Looking for a bike that can do it all? Well, depending on your definition of “do it all”, the upcoming Hudski Doggler just might be the ticket. Set to officially launch in July, the Doggler is the first product from Hudski – an upstart bike brand based in Sausalito, CA. Created by long time friends Will Hudson, and Brian Szykowny, the duo have a mixed background including industrial design (including a stint at Specialized for Brian), ceramics and lighting design, and the jointly operated Cannonball Studio.
Over the past five years, Will and Brian have been working on what they see as the perfect do-it-all bike. The project started as an ultra-light weight city bike but slowly evolved into a bike that takes cues from a lot of different categories and combines them with modern standards to create something pretty unique and totally fun.
One of a kind frame and fork
Starting with an aluminum frame, the Doggler is designed to run either 700c or 27.5″ wheels. Tire clearance is massive with room for either 700c x 53mm (2.1″) or 27.5 x 2.6″ rubber. Those wheels are held in place by 142 x 12 and 100 x 15mm thru axles, and the frame runs 160/180mm flat mount Shimano SLX brakes (the bent chainstay allows for a post mount adapter if desired). Cable routing will be internal, along with internal dropper post routing which is there since every Doggler will include a dropper post.
Intended for a 1x mountain bike drivetrain, the Doggler includes a 73mm threaded bottom bracket and clearance for up to a 40t chainring.
Since the Doggler is a very unique bike, there wasn’t a fork available to meed Hudski’s needs. So they designed their own. The carbon fork has a tapered steerer to go with the 44mm head tube on the frame, and 400mm axle to crown with a 44mm offset to match the geometry which is loosely based on modern trail mountain bikes. Like the frame, the fork has mounts for water bottles, a rack, and fenders as well as internal routing for dynamo lighting and the front brake.
Geometry
About that geometry, we haven’t tried the bike yet so we’ll let Hudski offer their explanation on the numbers: “The frame geometry is loosely based on a modern trail bike, infused with cues from XC and Gravel frame design, making it an extremely well rounded and capable bike suited for city shenanigans, fire road epics, and flowy technical single track. Its most notable geometry attributes are its long reach, steep seat tube angle, long rear center and long trail numbers. Rather than designing around an overly slack head tube (the seemingly current trend in the MTB market), we decided to drive our trail number by the fork offset, and in doing so it helped mitigate wheel flop (good for low speed maneuverability) while maintaining a relatively high trail number (good for high speed stability). We used a long reach number to allow the use of 40-70mm stems improving control and steering responsiveness. The steep seat tube angle is good for climbing and optimized for smooth dropper post actuation. Rather than following the trend of short chain stays we went with long-ish chain stays to increase stability, allow heel clearance when running panniers, and increase overall comfort. Don’t worry, it can still bunny hop, wheelie, and manual just fine.”
City, Gravel, or MTB Builds
Given the multiple personalities of the Doggler, it will be sold in three different builds – City, Gravel, and MTB. Tire choice will vary depending on those packages with the City build using a Maxxis Grifter 29 x 2.0″, the Gravel build using a Maxxis Rambler 700c x 50mm, and the MTB opting for a Maxxis Rekon 27.5 x 2.6″ wheel and tire set up. The City build also gets a different handlebar with more backsweep in the Hudski Longhorn 27 vs. the Hudski Longhorn 16 used on the Gravel & MTB builds.
All builds will include a 1×12 Shimano SLX drivetrain with Raceface Ride cranks with a 34t chainring and a PNW Rainier dropper post. Complete builds will start at $2,000 in three different colors, and the frameset will be offered as well. As mentioned, the bike and brand will officially launch in July, but if you want to keep up to date on Hudski’s progress, they have an email sign up live on their website below.
