8/11/2014

Big Dummy Redo

After riding the Big Dummy all over the place, with the bare minimum maintenance straight into the ground since I built it up in 2008, it was high time to give it the overhaul it deserved. I want to thank my buddy Steve Pickle at 30th century bike in Iowa for helping me with some advice and sourcing some xtracycle bits for the rebuild, and old friends Mellow Velo for helping me get the bike in the first round of Big Dummies way back in twenty-ought-eight

Pre redo, I think all I have replaced is the disc brake pads 3 or 4 times over since I built it the first time

The original snap deck had seen better days

Stripping it down, time for that ancient bluemels metal fender to go

Down to the frame, re frame savered, new rings, shifters, cables, chain, matching planet bike fenders

Holy Roller Tires to replace the well worn big apples

Flight Deck and Hooptie added, new xtracycle bags as well, also new glowing green grips

Neighborhood kids aboard

Aida Likes it, me too

We can get along pretty well on and off road, and use it for establishing hiking basecamp

She can't nap on the back, but a towel and some shade is all we needed

Still does the hauling

With the addition of the magic carpet seat pad, we can do some reasonable mountain style bicycling
More mountain style bicycling on the big dummy #bigdummy #surly #xtracycle #hooptie #losalamos #nm

But it carries the recycling nonetheless

All and all I still love this bike, it has now entered its new life as even better family adventure hauling mobile. I am soon to add a dyno hub and a special front hauling addition. Stay tuned.

4 comments:

alex wetmore said...

I was looking at the Nashbar $15 rack on the front and thinking both "wow, how did that survive the last 6 years" and "this bike needs a real front rack".

I'm staying tuned, the preview looks great.

My favorite picture might be the one with what looks like a bike graveyard in the background.

Tarik Saleh said...

I think it was a $10 dollar rack when I bought it. In its defense, it has only had a basket on it for the last year or so. Before that it was used occasionaly and not well for oddball loading.

Thats no graveyard, thats the pile of daily riders. Ha.

Unknown said...

Nice overhaul on the rear deck.

charlie@ said...

Tarik - looks like you are having lots of fun with the big dummy. I have bike stores in washington DC, and we have big posters promoting certain bikes. Your photo with your three kids on the back? Is it possible to use that image for our posters? Do you have a higher resolution version if it is?

Respectfully
Charlie
charlie@citybikes.com