Surly Pack Rat Hardtail Conversion

Surly Pack Rat turns into a hardtail? What?
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@tomi_tea
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@cowboytomi

[@sedona741]

wow your videos are so underrated

[@CowboyTomi]

thanks!

[@alexsch9956]

Hey I love your videos. Did you change the brake levers? Are those Shimano STI's with V-brakes, cause I read that those two shouldn't work together really well and that you would need Problem solvers travel agents to make them work? Thx

[@CowboyTomi]

Thank you! I have not changed the brake levers because they just work, brakes are still strong as ever. I am still using the same set up til this day! I installed the original fork back on tho.

[@richarde1355]

@@CowboyTomi why did you put back on the old fork?

[@CowboyTomi]

@@richarde1355 I ended up missing the old geometry it had with the original fork and plus I have a hardtail mtb now!

[@richarde1355]

Awesome! Curious, did you ever calculate/measure how much weight the suspension fork added to the bike?

[@PadyakExploration]

Hey Cowboy Tomi! Good setup! May I know the tire width of the Panaracer? Thanks!

[@CowboyTomi]

thanks! they’re 48mm!

[@NickUncommon]

That bottle holder looks bigger than the ones I see here. Is that a custom built? I would like to have one for my 1.5 litre nalgene. So far, my bottle has to go into the backpack.

[@Elusuegro]

That looks dope 🔥

[@CowboyTomi]

thank you! later on, i had to install the original fork back on. the front suspension was too high for its current geometry.

[@ジョニージョニー-x1l]

Peace!

[@jacksharmonoquinn572]

Love that surly

[@CowboyTomi]

thank you!

[@jacksharmonoquinn572]

Was looking at a straggler awhile back..

[@CowboyTomi]

@@jacksharmonoquinn572 Nice, my girlfriend has a 38cm straggler!

[@Dragon1165]

My wife fell in love with a mint green one... thinking of either converting an older street bike to a gravel bike.. or hoping to find one for a decent price. .. love the video

[@CowboyTomi]

@@Dragon1165 Thank you and go for it! It'll be such a fun build.

[@sedona741]

some people says that if you use v brake with road sti shifters it wont work properly , did you have some trouble about it ? and you changed the geometri of your bike with suspansion fork did you feel any change on your bike ?

[@CowboyTomi]

hmm interesting! the v-brakes work even better than the original cantilever brakes it came with. it has so much more brake power. the suspension fork did raise the front a couple inches, but the sag compensates for that gap and rides AMAZING over bumpy terrain.

[@sedona741]

@@CowboyTomi thanks man i hope your channel will increase and we can wacth your amazing videos more

[@dauf69]

I'd venture a guess that it's a Mini V brake, with a cable pull ratio similar to cantilevers. That's why he was able to use it on his STI lever without any problems.

[@AN-kg4ei]

I used a V brake with Shimano 105 STIs and needed a 'Travel Adjuster' which is just a small pulley to change ratio for more bite. I've heard that sometimes you get lucky - too soft in my case.

[@jayteeteav7264]

very nice! 🚛

[@sammyvo1142]

giddy up!!!

[@CowboyTomi]

yeehaw!!!

[@masnuk6537]

noooooo......

[@CowboyTomi]

🤣🤣🤣

[@diegohp72]

Is these a 26 bike?

[@CowboyTomi]

No, it’s 27.5”

[@richardnarciso1986]

Awesome!

[@muksinunchiens7808]

Why you don't use disk brake?

[@CowboyTomi]

I've been fine with rim brakes for 20+ years since I was a kid. Disk brakes are amazing by any means necessary, but these v-brakes have so much stopping power that can be compared to disk brakes eazzzzyy.

[@richarde1355]

@@CowboyTomi I had a guy once tell me that, in his opinion, rim brakes are no different that disc brakes, if you think of the rim as a rotor.

[@ujnawierzbie72]

Why don't you install a suntour ncx seatpost too? :D Pack Rat must be the most underrated Surly model. It's quite a shame that people didn't see the unrealized potential this bike offers. I own a pack rat, built it up with some old/new parts, it's amazing. Quick, responsive and can really handle some weight up front while being quite easy to ride (even ~20kg of load is not a problem). I might convert it some day to 700c, fixed gear and all "porteur" style :)

[@CowboyTomi]

It is such a beastly bike, It truly can do it all. And that sounds like a sick build!

[@richarde1355]

Isn’t your bike already a 700c? Or is it a 650b?

[@ujnawierzbie72]

@@richarde1355 normally it's 650b with brake posts placed accordingly.