or so ago I saw pics of a pugsley with dual hubmotors. Made me drool, what a great bike for desert sand that would be.

 

[TonyReynolds]

I looked into a Pugsley conversion, but couldn't get past the base cost of the bike, plus the additional costs of having my motor laced into a new wheel, the cost of the tires, etc. In the end I decided that running Big Apples on a more conventional frame would be a better way to go. Now is a bad time to be looking for a used Pugsley, at least in the States, as they're in demand as snow bikes.

 

[Drunkskunk]

A couple of people have. I can't remember names at the moment, but one was out of San Fran. I'm currently doing a build based on those tires and rims. They are massive.

No idea how much they will effect the range, but they will have a negative impact. I found 2.5" gave me about 10% less range over conventional tires, and those 4" are knobbie low pressure tires, so I'd expect more loss, But then who cares! If efficancy was the biggest issue, we'd be running fully enclosed Velos with knife-thin wheels.

 

[BATFINK]

I would maybe look for a frame and build the bike myself so if i can find a frame it will work out a lot cheaper, I'm in the UK just now and theres no snow here yet this year and i don't think there will be much if at all so prices should be stable.

That bike there was £1300 GBP brand new in the shop but i reckon i could pick up a frame for 300/400 easily if i could find one. Dual motors would be cool for serious sand and snow traction, I'm very near to a beach, but I'm all about the range, I'm almost at the stage where i will have a perfect bike for my demand of 30 miles at a good range and could finally ditch my car for commuting, my current bike does it but i would love to have a lot more in reserve for windy days etc. Im thinking one of these Surlys kitted out with batteries in the front and batteries on the back would be awesome all supported on the nice spongey tyres, awesome bikes.

 

[Alan B]

I think Green Machine in SF has one. He put a front motor, probably BMC and a rear internal geared hub and rides on the beach. The big tires do eat some power.

 

[Alan B]

Here it is:

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24470

If you search for pugsley you'll find quite a few folks talking about them on ES.

 

[E-racer]

I bought a Surly Large Marge rim to lace into my Nuvinci. The Maxxis Hookworm looks much more motorbikeish with a wider wheel. The rims run about $80.

 

[itselectric]

Hey guys I was at my local bike shop and I seen this Surly Balloon Bike, looked pretty amazing with HUGE wheels and Tyres. Has anybody did a conversion on one of these with those very large wheels and I think the spikes were off centre. Would those huge tyres affect range compared to a skinnier tyre as I remember reading recently that a fatter tyre bumps less in the road and therefore doesn't slow a bike down as much as thought.

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Here is Surly Pugsley with dual motors run at dual 48v batteries, dual controllers, single throttle, that we did a year ago


Here is the Pugsley with Crystalyte HT3525 rear motor, run at 48v, in big snow storm


Here is the video:
[youtube]mzcZkmRQvFY[/youtube]

Yes, you will lose range compare to narrow tire. But a road bike cannot ride like a Pugsley on the snow or sand.

Ken

 

[BATFINK]

I love this bike, i would use it as overkill on normal streets and for just driving over kerbs i need to keep my eyes open for a frame

 

[itselectric]

I love this bike, i would use it as overkill on normal streets and for just driving over kerbs i need to keep my eyes open for a frame

Check out Salsa new prototype full-suspension fatbike frames. Mmm....turn it into dual high torque and high speed motors...


for more information go to the following link:
http://salsacycles.com/culture/prototype_talk_full-suspension_fatbike/