Fatbike innovation has been practically non-existent. It is exciting to see Surly bring a new fattie to market. I'd love to give it a whirl. Thanks for the update.
Im dialing an OG Moonie I scored for longer biking excursions. I’ve stoped riding my road bikes over the years so that I can get to more peace and serenity on trails. The Moonie handles the sandy and muddy trails in Northern Florida so well that I can’t imagine riding on a bike with a narrower tire . This new Moonie looks like a beast but I’m sure it’s fun to ride, and would be perfect for long adventures down the beach….
I just sold my OG Moonlander and bought an ICT. I do miss the ride of the ML. I used it for every type of riding. Snow, sand, downhill, single track…..you name it. It was way more forgiving than the ICT but the ICT handles better.
I can't wait for my Moonlander 2.0 to arrive. I always wanted a Moonlander over here in the Uk but they are as rare as hens teeth over here and hard to come by aspecially me being tall so the big sizes are non excistant. I was blown away about specs of the bike but to think we're days away from the release date over here and there is still very little details and videos about it. £4000 and £4700 in some uk shops online is a massive price tag to pay for something that's so under the radar information wise. There's only a few videos online to basically base your decision on buying one of these rigs.
@@bigdee6207 yeah it’s definitely a niche bike in a niche segment, but I think most people will know if they need it or not. I definitely don’t need what it has to offer, but I would love to try one out. Enjoy it when it arrives!!
@@LUNABIKE I would think at some point they will sell the wheels and tires like they do the others. It will be interesting to see if custom builders get in on building around them. This happened early on after Surly dropped the Pugs.
I love this new bike and would buy out in a heartbeat as a go anywhere do anything bike. I would commute with it on the public streets, recreate with it on bike expeditions, go gravel grinding, across fields and along the beach -- just like I do now on my Pugsley. My bike goes where I go. The End. And when it can't -- I find a new one that can. And this new Surly can definitely go wherever I want to go. I can see where Surly is going with this bike. Surly and I think alike... on my Pugsley, I removed the front and rear derailleur and built a wheel with a Shimano 8 speed hub in it. It was a dream come true! Absolutely some of the most maintenance free fun I've ever had on a bike. Knowing what I know now however, I should have installed a Rolloff instead. The Shimano performs horribly here in our South Dakota winters. The extreme cold freezes the lube inside the hub and it is a true bear to pedal when that happens. But when that happens, I whip out my Jones LWB Heavy Duty Electric bike and bypass all of that nonsense. Looks like what I need do now is sell the Pug and buy the new Moonlander! It shall be my new maintenance free marauding machine! Fat's-where-it's-at. Period. I don't care what kind of driving I'm doing. I'm doing it on a fat bike.
Well you Sure gave a fair pros and cons review on this bike ! I will be hoping you are able to have the opportunity to give it a good ride and see what you review will be then ! You are always good with you info ! ❤
I've already ordered mine. I will be using it for bikepacking. I will likely get a 26-inch wheelset and run Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.0 tires, depending on the rolling resistance of the Surly Melinda. I already bikepack on my Surly Ice Cream Truck.
@@JonathanVegas1 Very cool, I’ll be curious to hear how it works out for bikepacking. Are you going to swap the front fork for the 26” wheel, or use a rear wheel up front, etc?
@ElevationEveryWeekend I will probably get a new wheel set so I don’t have to keep switching the fork. They left a spot for a derailleur hanger, so I may run a cassette in tandem with the pinion since most of my bike packing is in the California Sierras with lots of elevation.
Tommy, thanks so much for featuring this bike and for your thoughtful insights. Reading some of the other responses, I agree it is a niche bike. I love my ICT and haven’t come across anything it couldn’t traverse, well, within reason. In your video you pointed out that the 2.0 may be an option for long-term bikepacking. I have never experienced an ebike, nor do I know anything about them. That being said. Would it make sense for this bike to include that feature? Yes, it would add to the already substantial weight. But proportionally, it wouldn’t have as much of an impact as on a lighter bike. I would appreciate your thoughts, or thoughts from folks with ebike experience. Thank you.
@@lambdahmv an e-bike for bike packing is probably not a great option just because once the battery is dead it’ll be several extra pounds to haul around on the route. But, I think electrifying this bike could be possible for day rides to make it a bit more fun and easier to move about.
Hello I like the new moonlander and ive found a seller in eourupe where you can get it for a reasonable price. Sinse it seams like you have allt of experiense with fatbiketiers i have a question. Do you think that it is possible to studd the molenda tier!
@@mikaelljungberg1019 It definitely isn’t designed for it with the molded in stud pockets. Looking at the tread, I think it would be difficult to stud with all the siping in the tread blocks as well. But maybe someone will try it to see if possible at all.
@@TheLankyCyclist haha! Maybe the SpaceX guy will come up with something, but they might need to call it the Marslander. As someone else pointed out below, transportation of this bike is going to be a challenge for realz.
For your noligde i have contakt qith a small butnice fatbike brand that has contakted a frame company for a custym titanium frame designen in house for testning the new tiersize!
I don't know man, I think Surly may have missed the mark on this one. Fatbike sales have been on the decline for years. Parts (e.g. tires, hubs) are becoming harder to get for fat bikes. The parts on the Moonlander will become even harder to source. Plus, the gearbox, although durable, will break/fail expensive. I'm not sure if there is a rack available that can accommodate the bike if you need to transport it. I guess I commend Surly for trying to be innovative but then again, Surly has also built a brand on somewhat of a "simple but functional" approach to bikes and the Moonlander seems anything but. There are other models they would've been wiser to resurrect e.g. the Pugs, PackRat, Troll. At that price point, I'm having a hard time getting there (over 6 grand CAD with taxes). If I had to bet, I'd bet this one will be a flop for sales. Thanks for the review.
The Moonlander 2.0 is such a niche bike with specific use cases. I'm confident that Surly is well aware they are going to experience low sales. Releasing a bike with proprietary 6.2 inch tires for +$4K usd seems to be more of an overall marketing strategy than a sales opportunity. Here we are talking about it.
I’m getting a test ride on the UK test bike when a friend gets it and will be out testing it on some rock crawling on the coast and will i bet go where even the Moonlander wheelset runs out of float, i think without even riding it that this bike will excel in low speed rides to remote areas of zero tracks and while prob a niche bike i know loads of place’s where no other bikes go that this will probably succeed! 😁👍 Cheers Bruce
Obviously this bike won't cover as much real estate at a regular fat bike in ideal conditions. Oftentimes our multi-use trails become pock marked by hikers, don't get groomed often and are less than ideal in the winter. I'm betting this design will cope much better with that.
@@bassw1758 It’s a steep entry point for sure. I do get it, with the new parts and the pinion, but yeah it’s a bit of a commitment from the Surly crowd for sure.
Fatbike innovation has been practically non-existent. It is exciting to see Surly bring a new fattie to market. I'd love to give it a whirl. Thanks for the update.
Always bringing the cohesive overview to us! Thanks Tommy!! @surly should lend you one for a more in-depth RIDE review!!!!
@@paigecollier8192 thank you!
Im dialing an OG Moonie I scored for longer biking excursions. I’ve stoped riding my road bikes over the years so that I can get to more peace and serenity on trails. The Moonie handles the sandy and muddy trails in Northern Florida so well that I can’t imagine riding on a bike with a narrower tire . This new Moonie looks like a beast but I’m sure it’s fun to ride, and would be perfect for long adventures down the beach….
Yes fat biking is definitely a much different mindset than the road, or even performance MTBing.
I just sold my OG Moonlander and bought an ICT. I do miss the ride of the ML. I used it for every type of riding. Snow, sand, downhill, single track…..you name it. It was way more forgiving than the ICT but the ICT handles better.
@@Tacam1000 Yes even though I have an ICT and think an old
Moonlander is mostly redundant, I still would like to have one to mess around with.
Anything new in fat biking is awesome. I ride mine all year round and that’s with a garage full of options. Fat is fun. Fat is fast.
Agreed!
I can't wait for my Moonlander 2.0 to arrive. I always wanted a Moonlander over here in the Uk but they are as rare as hens teeth over here and hard to come by aspecially me being tall so the big sizes are non excistant. I was blown away about specs of the bike but to think we're days away from the release date over here and there is still very little details and videos about it. £4000 and £4700 in some uk shops online is a massive price tag to pay for something that's so under the radar information wise. There's only a few videos online to basically base your decision on buying one of these rigs.
@@bigdee6207 yeah it’s definitely a niche bike in a niche segment, but I think most people will know if they need it or not. I definitely don’t need what it has to offer, but I would love to try one out. Enjoy it when it arrives!!
You never know, maybe theyre onto something here? I love my old Moonlander, curious to see some reviews soon.
@@stevewalcott9546 It’s a fair statement, time will tell to see if it finds a dedicate market. An OG “John Deere” Moonlander is still on my wishlist!
Bro, tell Surly to put the 6.2 tires and rims up for sale separately. When that happens, we can make our own custom bikes.
@@LUNABIKE I would think at some point they will sell the wheels and tires like they do the others. It will be interesting to see if custom builders get in on building around them. This happened early on after Surly dropped the Pugs.
I like the choices of wheel / tire combos for this bike, I do wonder if the pinion gearbox uses the same cabinet / mount as the pinion MGU.
That would be excellent.
I love this new bike and would buy out in a heartbeat as a go anywhere do anything bike. I would commute with it on the public streets, recreate with it on bike expeditions, go gravel grinding, across fields and along the beach -- just like I do now on my Pugsley.
My bike goes where I go. The End. And when it can't -- I find a new one that can. And this new Surly can definitely go wherever I want to go.
I can see where Surly is going with this bike. Surly and I think alike... on my Pugsley, I removed the front and rear derailleur and built a wheel with a Shimano 8 speed hub in it. It was a dream come true! Absolutely some of the most maintenance free fun I've ever had on a bike. Knowing what I know now however, I should have installed a Rolloff instead. The Shimano performs horribly here in our South Dakota winters. The extreme cold freezes the lube inside the hub and it is a true bear to pedal when that happens. But when that happens, I whip out my Jones LWB Heavy Duty Electric bike and bypass all of that nonsense.
Looks like what I need do now is sell the Pug and buy the new Moonlander! It shall be my new maintenance free marauding machine!
Fat's-where-it's-at. Period. I don't care what kind of driving I'm doing. I'm doing it on a fat bike.
I would consider using it to tackle the Canning Stock Route, but it’s just too heavy
@@Whatevah232 yeah that’s a tough one to do self powered without support.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend yeah, I’ll be counting every gram
Well you Sure gave a fair pros and cons review on this bike ! I will be hoping you are able to have the opportunity to give it a good ride and see what you review will be then ! You are always good with you info ! ❤
I've already ordered mine. I will be using it for bikepacking. I will likely get a 26-inch wheelset and run Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.0 tires, depending on the rolling resistance of the Surly Melinda. I already bikepack on my Surly Ice Cream Truck.
@@JonathanVegas1 Very cool, I’ll be curious to hear how it works out for bikepacking. Are you going to swap the front fork for the 26” wheel, or use a rear wheel up front, etc?
@ElevationEveryWeekend I will probably get a new wheel set so I don’t have to keep switching the fork. They left a spot for a derailleur hanger, so I may run a cassette in tandem with the pinion since most of my bike packing is in the California Sierras with lots of elevation.
@@JonathanVegas1 Very cool, yeah the option to use the pinion and additional gears is pretty interesting
Suggest to Surly that they lend you one for your up coming pacific coast beach excursion.
🤷🏼♂️🚴🏼🚴🏼🚴🏼
I'd love to check one out! Feel free to tell Surly directly, and beach riding sounds like a good plan.
Tommy, thanks so much for featuring this bike and for your thoughtful insights. Reading some of the other responses, I agree it is a niche bike. I love my ICT and haven’t come across anything it couldn’t traverse, well, within reason. In your video you pointed out that the 2.0 may be an option for long-term bikepacking. I have never experienced an ebike, nor do I know anything about them. That being said. Would it make sense for this bike to include that feature? Yes, it would add to the already substantial weight. But proportionally, it wouldn’t have as much of an impact as on a lighter bike. I would appreciate your thoughts, or thoughts from folks with ebike experience.
Thank you.
@@lambdahmv an e-bike for bike packing is probably not a great option just because once the battery is dead it’ll be several extra pounds to haul around on the route. But, I think electrifying this bike could be possible for day rides to make it a bit more fun and easier to move about.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend thank you for the input. 🙂
Bolt on a Bosch motor and I'm in!
@@mountaincruiser817 I’ll be curious to see who does it first
Id like it for a touring fatbbike.hope that they Will Come oyut with studded tiers and fenders for it!
@@mikaelljungberg1019 yes good point, they should have made those tires studdable. And yes fenders would be good for a bike like this.
Good one
Hello I like the new moonlander and ive found a seller in eourupe where you can get it for a reasonable price. Sinse it seams like you have allt of experiense with fatbiketiers i have a question. Do you think that it is possible to studd the molenda tier!
@@mikaelljungberg1019 It definitely isn’t designed for it with the molded in stud pockets. Looking at the tread, I think it would be difficult to stud with all the siping in the tread blocks as well. But maybe someone will try it to see if possible at all.
Will this fit in a standard bike bag? Curious if I’ll be able to bring with me on my Virgin Galactic flight to the moon.
@@TheLankyCyclist haha! Maybe the SpaceX guy will come up with something, but they might need to call it the Marslander. As someone else pointed out below, transportation of this bike is going to be a challenge for realz.
For your noligde i have contakt qith a small butnice fatbike brand that has contakted a frame company for a custym titanium frame designen in house for testning the new tiersize!
I don't plan on getting one but I think it's super badass definitely rigged for giant Cross Alaska touring Etc
@@John-x9x2q it will be awesome for those that can put it to its intended use!
If this is as legit as I think. Paint it grey or black and I'm all in. Bring the omni-terra..
I don't know man, I think Surly may have missed the mark on this one. Fatbike sales have been on the decline for years. Parts (e.g. tires, hubs) are becoming harder to get for fat bikes. The parts on the Moonlander will become even harder to source. Plus, the gearbox, although durable, will break/fail expensive. I'm not sure if there is a rack available that can accommodate the bike if you need to transport it.
I guess I commend Surly for trying to be innovative but then again, Surly has also built a brand on somewhat of a "simple but functional" approach to bikes and the Moonlander seems anything but. There are other models they would've been wiser to resurrect e.g. the Pugs, PackRat, Troll.
At that price point, I'm having a hard time getting there (over 6 grand CAD with taxes).
If I had to bet, I'd bet this one will be a flop for sales.
Thanks for the review.
I think you make all valid points and concerns. I think the bike transportation point is great, wish I had thought to include that!
I just bought my first fat bike, what is on the decline is an active and energetic population.
The Moonlander 2.0 is such a niche bike with specific use cases.
I'm confident that Surly is well aware they are going to experience low sales.
Releasing a bike with proprietary 6.2 inch tires for +$4K usd seems to be more of an overall marketing strategy than a sales opportunity.
Here we are talking about it.
I’m getting a test ride on the UK test bike when a friend gets it and will be out testing it on some rock crawling on the coast and will i bet go where even the Moonlander wheelset runs out of float, i think without even riding it that this bike will excel in low speed rides to remote areas of zero tracks and while prob a niche bike i know loads of place’s where no other bikes go that this will probably succeed! 😁👍
Cheers Bruce
I have one on order and saw one in person for the first time today- the tires are HUGE and look comically large. Can’t wait for mine to show up!
Obviously this bike won't cover as much real estate at a regular fat bike in ideal conditions. Oftentimes our multi-use trails become pock marked by hikers, don't get groomed often and are less than ideal in the winter. I'm betting this design will cope much better with that.
Yeah for most fat bike conditions I think a traditional bike will do better, but yes those extreme or edge conditions are where this bike will excel.
First thing wrong with it, is the price! WT
@@bassw1758 It’s a steep entry point for sure. I do get it, with the new parts and the pinion, but yeah it’s a bit of a commitment from the Surly crowd for sure.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend I don't think it would do anything that a Wednesday wouldn't do better, other than looking cool.
Excellent review
Think they will get a TPI tire option coming up?
Replacement tires are $150! Yikes, more than my car!
@@Ody-up6kg yep! They should last for quite some time tho!
I think a motor or engine belongs on this bike..
I will do test. 🫡