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Dirt Rag Articles
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Tester: Eric McKeegan
Age: 34
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 150lbs.
Inseam: 32"
Vital Stats
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Price: $895 frame and fork, as tested about $2000
Weight: 39.5lbs.
Sizes Available: 16", 18" (tested), 20", 22"
Contact: www.surlybikes.com
Surly's Big Dummy has been a long time coming. First announced almost two years ago, and now available in the spring of 2008, I tested one of the final prototypes, which shares identical geometry with the production versions. The Big Dummy, a kind of cargo bike often called a "long tail," is designed to carry you and your stuff (regardless of what that stuff is) over most terrain.
Before understanding how the Big Dummy works, one must be familiar with Xtracycle and their FreeRadical, an add-on cargo carrying attachment (or "hitchless trailer") for bicycles. It is a bolt-on frame attachment which moves the rear wheel back about 16", creating a versatile cargo bicycle. A wooden deck, large bags and other attachments can be configured to carry various sized and shaped loads. The Big Dummy does away with the add-on nature of the Xtracycle with a purpose built frame, which can utilize all of the Xtracycle components.
The Big Dummy is available as a frame and fork set, allowing you to build one to your needs. Most folks will opt to add the basic kit of Xtracycle components (FreeLoader bags with V rack supports and the wooden Snap Deck) for around $200. The test bike came with a basic build of mostly XT components, 36-spoke wheels and Avid BB7 6" disc brakes. Xtracycle is selling a complete Big Dummy for $1799.00 (see www.xtracycle.com for details). The long rear end necessitates an extra chain and tandem length cables for the rear brake and derailleur.
Riding around on the Big Dummy garners plenty of questions, more than any other bike I've ridden. Experienced cyclists wanted to know how it rode with the long chainstays, and non-riders wanted to know what the heck it was. While pre-riding the Punk Bike Enduro course a hunter posed the "What is it?" question. I replied that the Big Dummy is like a pick-up truck, which immediately got the glimmer of understanding going in his eyes.
As an Xtracycle user for a few years myself, I was interested in how Surly would improve on the already functional FreeRadical. The first change I noticed was small foot supports that help to keep a passenger's feet out of the moving bits of the bike. There is a third tube between the seatstays and the chainstays that has 3rd and 4th bottle mounts. The rear of the frame has an arc of tubing on either side of the wheel to keep loads from rubbing on any moving parts of the bike. Rather than super long chainstays, Surly uses a single big tube for half the length of the rear end, much like a tandem's boom tube.
While riding there is no hiding the fact that this is a LONG bike, but for heavy loads this is a distinct advantage. The long wheelbase creates a stable ride, even off-road on loose terrain. The handling takes a bit of getting used to, and most of my typical off-road instincts were wrong. Climbing loose terrain meant sliding back on the seat as far as possible, and descents often had me on the nose of the saddle to keep the front end biting. While I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday mountain bike, I was impressed with its performance off-road. I was able to scramble up pretty steep trails by staying seated and spinning smoothly; adding weight to the rear made pedaling tougher, but decreased the amount of body English needed to maintain rear wheel traction. Loose downhills were handled with an odd blend of needing to steer the front wheel precisely while allowing the rear wheel to find its own way behind. The real limiting factor is taller obstacles. The front end is hard to pull up, and often even after getting the front wheel over something like a log, the chainrings or the lower frame tube would hang up and stop forward progress. Obviously the long wheelbase made tight turns more work, but nothing to fret about.
Riding on the street was pretty uneventful, and while empty the bike zipped along happily, belying its length and weight. The one-piece frame was noticeably stiffer than my Xtracyle-equipped bike, which can be a handful due to frame flex when heavily loaded. The 6" disc brakes did a fine job, perhaps because the rear brake is more effective due to a rearward weight bias when loaded.
There was some contact between the rear tire and the chain in the larger rear cogs in both middle and inner chainrings. Some of this is due to the long run of chain needed, and rough terrain can really get the chain bouncing around. A longer bottom bracket spindle may correct this, but it was more of an annoyance than a problem. Although there is an additional support tube behind the FreeLoader bags, it was still possible for cargo to press the bag into contact with the brake caliper or derailleur. This could cause the brake pads to drag and the shifting to be wonky. I'd like to see a guard to protect both of these components.
The Xtracycle set-up is incredibly versatile, but it can be frustratingly slow to pack up large loose loads. The ends of the FreeLoaders are mesh with a drawstring and do little to gather up the ends of the bags to keep small stuff inside, and the open tops offer no weather protection for your cargo. The bags have been updated with a flap over the full-length inner pocket, which is great for keeping smaller items in place. Without additional accessories, getting big loads strapped to the side can also be frustrating; having a friend around to hold the cargo while I strapped it down was helpful. The kickstand is really a necessity to hold the bike up when loading, but it is easy to overload one side and cause it to tip. A centerstand would be perfect, and Xtracycle plans to release one in the spring.
What can it carry? Twenty pounds of dog food and a week's worth of groceries for a family of four? Trim for the new door in the living room? Your track bike for an evening of racing? A friend or two? Four cases of beer? A month's worth of recyclables? A few weeks' of laundry? Ladders, personal watercraft, or your bo staff? No problem. Depending on component selection and rider strength, the Dummy can handle up to 400lbs. of rider and cargo. The most typical load for me was another bike and my daily commuting needs. This posed no problem, and I had plenty of room left over.
To me the real test was the Punk Bike Enduro. Beforehand I swapped out the tires for a set of super aggressive Kenda KOT tires and a Thudbuster ST seatpost. The tires hooked up in all kinds of mud, even on hills. The Thudbuster allowed me to stay seated more often, which is important for stability on this bike. I spent the day riding a very muddy course, often times carrying a 1/6th keg. Other than a broken buckle from a crash, the Big Dummy came through with flying colors.
The Big Dummy is a substantial investment, and considerably more expensive than an Xtrcycle conversion kit. For those carrying heavy loads on a regular basis this may be the perfect bike; messengers and cyclists looking to eliminate or substantially reduce their need for a car would seem to be prime candidates. Touring cyclists may be attracted to its carrying capacity as well. The one-piece frame eliminates the mounting points used on the FreeRadical, which need to be checked on a regular basis to keep them tight. The increase in stiffness is a noticeable improvement, as is the handling, which is decidedly neutral, an improvement over the sometimes "interesting" results of a conversion. Surly did their homework with this bike and it shows.
| Exclusive Dirt Rag Web-Only Extras For Surly Big Dummy | Eric tested three Xtracycle accessories that fit on the Surly Big Dummy: the WideLoader, LongLoader and TrayBien. Click here for his web-only product review.
Make: Surly
Model: Big Dummy
Model year: 2008
Type: Long Tail Cargo Bike
Country of origin: Taiwan
Wheel size: 26"
Frame material: 4130
Fork: Surly
Handlebar: Surly Torsion Bar
Stem: Salsa cromoto
Headset: FSA Orbit
Bottom bracket: Shimano Octalink
Crank: Deore 44-32-22
Pedals: none
Chain: Shimano
Saddle: WTB Pure V
Seatpost : Salsa Shaft/Cane Creek Thud Buster
Front hub: Shimano XT 36 hole
Rear hub: Shimano XT 36
Front derailleur: Shimano XT
Rear derailleur: Shimano XT
Shifters: Shimano XT
Cassette: Shimano 11-34
Brakes: Avid BB7 6"
Rims: Velocity Cliff Hanger
Tires: Kenda K-Rad, KOT, Small Block 8
Sizes: 16, 18(tested), 20, 22
Colors: Military Green
Weight: 39.5 pounds
MSRP: $895 frame and fork, ~$2000 as tested
Company website: www.surlybikes.com
Want to read more bike reviews? Click here to check out Dirt Rag's massive bike review archive. |
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| Comment from ALfonse on 2009-07-15 |
| Does Karen still blow chunks at gritty downhill? |
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| Comment from Lauren on 2008-05-01 |
| Just got my 16 Big Dummy yesterday! So far, so good! Feel I can truly be car free while in the city. I've got the upright bars so adjusting to those but so far I love my Dummy! |
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| Comment from Josh on 2008-04-03 |
| I love my Dummy. |
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