Surly Pugsley - singlespeed. The go to machine .........

After wanting a Pugsley for a few years but being a bit unsure about the sizing due to the large tyres and me being vertically 'challenged' I picked a up a frame, fork, rear wheel on xt hub and a matching Large Marge rim secondhand in 2012.
I built this up singlespeed for several reasons, firstly, offroad I have been pretty much riding singlespeed exclusively since early 2009 and while I did leave the option open of this having gears, the initial build was singlespeed due to budget and getting it built and riding quicker.
These later ones while still a size up on my Surly 1X1 though the smallest size Pugsley, have a slightly dropped top tube which makes the standover height achievable.

Finished this off with some bits from the parts bin and some new stuff. BB7 brakes, Blaze 2x chainset, XT hubbed wheel on the front and a new Surly singlespeed hub on the rear. Fitted a set of H bars the same as my 1X1. Gearing is usually 36/18.

Anything offroad and this is the go to machine. It gets ridden everywhere from the beach, coast, singletrack, mountains etc from multi day to just a few hours through to riding the Strathpuffer 24 hour. I love it, it fits, it works and regardless of weather or effort it always makes me smile. Its a very fun machine.

Back to the present........................................

I'll post up some of my current rides and why I like them so much and some of the rides they take me on.
Hopefully that will start bringing it up to date.
There will obviously be deviations onto sidetracks for interesting things both present and past.
Will get something together the next day or so.

Jamie

1979 Chatsworth built nickel plated Mongoose Motomag - Part 3

So I soon had the Mongoose sitting in front of me and already knew how I wanted to build it.
This was always going to be a very slow build, for many reasons, the main ones being that it wasn't getting built for a specific ride, race or event and due to always having something in the pipeline bike wise that this would get built as when I had a few pounds to put in it and also when the bits I wanted came along at the right price. Some of the old BMX stuff is now super expensive and like most this would be a budget type build. What I like and can afford so certainly not a bling show bike, a good honest usable machine.
I picked up a few bits over the intervening years but still not everything to finish it, though I'm in no rush at all as while I have built a few bikes while this ones been here, with a young family space, finances and time are at a premium the last couple of years and bike time is generally used for riding or building bikes that I am using.
I have so far picked up a set of cheap bars, Motomag crankset, chainring and bottom bracket, red Tuff wheels, original Mongoose double clamp gold stem, original Mongoose red grips, Tange MXII headset and a set of original style decals from Vintage Mongoose.
I must admit I haven't had it out the loft in a long time but this might stir me on to get a bit more done and get it finished of. Since we first found out my wife was pregnant this was then turned into a project for my son so as long as its finished by the time he fits it. We both joke that he'll most likely come home one day and have swapped it for a G I Joe or something.

Here's some pics from at least 3 years ago before I had the bars etc. It polished up quite well.

1979 Chatsworth built nickel plated Mongoose Motomag - Part 2

OK so if anyone is looking at this, I must apologise for the long rambling, trip down memory lane. While I cannot guarantee some posts wont be long and rambling I can make sure I at least add more pics to break it up a bit.
I must add that at this point there is no one looking at this but me and it is good to get this stuff in one place rather than snippetts of it slowly getting lost in my head. If anyone does see this and has an opinion, then by all means let me know.
As this blog is meant to be about cycle type events and machines in my life I just thought I would start at the beginning. I originally meant to make the last two blog posts cover one short post as way of introduction and lead into a project I have had slowly happening over a few years now.
I had been looking around for a while and in late 2008 ( I think) I came across a 79 Mongoose Motomag frame and  fork for sale in California. It was a decent price and frame numbers showed it was indeed a genuine 79 nickel plated Motomag built in Chatsworth. It was in very good condition with no dents or dings, the plating was in very good condition, if a bit dull and the lack of decals were not a problem as these are easily sourced from originals.
As I now lived in Scotland I had to ask the seller if she would be willing to ship it outside the US and generally do all dealing by email. The lady was very helpful and a really good deal was reached on the frame and even the shipping. I was very lucky with the import duty as it seemed to have flown under the radar or maybe just went past one of the good guys at customs ;)
thats one thing for UK customs, they sure know how to stick it to you from every direction for even secondhand goods. Basically whatever its worth you should allow an extra 25% for customs and excise and Royal mail to slug you for anything not from the European Union.
Here's some pics of the frame from the original ad.

A bit of polishing and buffing and she should come up nice.

1979 Chatsworth built nickel plated Mongoose Motomag

Well I dont have any pics of my lovely Mongoose but I can describe it quite well from memory. It had red Tuff wheels, red brake on the rear only, red grips, pedals etc.
The real issue I had with this frame, maybe not back then, but in hindsight, was how I previously mentioned, I acquired it.
I was on my way home from high school, first year, which was about 6 kilometres away and part of this ride went along a short cut next to a local creek. On one section I noticed a set of fork ends sticking up out of the water. Now lots of stuff used to get dumped in this section of the creek, even the odd bike now and then but these forks were a: clearly from a bmx and b: very shiny, not the usual bit of barely recognisable rusty metal you might spot. On closer inspection and a bit of manhandling I realised it was attached to the whole frame. I quickly got the whole lot out and was soon riding home shouldering this new found treasure.
I was smart enough, even at that young age to know that Mongoose's dont come from creeks, and while my neighbourhood was a very safe type area there were a few areas near to us that were not safe to leave your bike unlocked somewhere. So at that young age of 12 or 13 I was old enough to know that was more likely than not, stolen, but there was always that chance so of I went home with it. Man I really wanted it. In my working class area, especially at our age, none of us had bikes like this, bikes yes, bikes that we loved yes, but not like this. This new BMX thing, shiny ( we weren't old enough or smart enough to know what nickel plating was), only a few kids even had Tuff wheels and these things were the most amazing things we had ever seen. If you buckled it, you put it in the freezer overnight to straighten them! I remember one freind whose brother had Tuffs and he put one in the freezer overnight after a crash. The following day after school there was standing room only in his backyard after he took it out the freezer and a small crowd waited in silence while it was fitted and tested to see if it was straight. It was! unbelievable.
Anyway, I was soon home and excitedly telling my dad what I had found, 'just an old bike frame', trying to not sound excited or give the game away regarding its lofty position in dream bike wants.
I was asked by my dad what I thought a nice looking frame like that was doing in the creek, where I thought it had come from and what I think we should do now.
He was right of course and he knew that I knew what was right and also what the right thing to do now was.  I cannot remember whether it was my dad or myself that rang the police, I have a vague recollection that it was myself and then dad spoke to them. It had the frame number still on it and only the Mongoose sticker on the downtube. It was well used but still nice. Dont get me wrong, while I knew it was the right thing to do and while my dad asked me what we should do, I was well aware he was only looking for one answer. He already knew that answer and was just checking I knew what that was.  Its only now that I'm typing this that I suddenly thought, 'hell, I hope my dad never thought I stole that bike' I'm sure he didn't and I really hope he didn't. While I was no angel when I was a kid, I certainly didnt steal. He's no longer with us so I cant ask him, but its funny as Its never in my life crossed my mind that my dad may have thought that. I'm sure if he did I would have copped a hiding regardless of what I answered ;)
Once again, rambling, my apologies.
The police said that if and when someone reported it I would have to hand it over to the owner but if no one claimed it within a certain time, not sure if it was 1 or 3 months then it was mine. The frame was put in the shed I think and the countdown began.
Eventually the frame was mine as no one had reported it stolen. Back then when BMX was really getting into its stride these Mongooses were pretty rare in my area. I had only ever seen 1 or 2 and they were not in my area. So if you did steal it and ride it in its original guise it would stand out like a beacon. So it probably had some good stuff on it and was stripped for parts and the frame chucked, thats my hindsight opinion.
I had swapped some parts off my old bike, saved and begged mum and dad to buy other bits I needed, but I pretty much swapped a load of my stuff from memory to get what I needed.
I remember that on the local made, usually homemade BMX tracks it was a revelation to ride. I rode it everywhere, weekends, weekdays, to school, before school, after school, took the long way everywhere. It was cool.
Sadly after about 6 months, maybe longer, maybe less as memory from that age makes time seem far slower to pass than what it does now, someone thought they should have it more than me and it was stolen, never to be seen again. Easy come and easy it went. I am sure I must have been gutted having it stolen but I honestly dont remember it all that much, I am sure I wouldn't have been suprised as it would have been desirable even with the mishmash of parts I had on it. Back then we never locked anything and being young we would just leave our bikes leaning against a wall when we went inside a shop etc or lying on the ground in someones front yard.
Back to the old Malvern Star and a few mods and it was as good as it had ever been. I dont remember ever feeling disapointed  about being back on the Malvern Star, I suppose as a kid you just accept these things and make the most of what you have.
When I remember those two bikes from my early days while I do remember the Mongoose as a really classy ride that briefly was a part of my life, probably influenced me more than I even know now, it is the Malvern Star that I always think of as the one constant and think of as my bike.

These is not my picture of my Mongoose, though this shows a very similar setup.

Bit of Background

*Updated June 2018

Hello from myself, Jamie Dyer
I am 50 years old and am Australian. I have been living in the far north of Scotland for the last 10 years and am married to a lovely Scottish girl Heather and have a young son, Caleb who is seven almost eight. Not sure when I will get home but for the time being here, Scotland is home.
Will put a few posts up showing the various bikes and differing types of riding that I've been doing the last few years.
This will hopefully give a bit of background of whats been happening and the type of riding  I'm interested in.
I spent my very young through to my teenage days virtually living on my bike, a Malvern star dragster, metal flake purple, banana seat etc that I remember getting one Christmas. This was early seventies remember but I still have a real soft spot for metalic purple bikes. I remember my mum had it on lay-by and would pay money on it leading up to Christmas. Despite many skinned ankles and cuts,scrapes and bruises from crashing that beast in its many, many forms and modifications, I really have fond memories of the many happy miles and years together. I loved it.
It had one gear which was swapped out often, and went from big apehanger dragster bars through to BMX bars towards the end.
In my first year of high school I 'acquired' (more on this later) a 1979 Mongoose moto Mag frame and fork and other bits and pieces. Built up with red Tuff wheels. A brilliant machine that elevated me from lowly dufus younger neighbourhood kid at the bmx track to semi coolness. At least it seemed that way, due to unrealistic self image issues and forty five year old memory that last sentence would probably be laughed at by any actual person that was there or maybe even those in the vicinity. Alas I knew then as I do now that it was the ultra cool nickel plated Mongoose that was the cool one of the relationship ;)
I dont want to paint an unrealistic picture here as myself and the majority of my group of freinds were not the cool kids, we could, especially on our bikes, hold our own. We could ride all day, we could skateboard, we could give cheek and we could run. The later two were usually together and in that order :)              We certainly were not the fighters, maybe thats why we could ride fast and run.

I dont have any pictures these days of those old bikes which is a great shame.

I then went off the usual way when I was a teen with the bicyle and the skateboard to a large extent foresaken until my late twenties. from 15 until 30 odd the motorcycles took precedence, often with the bicycle used for training.
Then slowly the motorcycles thinned out and the work with them became the same old, with the bicycle getting ridden more and more for its own pleasure rather than training or keeping fit.
The last 25 odd years have been back into the bikes full on and riding whenever and whereever I can.
Its been the one constant throughout my life. I wholeheartedly agree with what a wise man once said:
' I've spent half my life on bicycles, the other half I wasted'

More to come, hopefully regularly.
It will most likely be random like this, about anything really but with pictures where I can.
Happy trails

Jamie