General Cycling Discussion - Salsa Fargo w/ Mukluk fork or Surly KM w/ Pugsley fork

Howdy y'all,

Got a question about a build I have been considering that doesn't fit neatly into one category. I've been on a single minded obsessive quest to build the ultimate in versatility and functionality on a single bike without having to sacrifice fun and rideability.

After lengthy discussion at my LBS today, the mechanic and I came to the conclusion of the two combinations I listed in the title. This would leave me the option of running geared while having a s/s freewheel on the front fork to switch out if the mood strikes or circumstances dictate. It would also allow me to run a range of tire sizes.

I mainly use my bike for single track, around town and when it snows I would like to be able to ride on trails and frozen creek beds.

So my question is anyone have a setup like this? And what are the general thoughts about this combo? Any advantages/disadvantages.

It seems pretty out there to me but i think it is crazy enough it just might work.

Have you seen the Surly Troll yet? Might be right up your alley.


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2011/01/FM0092.jpeg

Yeah I was considering it for a while but i'm a tall guy so I really prefer 29ers. I thought about running it as 650b but there is such a vacuum of tire choices that I decided against it. Shame really. That orange is BA.

The next bike I am building up is going to be a KM. My plan is to use a ss spacer kit on the freehub and also have a bolt on cog for the disc side if I want a fixed. The bike will be a 2x2 as I am going to run two chainrings and two cogs, foor road and offroad use. If I want it geared it will be easy enough to put on a cassette, deraulleur , cable and bar end shifter. The only problem is that the mad money stash has been a wee bit low this lsat year. I am intrigued by your build idea...pics are definitely needed when done.

That sounds like a great setup but i've heard bad things about running the KM geared. Its supposed to be a pain to take the rear wheel off. the horizontal drop outs force you to move the disc brake caliper just to be able to slide the wheel out.

I did some more research and found this blog post on the Salsa site: http://salsacycles.com/culture/enabler_fork_-_jack-of-all-trades_master_of_many/

From the looks of it it looks like a blast to ride.

The new KM frame has adressed the problem with loosening the caliper. I like the enabler...very interesting.

Just got back from the shop where I finalized my build with the mechanic. I ultimately decided on the KM w/ the Pugsley fork in black. I also picked out the components but that is subject to change so I won't list that yet.

If there is any interest, I'll keep you all posted throughout the build process and put up some pictures of the end result.