Touring - xtracycle tourers?

Anybody want to give a rant on xtracycles on touring bikes?

Well the thing is a bit of a Kludge for a light weight set-up. The other thing is Surly and Xtracycle are bringing out an integrated unit that will be a lot cleaner. Check the earlier thread. Whether this kind of deal makes sense compared to a long wheel base touring design is another mater. There are frame sout there for 50 inch wheel base.

Hey Peter. Yeah, I know about the Dummy, falls into the same topic as you said. I posted a couple Dummy related q's over in the Living car free forum earlier.

There seem to be a few tourers here who aren't gunning only for a light weight setup (like me), so I was curious why more people don't talk about xtracycles.

I'm building an Xtracycle right now and will be touring with it this winter. Hopefully in the next month or so I will be taking a few test trips with it. I will be sure to post a review/opinion here on the forums when I do =)

Ben

every thing i have read and heard about the xtra has been great....as an around town hauler, but i have yet to hear from some one who has done some major tours with one. I was leaning toward an xtra on my current mt bike for my future tour build but would like to know how it works for the long miles.

The Surly bike is called the Dummy?

There is a guy here who has toured on an Xtracycle, seemed to like it fine. I think he was using it to carry some small dogs while he toured. In most cases I think the Xtracycle is desiged to carry more stuff than we need,

Its called the Big Dummy, should be out summer 2007 if you're interested, info on Surly's blog and in the Live Car Free forum.

Looking forward to your review Ben...what frame are you building it on? Wheelset?

Its called the Big Dummy

And for you youngins, it's a reference to Lamont Sanford:

http://myspace-295.vo.llnwd.net/00356/59/29/356969295_m.jpg

Hank Raines has a couple of trips journaled HERE (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/directory/?o=lt&user=Airwick&v=2q7)



He and his dog have lots of miles using the extracycle set up.

I'm building the Xtracycle onto a Giant Iguana ('03) with disc brakes. For the back wheel I'm using a Sun Rims Mammoth 26" on a Hope Pro II running 36 spokes. For the front wheel I think I'm just gonna use stock.

Still waiting on the Xtracycle to get shipped to me. Those guys are SLOW.


Ben

Thanks BP67, I never would have got that reference, I hated that show. To me that name is a huge stinker, but maybe it has great resonance in the culture. I thought LHT was about 80 percent responsible for the sales of that bike - great name.

There is a good picture of the BD without the Xtrajunk. Not saying it's worse thant he XC on a separate frame, but it does have some very hefty stuff solely related to the very hefty rack system. I think I would want to take a Sawzall to it if I was planing on touring with it. Of course that may not be possible without cutting away stuff that is part of the truss system. I hope they bring one out that is more touring specific. Bent forks with all the front rack possibilities and more conventional rear rack stuff like double rear racks.

these guys might have an opinion:

http://www.ridingthespine.com/main.html

I have recently added Stoke Monkeys to a couple of friends Xtracycles. That would be the way to go for touring!

Check cleverchimp.com for more info.
(...and get the BIG batterey!)

I did a short but hard tour with one and loved it. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/brynandsimon

Wow Bryn/Simon, I wasn't planning on offroading with the xtracycle. That's pretty hard-core. I think it's hilarious you/buddy brought a chair. You got to take it easy sometimes right? :) +1 on the poll

Thanks for the itinerary

I did a tour of Australia's Tanami Track in July, logged here (http://davidcriniti.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_davidcriniti_archive.html) (look for the posts entitled "Tanami Travels" - parts 1, 2 and 3 are in amongst other-non-cycling blog stuff. Last part coming soon.), and earlier did a mainly on-road tour around the Wollemi National Park in Australia's Blue Mountains, logged here (http://davidcriniti.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_davidcriniti_archive.html) (scroll down to the last two posts on this page. The post entitled "The low-down on the big bike" gives a summary of how I rated it after the first tour).

Rate it even more highly after completing the Tanami on it.

Hope that helps,

Dave

Why an Xtracycle instead of a conventional touring bike plus some sort of trailer (e.g. Bob)? What am I missing?

FWIW... I just tripped over -- and spent over an hour reading -- the RidingTheSpine (http://www.ridingthespine.com/main.html) website about the three dudes riding Xtracycle equipped mountain bikes from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Terra Del Fuego (20,000 miles). Fascinating stuff. Makes me want to bike out to New Mexico (nearest point to me) and say hi when they pass through in about 40 days.

I think your missing the experience of using an xtracycle.

DISCLAIMER: I don't know what I'm talking about.

Pretty much every thread that I've read (in my limited time reading) from xtracycle users used trailers before, and have no desire to go back. There doesn't seem to be a close comparison, stability, and much higher carrying capacity seem to be consistent points.

I rode from Baltimore to Connecticut this summer on my Xtracycled Giant comfort mountain bike, and I had a great time.

http://gauk.livejournal.com/20395.html#cutid1

The Xtracycle is, however, designed to carry more than you should bring with you on tour, unless you're this guy (http://xtracycle.com/gallery/view_photo.php?full=1&set_albumName=real_loads&id=superload) and you're riding from Vancouver to Moscow. I left home with well over 100lb bike + load.
That said, riding singletrack on tour is mind-blowingly awesome. The X has no extra wheels and tracks like a regular bike. I did 40 miles of the D&R canal towpath with knobbies as part of my ill-advised 90 mile 90lb loaded day. It did get dark while I was on the trail, but I brought lights. A few hours after dark, I nearly hit someone coming the other way who didn't have any lights, a last second handlebar twitch narrowly averted a collision. Try that with a trailer, on loose dirt!
By far the biggest benifit I've notice with the X is the fact that it travels well unloaded, so there's no need to guess whether you'll need a trailer that day. No need to sweat it if your buddy's bike breaks out on the road, just tow him back.

I just bought my xtracycle conversion kit and I'm hoping to head cross country with my xtracycle set up via Lewis and Clark (a little more south) next spring, and hopefully do shorter trips this winter. Are there any other xtracyclers interested? Also Im wondering what the best fork would be. I have a 2006 specialized xc expert. It has front suspension with lock-outs, they are good for commuting, but im not sure if it will keep up on a long tour.

Also what is the capacity of a freeloader, will it hold a 70 liter backpack?

Maximum weight distributions, according to the Xtracycle manual:

Each Freeloader: 50 lbs

Snapdeck, front of axle: 200 lbs

Snapdeck, behind axle: 50 lbs

Max weight for entire Freeradical load: 200 lbs

Max weight of you + Freeradical: 350 lbs

I don't know how many litres they hold, but my fully stuffed Vaude rear pannier slotted in quite nicely with room to spare. With the wideloaders, you can rope on heaps more stuff with rope or bungee cords too, the way you can see the 5 litre water container roped down in the photo.

Cheers,

Dave

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/davrun/Tanamiday10bikeandroad9e.jpg

Wow, looks pretty loaded down, I don't know how much stuff I plan to take along. Also do you think 28c tires are too skinny for balance?

I don't know how many litres they hold, but my fully stuffed Vaude rear pannier slotted in quite nicely with room to spare. With the wideloaders, you can rope on heaps more stuff with rope or bungee cords too, the way you can see the 5 litre water container roped down in the photo.



Nice rig you've got there. I wish I would have been into biking when I lived in Australia. I lived in Woomera for a couple years. Would have been fun to do some touring there. The little riding I did do, I had some issues with the shoulder of the road after a good rain. Friend of mine broke his collar bone and a nasty flip.

Never used them, but I'll say this: to me the balance was essentially the same touring loaded with the xtracycle as it was touring loaded without the xtracycle. Of course, if you wanted thicker tyres for better balance, you could try these (http://www.wildworks.co.nz/csr/photographs.php?i=img_0031.jpg)! :)