I can just loosen the brake caliper and move the caliper all the way to the top of the adjustment slot. Then I pull the wheel skewer OUT of the hub all the way. Finally, grab the chain near the dropout and wrap it around the dropout to the outside (outboard). Then, since there is no skewer in the hub the entire wheel may be slid back and out of the frame as now the chain is totally out of the way (because it is wrapped around the horizontal dropout).

To get the tire off of the rim I squeeze the bead together all around the tire so both beads fall into the "V" of the rim which is a smaller diameter than the rim near the clinchers. Then the tire can be removed easier to one side (can't remember which side just now) as the spokes are not centered in the rim as with a normal wheel.

I have never had success removing a small bit of the tire and yanking out just the punctured part of the tube. Ruined a $100 tire experimenting with that technique. I found it impossible. Maybe others have figured out a way. This would be great to know as it MIGHT eliminate the need to remove the wheel at all.

Then after patching the $15-$18 tube (if possible) I use half a dozen 16g CO2 inflators to get the tire round. Slide the wheel back into the dropouts. Install the skewer. Put the chain back on the cog. Loosen the disk brake caliper and put it back where it belongs. Spin the wheel and listen for brake rubbing sounds. If quiet, inflate tire to desired pressure. Good news, at my weight (150 lbs) I can ride on 5psi and use a floor pump at work or home. Using a portable hand pump is just silly.

One issue on my particular Pugsley build: I have to use a pair of Karate Monkey spacers on the rear axle to prevent the chain from rubbing on my rear tire in lower gears. So for me there is another annoying step - aligning the two spacers between the axle and dropout AS I am trying to slide the wheel back into the rear dropouts AND all while trying to align the brake rotor to the caliper.

Now picture accomplishing the above tasks wearing a headlamp while biting insects are carving you up.

See why I contemplate suicide with every rear flat? Last flat I got during a driving rain in the city I just called in a Taxi rescue because I had an appointment to keep. I know best case scenario I am down for 40 minutes with a rear flat. Any other bike - 15 minutes tops.

I just added the Pugsley to the list of bikes I will enjoy by living vicariously through others.

:lol:
I'm gonna buy one just to look at - I'll get my morning coffee, stare longingly at the fatbike as I wake up, then climb aboard my beaten-down tried-and-true City Bike and off to work!

Well...one time I was riding my Pugsley and was being chased by a pack of crocodiles and for those who don't know it, crocodiles can run very fast so I was booking it.

Looking ahead I saw that my only option was to ride through some quicksand or ride the bike straight up a tree so I opted for the quicksand and as I looked back saw the crocs sinking to their deaths.

After that I rode back and dragged their carcasses out and made myself a belt, some panniers, and had me some BBQ at the side of the river.

"No Ordinary Man" is right!

LBS here has Sun 2 speed kickback drive, coaster-brake cruisers.. $800,

one use on the beach , at low Clamming Tides to go get them out of the sand.

cruising for bubbles ..

No jerky?

JoeyBike, have you tried some non surly tires?

I shop tires online every six months or so to see what might be new out there. I am strictly judging tires I have not held in my hands by advertized weight. Until I see something roughly twice the weight of the tires I have tried I would hesitate to order them. No one stocks such tires in New Orleans. I have seen some tires of interest, but like most bicycle components the manufacturers are trying to go as light as possible.

Why are you people making me want another bike? My wife will kill me.

My wife does not talk about bikes therefore I do not talk about shoes.

:roflmao:

Hard to believe when you talk about cold and freezing in LA. ;-)

You do have a pretty unique situation as far as tire needs go and I agree at this time there is no incentive for fat bike tire manufacturers (which is already a niche of a niche of a niche industry) to create a really heavy duty flat resistant fat tire.

I'm riding the Surly Bud and Lou in the winter and the knobs are ginourmous. They keep the casing off the ground and just roll on the knobs even with my fat a$$ on the bike. You pay a price on blacktop and hard pack dirt as the rolling resistance is higher., but so what. The traction is amazing off road and in the snow. The Surly Nates are very similar to the Lou's and might give you that type of clearance and flat resistance with the big knobs. They have bigger blocks than the Husker du's or the Knards (which look pretty sweet though). The Surly Black Floyd's are really a street tire, and might be thicker than the Larry's but may not give you the traction off road you also need. There are also 26' x 3+" cruiser tires with flame treads and stuff which might be pretty robust on the street, but again not give you too much help off road. Unfortunately as you know these tires are wicked expensive, even the 27tpi's which might be better for you are in the $90 range, AND if you are riding them on the road half the time the treads are going wear far more quickly than off road. I wish I had better suggestions for you but your specific needs really are a bit of an outlier. Don't give up yet!

Most fatbike users live on the frozen tundra somewhere. I mentioned freezing for their benefit. A flat fix on a fatbike is not a job I would want to do wearing mittens.

Thanks for all the tips.

One idea I had that is kind of silly (desperate) was to put a folding 29er tire with a tough tread but thin sidewalls INSIDE of the Big Fat Larrys as a liner. Then use the regular fat tubes inside both tires! Would take some experimentation to find a suitable 29er for a perfect fit, but it might just work until the tube gets rubbed to death by the 29er tire bead. Probably just get a flat a different and more creative way though.

I should experiment around with some tire sealants. Stans works really well for tiny "pokes" from thorns or staples - it will seal dozens of tiny holes permanently - but after six months the unused Stans turns into a huge head of cauliflower INSIDE the tube. This would not be a huge deal if I were running tubeless as I could just remove the dried Stans. Kinda hard to remove a golf ball through a presta valve!

I rolled over a whole "clip" of construction staples once and a dozen of them stuck into my tire. I heard them going round and round clacking against the ground so I stopped to see what the hell. I could see a little milky white Stans bubbling around the punctures. So I yanked out the staples and just spun the tire. Within 20 seconds the leaks all stopped and I rode it just like that for nearly a year. The Stans fix NEVER did leak again. The stuff is really impressive. But with larger punctures (like a chunk of tempered windshield glass) I am going to take a Stans shower big time. It takes a long time for 4" tires to go flat even with a nice puncture, all the while spewing sealant in 360 degree arcs. Glad I need eyeglasses all the time.

Is changing a tire or fixing a flat on one of these fat bikes really any worse that the same job on a motorcycle?

I still want one but I don't know if I want to ride when it's cold out, lol

No, not any worse but a motorcycle has REAL belted tires that don't puncture easily. I rode motorcycles regularly from age 15 to 30 and never got one flat. I made sure my tires were not worn down. Under normal circumstances, 95% of all flats on cars and motorcycles happens in the last 5% of tread life. Pugsley ties are thinner than a worn out motorcycle tire by a ton.

I've never had a flat on a motorcycle either. Haven't had one on my bicycle either, but I haven't been riding it long enough... Certainly sound like a painful process with these fat bikes, I suppose upping the pressure tends to negate the purpose of having the fat bike in the first place.

I just passed 1,000 km on my Necromancer Pugsley. Considering my average speed has been around 13kph they've been quality miles. I love the stability of the bike which takes the drama out of winter riding. The shock absorption of the big tires makes me seek out the narrow foot paths in the park.

I put a Bud on the front of the bike for better winter traction. Then spread about $300 worth of carbide grip studs between the front and rear tires. Studded fat tires have amazing grip, and make a lot of noise on clear pavement.

The Bead on Surly Nate tires locks into the rim very tightly. I don't think I'd even bother trying to fix a flat in the cold. Bud and Lou tires come off quite easily.

I might get a Moonlander frame for next winter. Since I already have a clown shoe wheel on my Pugsley I think I'd only need a rear wheel plus the Moonlander MWOD spindle.

http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/a.../bIMG_0086.jpg

I've heard those grip studs work great, although a little on the spendy side. It's looks like the Bud has plenty of rubber to embed them in. Are you planning to un-stud them come spring? Oh and BTW, I vote yes on the moonlander.

Due to the soft tire compound if I took the studs out I don't think I'd be able to get them back in. I chewed up one of the lugs pretty good installing one of the studs. So this Bud is going to be my dedicated winter tire. The 27tpi Nate might stand up better to having the studs removed, but I will probably leave those ones in too.

My Pugsley came with a Larry in the front. So for the summer I plan on running a Larry in the front and a Knard in the rear. I have a Lou that I tried on the rear but it was much too tight a fit. Since I'm leaning towards a Moonlander, instead of selling it I'll put it on the clown shoe so I can swap front wheels when I go out to the trails.

The Big Fat Larry front, Lou in the back combo is my fav set up for the Moonlander in the dirt. I like Bud in the winter for snow, but not a big fan of it in the dirt at least where I normally ride. Maybe I'll stud him!

Seems like every time my or my wife's car picks up a nail or screw in a tire is within a few months of putting new tires on the car, which means then that most of the tire's life is spent with a plug or patch in it.

So, "JoeyBIke, do you run 65 or 80 mm wide rims? There has to be a good solution out there for you. In the desert South West, they have these nasty goathead thorns, worse than your road hazards. Try fatbike.com or MTBReview, lots of fat bike info out there. 45 north and sun also make fat tires. I have read that some put glitter in the stans for bigger punctures. Are you using the endomorphs? They seem to be thin. Also try Origin8 and Vee Rubber too.