Xtracycle: Like An Xtra-cab For Your Bike
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 05.26.05
Once you make the leap to commuting and traveling by bicycle instead of car, you feel as free as a bird...Until you have to carry back 200 pounds of groceries for a party, or 20 board-feet of lumber for a project. Current bike trailers and racks just can't stand up to these kinds of loads without becoming extremely dangerous and unpredictable. With that in mind, the savvy engineers of Xtracycle have created the next evolution of the pack bike...
Their Freeradical S.U.B conversion kit does just that: Makes your favorite ride into the baddest sport utility bike on the planet. Forget pantiers and racks on the front, or over the back tire that bump your knees and feet. Rather than relying on the strength of a single peg or gimbal on a bike trailer, the Freeradical bolts directly into the wheel peg holes in the back fork, with reinforcing braces so that it's sturdy enough to carry darn near anything. And, since the extended wheelbase positions the carried load directly over the rear wheels, and low to the ground, handling is much more stable than on traditional bikes.
If you take a second to flip through the testimonials and gallery, you'll see what we mean; Xtracycle riders have made thousand mile trips, crossed mountain ranges, hauled more than a small car, and basically put these little brutes through their paces. And the verdict seems to be a strong positive, bordering on fanaticism. Once you convert your bike, you never go back. Installation of the kit is easy enough that anyone who regularly looks after their bike shouldn't have any trouble.
Bare-bones kits start at $170 US, with the full featured package going for $300. Or, if you don't want to be bothered with fiddling, you can buy a pre-made system in either cruiser or urban bike flavor for $600 or $900 respectively. We mean it about the galleries. The images below are just a taste of the craziness that awaits you.
:: Xtracycle S.U.B. System [by DM]
This is fanstatic!.. Being a daily bicycle commuter to work and the grocery store this is what I've been looking for!
Now, THAT is cool.
What I'd like is a bike with a detachable or foldable weather fairing so that I could ride dry in the rain (or snow). I've sketched a design for an adult enclosed tricycle that could be linked together with other such machines so that people could ride together the way they do in cars. Might work.
I remember fondly the cargo bikes in China with flatbeds on the back and long, long chains that almost reached the ground.
i converted my mtb into an xtracycle bike last year and it has been a lot of fun. if you live in a very bike-friendly town, this is the way to go.
how many kegs and firewood can it haul?
Ray-
I'm not sure about firewood -- that would probably depend on how ingenious your stacking was.
But there is a pretty good picture of a keg being hauled here:
http://xtracycle.com/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=real_loads&id=XtraKeg
Sadly, it looks like one keg is the limit. Better bring a friend :)
-Dominic (the author)
Too bad this makes bikes incompatiblke with the bike rack on most bus public transit systems.
The longer wheel base is nice for hauling, but then I have to decide whether I want my bike to be a hauler, or if I want it to fit on the front of a bus bike rack.
I guess having two bikes is better than two cars though.
Ahh, there's a trick to putting the Xtracycle on the bus: take off the front wheel, put it in the pannier in back, and take the crossbar that you would normally place on the front tire on the top tube.
Haha
it is better you go to Pakistan & see how milk supply man use his normal bike for +100kg load
Another option for hauling stuff which has worked for me in a number of circumstances is to bungy attach a travel handcart (the ones that fold up and have little wheels) to your rack. Granted, it's not for huge loads but it works. I travelled from Portland, throught Mt. Hood and along with Hood River using this method and it held up fine. Just have to take it easy on corners and make sure balance the load.
You'd be amazed at how much stuff can be carried on a recumbent bicycle...
Check out the Synergy Cycle TM at synergycycle.com with its new hub motor it can take you 40 miles on one charge.
I've had an Xtracycle for 12 months and use it as my regular commuter. It is fantastic. If you want more information go to their website and join their online forum. These things haul a#$e.