
Mugsy and I rode the highly acclaimed Monarch Crest Trail yesterday, a 32-mile section of the Colorado Trail, right in the peaking fall colors. With all this you'd think I'd be ready to capture nature's best. Nope. Left the camera at my condo. Left my phone (with camera) in the car. Therefore, no pictures from yesterday.
While only being 32 miles, the ride felt a whole lot longer. It took us about six hours to complete, with a few hiccups along the way. Mugsy had a flat with about two miles left on the trail, and I spent the day occasionally pumping up the Pugsley's rear tire due to a slow leak.

This was the Pugsley's first trip onto an actual trail. It drew a ton of attention - "Look at those tires!!!", "Sweet wheels!!!" ... etc. - and while it perhaps wasn't the best for single track, there were a few sections of scree and creek riding that it cut through like a hot knife through butter.
While the Puglsey has no active suspension, it does have a lot of ability to soak up bumps, rocks, logs, etc., due to its 4-inch (3.7) Surly Endomorph tires. I started the day running at about 20psi, but kept tweaking until I was down to around 10psi. At 10psi, I had a good combination of control and "squishiness" in the tire to soak up the obstacles on the trail.
While Mugsy felt the trail was "Girl-Scout Technical", I don't know if I'd want to take the Pugsley onto a trail any more technical. That doesn't say it couldn't handle it - I'm sure it could - I'm just not the most adept rider on mountain trails. It really amazed me how quickly people were bombing down the rock and cobble strewn trail at significant grades. I seriously wonder how anyone could actually be in control! With rocks and trees everywhere, it seems
just a little bit risky.
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