Testing my Cargo Bike on Mountain Bike Trails (Surly Big Dummy Test!)

Since building up my Surly Big Dummy, it has become my favorite bike. I have quite a few mountain bikes to choose from, but this is the only one I can go grocery shopping on, take my daughter places, and basically live off of for a day. But can you mountain bike with it? Can you hit jumps with it? Well, today we'll find out to what extent it can do any of those things.
I did realize there are a few things I need to snug up on this bike, as well as a couple clamps that keep the rack secure that got left out. I also realized that a bike doesn't need to handle athletically to climb well. You pretty much just point this in the direction of rocks and start pedaling. Bike go up. Yes, you'll run out of energy quickly, but it's impressive.
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[@maxlewis2451]

2.5 years ago I was graced by this channels glory I never rode a mtb before but after watching just about every video on each channel in a 2 week time period I was on an adventure to get my first mountain bike and start learning the ropes. I can confidently say Seth has changed my life I have made some amazing friends and memories. I’ll be riding mtb for the rest of my life no doubt. Thanks Seth 💙

[@Acaidia]

That’s so cool. I found this channel like 7+ years ago when searching for videos on different mtb topics. I already had a bike and stuff but I hadn’t ridden any real mtb trails or anything like that. This channel single handedly boosted my interest in mountain biking 20 fold. I’ve already found several new trails I want to hit once winter is over and I plan to buy a second bike this year too.

[@notamorningdragon]

I now have no excuses for not being able to ride rocky trails or jumps.

[@bermchasin]

my go to is hemmoroids. no one will question you.

[@Knitterfest]

I dont have a daughter to follow and I'm pretty sure I shouldnt follow someone elses kid on what is essentially a van-bike.

[@AshBeowulf]

I chickened out at the end of Schroen Train on my XC bike but now I'm feeling like a chump 😂

[@lowiqsavage]

@@Knitterfest just put a free candy sign on it....

[@DarkFeedFPV]

😂@@bermchasin

[@NukaOrQuantum...]

Hey Seth, as a new mountain biker, I thank you for the countless videos that have been provided at my disposal on "Berm Peak" and Berm Peak Express". Not only are your videos helpful, but there are also entertaining. Videos like this one surely are the latter!

[@treytreytrey]

Welcome to the MTB family! ❤

[@SemiSendy]

It Surly is!

[@scottbjuhlable]

They surly are 😅

[@onlywhenchased]

Seth, this brought back such good memories! Back in 2015, I spent 3500 miles dirt touring through the Rockies on my Big Dummy, covering much of the Great Divide route, while weaving in more than a little technical singletrack, including multiple 11k' passes along the Colorado Trail and getting caught in an early season blizzard in BC. I broke 3 kickstands and wore through two sets of Surly bags, but the frame soaked up an incredible amount of offroad abuse with zero complaints.

[@hamiltonhickman2248]

The rocks at 3:40 just show how good of a biker Seth is, that climb is steeper and harder than it looks and he did it on a long tail, that’s insane skill

[@marcuslinton310]

Yeah, I don't buy his assessment or yours of those rocks. Those were beyond simple rocks, anyone with a little bit of rock garden experience should make it thru fine.

[@hamiltonhickman2248]

@@marcuslinton310 I’ve seen them irl so our “assessment” is based on sight and not a video played on some tiny screen.

[@marcuslinton310]

​@@hamiltonhickman2248 I got a look at them just fine on his way up and down and absolutely nothing special about those rocks. I made it through stuff like that back when I was first starting. 4:20 has a great shot of that entire stretch. But, whatever, each person has their own level of abilities so it is what it is. Pedal strikes also don't mean squat, you can hit a pedal and keep going, this is nothing new and Seth knows that.

[@tumekeehoa3121]

I spoke to my geologist cousin and he said those rocks are special, a few hundred million years old or something. He cried when he saw the pedal strikes.

[@sexyshadowcat7]

@@tumekeehoa3121 That's nothing compared to the punishment that rock has been subjected to for millions of years

[@adamdavi8869]

I'd say this is a perfect example of the rider making the ride look good. Impressive skills demonstration Seth.

[@darrylstark9259]

"You only jumped one bike length..." Looks at bike. "Oh, that's quite a jump"

[@christiansmyth1466]

It brings a literal tear to my eye to see Surly getting love on SBH, er, BPE 🙂. I was bummed when Seth ended his partnership with DiamondBack, but since then I have to admit we've seen a lot more and different bikes on the channels. And it's been greatness. FWIW I own a Karate Monkey and a Midnight Special and I love them both

[@JJR_COOL]

I have been mountain biking for a few years now. I started out all because I saw one of you videos. Your videos are great! 👍👍

[@blakekennard7700]

I thoroughly enjoy the curiosity you bring to these videos. When I was in my youth I experimented a lot swapping parts from different size bikes to mess with geometry, (though at that time I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing!), unicycles, trikes, even the old 12” wheel scooters. And for each of them try and bunny hop , 180s, drops and jumps. I appreciate that your videos capture one of the most important reasons we all ride bikes. FUN! Thanks man, Blake

[@herethere2518]

Surly does make lock collars for securing the rack to the frame, which would probably be helpful for you. I like to remove the rack altogether and ride it as though it were a normal bike from time to time, definitely gets lots of double-takes!! I ride mine on singletrack probably 50% of the time and frontend washouts are certainly the primary weakness on trails

[@Josukegaming]

This is the epitome of MTB and dad life combined, glad you're enjoying it!

[@kirkroberts3546]

I've been riding a Big Dummy as my daily commuter for years, and have always loved it. It's certainly capable of single track, but the long wheel base means low clearance on the front chain rings over rocks and logs. If you do that sort of thing a lot, plan to replace the largest chain ring with a bash guard. You also have to buy two chains and know how to splice chains any time you replace it. What I love the most is that it just rides like a normal bike, albeit with a longer rear end. It's kind of like the mini-van of the bike world. Just throw all your crap in it and go about your life. You'll win no beauty contests or drag races but the functionality is amazing. If I were intent on rough single track, I'd look into the Salsa Blackborow, instead.

[@NickElliottuk]

Your channel is unlike any other MTB channel out there! I love it. 🙂

[@KaiSteinbach]

Surely this great sense of humor is what got you to land the biggest jump of them all ... the one for who is now Misses Bike Hacks, many years ago. Thank you for entertaining us!

[@miloontheready7814]

Thank you. I learned a lot from this video. I have a mountain bike that I mainly use as a daily commuter, but want to set up for bike camping. This means a lot of extra cargo that will be on it. Seeing the Big Dummy handle the technicalsso well, I see that mine should have no issues with the technicals either. Thanks for another great video.

[@8paolo96]

I have a surly ogre, and honestly I even prefer how she behaves when is loaded than when she's fully unloaded, bikes sometimes can really surprise you

[@nicolaspade1341]

Seth made that little jump better with his cargo bike than I would have on my mountain bike 😂

[@XNA2NW3]

Man, you took that beast up spots I’ve been riding for years, and some of them I still haven’t mastered. Point made, lol. Been awesome seeing you around town. Hope to have you back soon!

[@zacsmith3600]

I've been watching you videos for years now and I will say during your discussion about the rainbow bridge it was really awesome to see people ride by! Great work intentional or not, would love to see more!!

[@robertgrah5309]

My wife loves her Big Dummy, lucky for me! She also has one of the bikes too. Our kids, 9 & 6, have spent the better part of there lives shuttling around in the back or hoping on when they couldn’t pedal anymore. She’s going to be really jealous when I show her your back rack. We used old bar ends with grip tape to make horns to transport lil people bikes. Great video!

[@dadlife8289]

Nice one 😅

[@rocksteadymtb]

The look right at 3:50 had me rolling😂! Had to instant replay that a couple times! Keep up the great work Seth! I'm coming to Bentonville next spring! So stoked!

[@rorycourtenay564]

The constant ringing of the bell through the trails is amazing

[@pjortmaszyna]

we learn something from you everytime, Seth. good work.

[@rileycoltrin]

Crazy to think i started following your Chanel for the old bmx series when you were in Florida, cool to see your thriving with an awesome life and a family

[@petergibson7287]

I’ve got a big dummy and I love it. You rode the rough stuff very well and I promise you that true off road tyres make all the difference.

[@markpeterson8978]

Awesome...Loved it. ...The bike can do more...You rule... Thank you Seth. - M

[@bruahh530]

I've been looking to get a Surly, and this just cements the belief to do it!

[@ArtFalcon]

Bentonville looks sick on any bike! Thanks for leaving the comfort of your home to bring us all this great content from mountain biking heaven 👍👍

[@robinyoutube7862]

Cargobikes are amazing! We have a Nihola. I used to pull my kids in a Croozer with my emtb (before it was stolen) and would launch hard off jumps. The kids loved it.

[@bradharris966]

Thanks for rocking the cargo bike on the singletrack. And thanks for pointing out the bell ringing on bumps. It brought me great joy to listen for it.

[@Canyonsenda9065]

Wow I love your vids Seth sooo inspiring to me never stop doing what your doing!!!

[@zeemon9623]

I think this serves as a great demonstration showing how you don't need another / a better bike unless you're professional in which case you won't need to worry about it. If this woefully inappropriate vehicle can be used on a trail then a cheap and/or old mountain bike will be fantastic. The grass is almost greener on new bike day but this is already excellent.

[@PiotrRorot]

I'm impressed that this bike actually lifted on a jump and did not immediately drop, shows you got skills. But just so you know, if there is anything at all that moves or is loose on a bike with no sus, it is going to fall off if you're going to ride on rocky terrain. It just will.

[@swapode]

This is how I remember mountain biking in the early 90s. And I maintain that something like my mid-tier Scott with its steel frame and rigid fork was rather close to bicycle perfection. 21 gears that wouldn't be out of place on a modern gravel bike and dared you to put on slicks. Lots of mounts for fenders, racks and so on. Mine even came with a dynamo mount, while its slightly fancier big brother won championship races. Easy to work on with an easy to understand, affordable and available parts collection. And of course a bell that goes "ding" if you push it too far on your way to school or through the woods two counties over. Makes sense to make one that makes it easier to bring your stuff. That was a lot of "make"s in that last sentence.

[@groovygannon]

I have my dad's 1959 schwinn american. When my kids were small just riding it in the grass at the park caused a riot with them cuz it looked so out of place. Awesome job with this!

[@paulbhager]

I've learned where I need to take my next mountain bike vacation, that's for sure. Berms made from hand laid angled stones. 🤙🔥

[@dadlife8289]

Cool video! I liked the different vibe with editing and the camera shots!

[@ericsundell9978]

haha YES! Surly's are great do-it all machines. Maybe not the best at anything, but definitely tough, JOAT type bikes and I love them.

[@chrisplatten2293]

Definitely entertained, so no worries on that score. It managed to put a smile back on my face after watching Tom Cardy's sad update.

[@_Chipster]

Love the content, definitely had me giggling at parts.

[@garylittle166]

It is awesome to see a Big Dummy out doing what it was made for. Those things are virtually indestructable. If you want to get a little rowdier try a 2nd generation Salsa Blackborow. It's not quite as long, but it does have 4 inch tires, so no problems with traction. I ride one as my daily commuter/get away from it all bike. Keep up the good work.

[@mattgies]

They used to make a "Big Fat Dummy"--fatbike version of the Dummy.

[@timbershadow1]

I literally can not wipe this big dumb smile off my face. For the entire edit!! Love it!! Not sure if Eric told you but I brought you authentic cheese curds fresh from Wi. but never ran into you to give them to you while we were there. Sorry about that. Love what you do and please don't stop making edits the way you do. Thank you!

[@BenFenner]

Finally the 26", rigid, one-by, Surly mountain biking I've always wanted to see on this channel! I thought it would be a Surly Troll like mine, but I guess this will have to do.

[@carstenpodehl8074]

thx for the fun

[@Boopop1024]

Sure I learnt something today, cargo bikes are awesome! Kidding, I knew that already, that's why I've had a LvH Bullitt for several years 😊

[@aaronstirtzingerbell8746]

😂 pure gold, thank you. Edit: LoL! The control exercised was amazing. I did learn something! I have no idea what it is but I'm SURE I did 😅.

[@woolfel]

geometry is aircraft carrier, lol You are nutz in a good way. you've inspired me to ride my Santa cruz more and do some mountain biking this winter before it snows

[@johnnybanana8562]

I DID learn something, so thanx Seth.

[@jabok5821]

Great video seth, love it.

[@josephkrug8579]

Very serious video up to the humor section of 'im going to be careful on the bike', :) definite laughs occurred from that. :)

[@zeruiahwild1]

You are the reason i bought a $100 huffy hardtail as an under bike/commuter bike and this video shows it was a great idea😂

[@PeopleWatchingMarcus]

🎉🎉🎉 1 Million of us who wish we could bike as well as you

[@danielvelasquez7708]

I always running a mountain bike hardtail, never a cargo bike as you somehow make it so easy, and you are the reason I got into Mountain Biking. Hopefully I can regain the faith from what is lost from more than a year over a scam involving a flip bike series.

[@mattgies]

What scam was that?

[@danielvelasquez7708]

@@mattgies Offerup buyer sent me a message about their father was interested in the item, but I should have looked at the tell tale signs was naive at the time, and wanted to make a living.

[@mattgies]

@@danielvelasquez7708 Oh, I thought the scam was "involving [Seth's] flip bike series". Sorry to hear you got scammed though.

[@danielvelasquez7708]

It was taking an idea from him of “Taking really good pictures” as seen with multiple flip bikes, had issues selling a bike since I bought a new one, after that event have lost trust, and faith in him. I did apologize to him more than year later for saying rude comments, at the time dealing with a family member having cancer at the time, and was not fully myself could not fully express my emotions.

[@victorsaul7142]

I love your content. You're style makes my laugh 😃

[@mikeaaronnewman1305]

Yeah Dude. The newer cargo bikes with the 24" rear wheels do keep that center of gravity nice and low. (It's not even that new of a design element anymore.) That said, you're kind of loading the cargo wrong. What you really need is two of the side bags and you put your heavy stuff there. I've carried 100 plus pounds in the bags on my Xtracycle Free Radical without much issue. And that's on an even more flexible conversion kit. It's rad to see that on trails. I've taken mine on some single track, but the trails were still pretty tame.

[@ChrisCrond]

I have 20-inch wheels on my bike and i hit ALL the trials/jump/off-roading. I get air on my bike when going to get groceries. I love 20s!

[@johnzee691]

showing the utilitarian side of bikes. nice. bikes aren't just throwing them in the back of your truck and heading to the bike park. 😁 back in the day people were towing their bikes in the surly bags to races / events. racing / participating then riding back.

[@vulpixgrant]

Gawd your a trooper using that bike for all that! Impressive, a bit crazy to just like I like my KZbin Stars! Now I kinda want to get a bell on my mountain bike to ring, let me know when I'm hitting the good stuff lol. I'm inching towards buying a Mongoose Grudge 26" BMX Bike to kind of see what it can handle. I've done 100+ Mike bike rides on Mongoose Fat Tire bikes, and have done some trail riding on them as well. I bet I could have some fun on that cheap adult size BMX on top of re-learning tricks from 25 years back.

[@jonaslo6011]

i used to ride my beach cruiser on technical trails from time to time. it also had a relatively long rear center, although not as long as the surleys. made it a slow but save descent and had tons of fun

[@chris2ao]

Ayeeee another awesome video and congrats on a million subscribers!

[@billiewright3577]

Watching you jumping the Dummy then thinking about the trail ride you did prior to the jump, an image of a crazy ice cream man came to mind. I had to laugh. Great vid!

[@foxmusic5]

thank you

[@montanaylago]

Sometimes when I see your videos, I just have an question: why? But most of the time at the end of the video I know why… Keep inspiring people!!!

[@kittykat7618]

Let's go I can't wait to see this new video!

[@levimaiateles8762]

Seth remembers me so much of my dad, im literally crying right now

[@JOEBOWERY]

making me realize how amazing it was that my mom often grocery-shopped for us on a single-speed-cruiser-foot-brake-with saddle bags,

[@Yourfavbluemonke]

Seth is getting more air on a long tail effortlessly then i get when i try on my mountain bike😂

[@chriskat7560]

A couple of years ago I met someone who had a Surly of this style and had ridden from Alaska to Ushuaia on that same bike.

[@beakerknockerz]

In Argentina??????

[@chriskat7560]

@@beakerknockerz yep, the only real Surly with xtracycle kit i ever seen.

[@Vincent-_-123]

Congrats on the 1 million.

[@benparker5512]

Cool seeing you in the hometown! Come see us at Prelude Breakfast!

[@Frorideism]

Good afternoon my fellow boomers

[@mgirard700]

Dude! You could ride a pink Walmart tricycle a make it look cool. Keep up the good work Seth! 😎

[@David-lr2tj]

Wheelbase good...keeps rear on ground in descent, more brakes available

[@djbayr9516]

That long wheel base probably helped with the jumps

[@nashpowell]

Love your videos and it was great to meet you sorry we interrupted your video 😅

[@hananas2]

This makes me wanna take my bullitt long nose cargo bike offroad! Should be much more manageable because all the extra length is in front of you where you can see what it's doing, also you can corner it like it's on rails

[@Boopop1024]

Hello from a fellow Bullitt owner! 🫡👌

[@Alistair]

Congrats on 1 million subs!

[@mario48756]

It jumps really well, you should send every jump of berm peak with it

[@Dellvmnyam]

This bike has a still frame and you steel love it.

[@gregnowak2492]

Always entertaining sir!

[@williamzimmerman3847]

I love riding Aircraft Carriers on the trails!

[@gregkellow4723]

At least you don't need to worry about startling another rider on the trail. They will hear you coming!

[@gonzalolugones3818]

Hi!Put a nice front suspension with hidráulic brakes, and thicker tyres so there i think you will have a fun and reliable hardtail bike... Also you could try just for fun adding those back adapters with 20" wheels and transform it in a tricycle, so it could be more balanced snd low gravity center... will we see those ideas become a reality?

[@stuartdilts2729]

Frames need to be designed to take a suspension fork, so no luck there. Bigger, more aggressive tires would definitely help though.

[@WitchesPuzzle]

The bell SLAYS me!! 😂😂😂

[@cobra421]

I never knew you liked leatt stuff, I'd love a video on leatt products that you have or wanna get sorta thing, as I've got a leatt full face and it's so comfy, I also painted it dark purple

[@RomanMoroniesFargingWall]

The crank case to lift the back wheel up the climbing trail cracked me up.

[@Etaripamai47]

My favorite part of this video is the bell. Every bump, DING DING DING DING

[@OVER-bENGINEERED]

Thank you for such an entertaining video while I ride a trainer offshore in Gulf of Mexico on an oil production platform. Take care.

[@anderdubosq6462]

Great video using a non mtb on the trails and limiting yourself not to go to the limit. Stay safe

[@jasongoodwin9951]

I can’t wait to see how it looks when you treat it like a flip bike and do ALL the upgrades

[@davidlacharite3710]

i was just in bentonville for about 3 days and was thinking that my enduro was way over kill for most of the trail .....i was thinking a hardtail would have been ideal but rigid that sounds fun

[@figurativelythedevil5042]

Would love to see you trick this thing out a bit; air fork & new tires maybe? Might be a fun series.

[@SteveFullerBikes]

The BD is fine cargo bike as long as you don't load all of the weight on top of the rack like you did at the start of the video. Find a pair of wideloaders and use the cargo bags to keep the weight closer to the ground.

[@ortega9115]

Try to use the side bags more on your big dummy. much lower center of gravity when you do so. You may have to get creative with it though. They use steel because of the ride comfort, and if you break your frame it is much easier to get fixed. Hope that helped!

[@DNDinitials]

Seth’s definition of careful vs mine is still going strong 😂 👍🏼

[@augustgames6502]

Can't wait to see this on you bag jump. Pleeeaaaaase 😂

[@jonyfany8763]

Cool bike! Long wheel base bikes drift. Down hill in the wet... Also I'd personally add an electric kit and a trailer. Could get 3 batteries in that frame and rack up the miles.

[@jonyfany8763]

Needs to look really scruffy/mad max style.

[@growlith6969]

In a lot of situations something like a crew cab F250 can be a much better trail rig than a custom Wrangler. If....that trail lends itself to having the front end clearing an obstacle while the rear axle is still in another zip code doing not-a-lotta. Then the front axle is well clear of the obstacle while the rear is tackling it. That's kinda how your bike is doing on climbs.

[@julianwills7306]

i did not know i needed this

[@rocketech]

"I'm gonna be careful... I'm gonna be... careful". Am I the only one who FULLY expected the next sequence to be Seth ripping down those rocks at Mach Chicken?!

[@rocketech]

No bigger jumps, either? (No complaints, man!) Seth is growing up!