Hello. Do you like to suffer? You do? Then you've probably dreamt about the TransIowa race. Most of you inclined to participate have likely already been following this year's TransIowa developments, but Kerkove and Guitar Ted want you slackers to know that version 3.0 is happening in April, registration is open, and the deadline is looming. Get on it. -----

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Speaking of rodents, I discovered a new seasonal sport today called Bowling for Muskrats. When the cold temperatures up here starts to freeze the lakes, there are open patches of water where muskrats like to hang out. They will sit on the edge of the ice and flop in and out of the water. The sport consists of rolling a rock across the ice and scaring them all into the water. Getting them all to jump in the water is a strike. I know you animal lovers are thinking it cruel and inhumane, but have you ever had one lunge at your leg with their ugly buck teeth, their beady little eyes and that scuzzy long tail? I have and now it's my turn to taunt them. The best thing is that by the time you scare them into the water and go retrieve another rock, they're all sitting back up on the ice waiting for another roll. If I go to hell for this, I'm sure the muskrats and I can duke it out there too. Game one: 20 rocks, 1 strike. -----

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Occasionally, we get questions about how to haul a Pugsley with an automobile roof rack. Pugsley uses an offset 135mm-spaced fork, so it won't simply plug into a fork-mount type of rack. Some racks will allow the retrofit of a longer dummy axle to accommodate the wider-than-standard fork dropout spacing. But it makes more sense, in my opinion, to leave the car rack alone and build a removable adapter instead. That way, the rack can be used for 100mm-spaced and Pug-spaced forks without having to change hardware. Hurricane Components makes several Fork Up adapters to fit a wide range of bicycle forks. I chose to modify their Riser model to work with a Pugsley fork. After knocking out the stock plugs, I shortened the disc-side plug 4.5mm (the thickness of the hub locknut), drilled it out to accept a 10mm axle, and reinstalled it into the Riser center tube. A new drive-side plug was made from 25.4mm (1") round aluminum stock. It was sized to stick out 40.5mm from the end of the 80mm-wide Riser center tube. Here's how it adds up: 4.5mm locknut + 40.5mm drive-side plug + 80mm center tube + 5.5mm disc-side plug + 4.5mm locknut = 135mm spacing. A 10 x 1 x 146mm Wheels Manufacturing axle holds it all together, and a rear Shimano QR skewer keeps the Pug fork clamped to the adapter assembly. Most wheel tray/fork mount style bike racks don't readily fit our Endomorph tire, but a toe strap can be used to cinch down your rear Pugsley wheel to the rack wheel tray. The tire won't fit within the tray, but it should stay centered if the toe strap is adequately tightened. A wheel tray Endomorph adapter would probably be an easy thing to make, but I'm not sure it's necessary. -----

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Fat Squirrel Season Everybody knows that squirrels store nuts for the winter. They store them in the ground, probably up in trees and they eat them to get a nice fat belly for the winter. But what I notice most about squirrels this time of year is that they are particularly slow, sluggish, indecisive, unpredictable and psycho. Case in point, I'm riding my bike in a quiet residential neighborhood this morning (with a 100+ pound trailer in tow) and I see a squirrel walking her dog. She's stopped on the corner of an uncontrolled intersection while the leashed dog sniffs around. From a distance, I ring my bell to get her attention and we make positive eye contact. Knowing it's fat squirrel season, I have my fingers on the brake levers as I approach. About 12 feet before I enter the crosswalk, the squirrel decides that her and the dog are going to test their right of way across the street. I skid the rear wheel and start drifting sideways, just barely missing squirrel and pooch. You know when you're skidding and all you can think of is "did that squirrel want to commit suicide?" but you're glad you have brakes and skills to spare it's life. So as I maneuver around the squirrel I ask in a fairly pleasant tone, "do you walk out in front of people often?" Squirrel chatters, "it's my right of way" Me, "you may be right, but I rang my bell so you could see me, we made direct eye contact, you were stopped on the sidewalk with no intended direction across the street and then you just walked in front on me. I just didn't want to hit your dog, that's all" Squirrel, "you could've gone around me" Me, "obviously, I just did" Squirrel "ra ra ra ra ra" Me, "I just didn't want to hit your dog, ma'am" Seriously folks, it's fat squirrel season. Squirrels are slow, preoccupied with gathering expensive christmas nuts at the malls for their kids, chattering on their phones and crabby because it's cold and dark outside. The last thing they are thinking about is getting tangled up in your wheels and sending you to the hospital. I witnessed three more very close calls between squirrels in cars within one block this morning, it was like they pumped fresh roasted cashew smell in the air during a coffee embargo. So until fat squirrel season is over, watch out. We wouldn't want your holiday meal to be pureed hospital turkey. -----

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Upcoming New Surly Stuff We introduced a few new things at the Interbike tradeshow this year. Things that aren't available right now, things that still need quite a bit of developement and testing and things that we all have to wait for. New colors (they're up on the frame pages now) - available Spring 2007 Crosscheck - green goes, Misty Mountain Grey is new, black remains Karate Monkey - brown goes, Husker Blu is new, black remains Pugsley - purple goes, new color is Metallic Thunderhead Gray Instigator - black goes, new color is red Rocket Steamroller - charcoal goes, new color is Maroon (which really looks like chocolate syrup) Pacer - black goes - new color is Silver Bullet metallic with new graphics - super hot Trucker and 1x1 stay the same colors for 2007 Current colors are the only colors available until Spring. Now's your last opportunity. No, you don't get a discount. Mr Whirly Crankset - available summer 2007 An external bearing crankset with changeable spiders (94mm, 104mm, 110mm) with a spindle for Pugsley too. Will come in black or silver, 170mm, 175mm, 180mm Price is TBD Big Dummy frameset - available summer 2007 A long frame built specifically to work with the accessories from Xtracycle. It's a cargo bike and it's going to be very cool. Lots of testing still needs to be done. Final price is TBD, but it will be in the $811.06 range for the frame and fork - Xtracycle bits are not included in that price Complete bikes - available spring 2007 Long Haul Trucker, blue color only under $1000 MSRP Steamroller under $675 MSRP We'll post the spec sometime in the near future. Dingle cogs - available soon - couple of months Single speed spacer kit - available now, wow wow If you have questions, let us know. If you're calling to tell us how worthy you are of testing some of these developing products, don't bother. e-mail us at derby@surlybikes.com or call 1-877-743-3191 -----

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