Chris's Surly Big Dummy
If you have brought your bike into the shop for service, you have probably met our Service Writer Chris. He is in charge of on the spot maintenance, evaluating and scheduling tune ups and so much more. He is always up for adventure whether that be disc golf, team member bike rides or trips, ski/snowboarding adventures and breakfast bike rides. He can usually get most of the team together for something outside the shop often. We are so glad to have him as part of our team!
"I'm Chris and I am the service writer at Mystic Cycle. I basically assess bikes for repairs, schedule them and communicate with customers on the progress of their repairs. I really enjoy the relationships I have with my customers and the community amongst cyclists. I am mostly riding the gravel bike these days because it gives me the freedom to go most places and I can cover a lot of miles compared to a mountain bike but I really just enjoy the longer rides of any kind.
One of my more unique bikes is my Surly Big Dummy. The Big Dummy is a 7.5 foot long steel cargo bike that is capable of carrying up to 450 lbs with an extended rear end that can fit 2 and half standard panniers on each side or a passenger. The wheels are smaller, heavier and have a lot of spokes to handle the weight. The tires are wide for comfort and the ability to ride off road terrain. I had to put the largest brake rotors I could fit and the biggest gear range I could come up with in order to handle the additional weight.
The reason I actually got the Big Dummy was because of my dog Mongo. Mongo loved to run with me through the woods on my mountain bike and we used to go out a few times a week.Unfortunately Mongo is getting older these days and he can’t do as many miles as he once did but he still needed to get fresh air.
Now with the Big Dummy we are able to do long days of riding and when he gets tired he gets a free ride. We have done some pretty long rides with me including some overnight trips in New Hampshire and Vermont. One of my favorite trips was the “White Mountains overnighter” in New Hampshire when we climbed over Jefferson Notch which is the highest public road in New Hampshire."
- Chris
