Awesome.
I was gonna do it, but you’re better at it than me.
[quote=“Rusty Piton”]Awesome.
I was gonna do it, but you’re better at it than me.[/quote]
How about, I get my draft together, you add whatever you think is appropriate?
I was thinking I would chunk it up by semi-logical sections (buying considerations, build tips, riding, tips & tricks, etc.) and then you could add your parts where appropriate and/or add/remove sections as needed?
The sum of parts is greater than the parts alone (examples to the contrary on fixedgeargallery notwithstanding)
LMK, I can PM my draft when ready.
Steve
Torpedoes away 
I’ve thought about a freeradical for my mtn bike on and off again (04 Fisher Dual Sport 229). The price and the fact that the 700c version only supports tires up to 700x35 ultimately made the decision for me.
I’d get one if I found a used one with a bike already attached, but I don’t have a 26" donor bike, and I think I’d want wider tires to carry the load. If I really feel the need for cargo, I’ll probably get a Bob Yak 28 so it works with all of our 700c bikes.
I’d thought of getting one for the Rob Roy I will one day complete, but at that price, I’d rather just get a BOB I think.
I’ve tried to send this via PM to doofo but it’s gotten stuck in my outbox folder, so I’ll just post it here instead.
Introduction
I’ve been riding my Xtracycle for about six months now, and while I don’t ride it every day, I do ride it at least a few days every week.
We mainly use it, in conjunction with our Wike Moonlight Double trailer, as a minivan substitute for our around-town stuff with our two kids. Because it’s got fenders permanently installed and a dynamo driven headlight, it’s also my go-to foul weather bike. I also use it as a car substitute for my general errand running.
Having the Xtracycle along with my fixed gear commuting bike, I’ve been able to nearly eliminate solo use of my car around town. I’d estimate I’m roughly 95% car-free at this point. The Xtracycle is a big part of making that possible.
Buying
The Xtracycle kit is pretty expensive, but it’s a real niche product. I personally think you only really need to get the basic Free Radical Kit (currently $489 on the Xtracycle site). Get that setup and use it for a while, then think long and hard whether your really think you need any of the other stuff.
IMHO, the two most useful additions (and the only ones I have ended up keeping permanently installed) are the Footsies and the Stoker Bar. I bought the Footsies along with my kit, but had to homebrew the stoker bar because Xtracycle didn’t have theirs available yet. The stoker bar has the added advantage of helping park/walk/shove around the full loaded bike. I use mine all the time for those purposes.
I ended up getting Wideloaders as well when I ordered my X kit, and have used them a few times, but they’re really not that necessary unless you’re going to be carrying really bulky loads. The Free Loader bags are designed basically like big tarps, and they are capable of carrying a ton of stuff very securely without the need for the Wideloaders in many/most situations. Note that in Rusty Piton’s photo of his Xtracycle with the two large speaker cabinets, he is just using the Free Loader bags… no Wideloaders necessary.
You also cannot use the Footies with the Wideloaders, and the Wideloaders stick out far enough that they are kind of in the way, especially when getting on/off the bike and maneuvering it around by hand. I.e. you probably wouldn’t want to leave them on all the time.
That said, there are others (like Devian at http://asanacycles.com/) who have the Wideloaders and use them to great success. However I still recommend just to get the basic kit and use it for a while before investing in a lot of accessories (they are not cheap after all). I find my Wideloaders spend most of their time leaned up against the wall in the garage 
Build Considerations
First things first: do your homework on your donor bike’s compatibility with the Free Radical kit before ordering the Xtracycle kit. Depending on what you’ve got to work with, you may find your conversion ends up becoming something of a money pit… at the end you might’ve wished you’d just bought a complete Radish instead. This isn’t meant to scare anyone off, and it’s a fun project if you’re into that (and I suspect the majority of Tarckbike readers are). But things are not necessarily quite as magically simple and straightforward as the Xtracycle promotional literature can make it seem.
The donor bike I used was a '92 Kona Lava Dome. Everything fit perfectly, it’s like my Kona’s frame was right in the sweetspot for what the Xtracycle designers had in mind. I suggest downloading the Xtracycle manual from their website and studying carefully the dimensions and specs listed there (current link: http://www.xtracycle.com/media/manual.pdf). If you have a reasonably modern rigid steel framed mountain bike you shouldn’t have much trouble.
One note: the Xtracycle folks definitely do not recommend suspension forks. My Kona had a solid fork so this was not an issue for me, but something to consider all the same (i.e. can further add to the cost of the conversion).
To DIY or not:
I did all the work myself at the local bike co-op and it was easy and fun. I do not have a lot of experience with bikes, but I am pretty handy and have other creative hobbies, so tool use is familiar to me.
As for getting a local bike shop to do the work, people have reported mixed results in various online forums (i.e. Xtracycle “Rootsradicals” Yahoo Group, Brianforums Utility Bike forum). I did contact two shops locally to see if they’d be interested in doing the work and neither seemed too interested. This is a mod job and every conversion is something of a one-off, so it’s a sort of open-ended proposal for them (i.e. they could lose their butts and end up with a pissed off customer… fail/fail). That said, I was asking in the middle of our summer riding season, bike shops might sing a different tune in the winter, especially in more northern climes.
In any event, I’m very glad I did the work under the guidance of the local bike co-op instead. It was a great learning experience and I recommend anyone & everyone go that route if at all possible, especially with respect to the Xtracycle. This thing is bolted on and those bolts can and will come loose over time, you need to know what to do to make it right when that happens.
Special note on brakes:
I had to upgrade to v-brakes because the Xtracycle attachment is not compatible with cantilever brakes. Your options are v-brakes or discs. I used Avids SD-7s and they work great. Our town is not excessively hilly, but almost everything is on some degree of grade or another. You certainly have to plan ahead when carrying weight (especially with trailer as well), but it’s never been a problem. If I lived in the Northwest, however, I would probably go with discs front and rear just to have better wet weather performance.
Drivetrain & other considerations:
I am still using the original and well worn Exage 500 drivetrain and it’s working out fine. When carrying a load, you definitely just stay in the saddle and spin up hills, out of the pedal mashing gets things moving around way too much back there.
If you are going to carry any kind of serious load with your Xtracycle, I think you need to have at least 21 speeds with MTB gearing. A lot of people get by with just an eight speed (usually one chainring up front and a derailleur in back), but if you are seriously going to haul and/or tow loads, you need more range, IMHO. I towed our kids’ trailer for a while with my fixed gear and it was soul crushing up even the tiniest grades. With the Xtracycle, I can easily climb 15% grades (slowly, of course)… “spin to win”
One other note: I’m using the oldschool narrow handlebar that was on my Kona, but I think a wider, and perhaps more swept back bar allows for greater leverage and control over the bike, especially when maneuvering it around by foot/hand. Albatross bars are popular with Xtracycle owners, and Xtracycle themselves favor wide and swept cruiser handlebars. I suspect that a more upright stance helps better center your weight in the middle of the bike, and that this may help overall control as well. This is the next mod I am considering for my Xtracycle, FWIW…
Riding
Riding an unladen Xtracycle is no big deal at all. You will notice the longer wheelbase, but the bike still handles fine (if a little slow, as should be expected) and is certainly stable. Hands-off riding is a little different, but still very do-able.
These characteristics remain pretty much unchanged with lighter loads. If you have an unbalanced load (weight in one Free Loader with none in the other), you will feel it somewhat if you stand up to mash, but otherwise, for seated riding you really won’t notice too much until you get a more significant amount of weight on the bike (like 75lbs.+)
With a heavier load (150lbs.+) you definitely notice some sway back there and need to keep the speed down. I am a big guy (6’3" and 215lbs.) so I am a pretty good counterbalance to whatever I’m carrying, but I could see a smaller person having more thrills when transporting a big load. Go slow, take your time, and you will be fine.
One thing I strongly recommend is getting a dynamo front hub and dynamo-driven head and tail lights. Those things turn the Xtracycle into a serious “fuggedaboudit” car replacement… you simply don’t have to think about “are my batteries charged? Can I fit _____ into my messenger bag?” Carry some bungees and compression straps in one of the Free Loaders (big side bags) and you are good to go for pretty much anything / everything.
Summary
While my Xtracycle is nowhere near as fun to ride as my fixed gear Cross Check, it’s by far and away the most functional and useful of my four bikes. It’s the one I’d keep if I could only keep one bike, just because it’s the most practical. And it’s damn cool to throw my messenger bag in a Free Loader, my bigass Krypto lock in another, and still have plenty of room for picking up “whatever” while running errands.
Steve
Resources
Xtracycle - http://www.xtracycle.com
Xtracycle owner’s manual - http://www.xtracycle.com/media/manual.pdf
Rootsradicals Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Rootsradicals
Xtracycle Gallery (like FGG but with more Fred) - http://www.xtracyclegallery.com/
Brianforums Utility Bikes forum - you know where to find this
OMG, are we gonna need to have an XCG jackass thread?
Fixed gear Colnago Xtracycle… I am not convinced that this is really something that “somebody had to do”… LOL
http://www.xtracyclegallery.com/2008/11 ... cycle.html
[quote=“thurston”]I’ve thought about a freeradical for my mtn bike on and off again (04 Fisher Dual Sport 229). The price and the fact that the 700c version only supports tires up to 700x35 ultimately made the decision for me.
[/quote]
this is HUGEly important. xtra needs fat fat tires to make it a comfy ride, especially if you ever plan on taking passengers on the back.
I was planning on getting a 700c xtracycle but after reading a lot it seems like a bad idea. Now I’m thinking of maybe building a 69er. Fat 26" on the back and 28-32mm 700c in the front. Would this be a bad idea? Also, does anybody have suggestions for a good 26" rim?
already has a 700c frame, maybe? shouldn’t be a problem, that was what i was going to do before i found the right mountain bike
Good? Rhyno Lites are cheap, common, and burly as hell. Also, I have spare rear on an LX hub that’s still wrapped in plastic if you want it.
Hey, you guys remember the silver Pista with the xtra on it?
That shit was hilarious.
I guess it’s not a pista. still funny though.
Ain’t funny that shit is dope. needs back brake tho.
Trusting little timmy’s life to one brake.
Actually it’s his wife and two kid’s lives that are trusted to one brake. He says he has a low gearing and just rides really slow around Tokyo.
i’m seriously thinking about getting an aerospoke or similar wheelset for my xtracycle. i know they’re fugging heavy, but it might be worth it.
i have a set of xtr wheels on there now and they go out of true so often it’s unpleasant.
i can’t decide if a mag type wheel would solve this problem or just make an unusable wheelset