Abneycat
12-19-07, 12:35 PM
For quite a while, i'd been researching carrying solutions for the bike. Wanted something that would have a high volume capacity, and be able to serve both domestically and in some of my upcoming expedition tours. The Bob Ibex initially came up as an option, as did the solution of simply buying good quality steel racks.
However, the Xtracycle won out, so this is the 3rd day review. Will update this again down the road to provide a longer term review. Will also provide some pictures.
At any rate, i'll begin with the positives:
+ Works as advertised. I was concerned about the performance of a high load accessory that wasn't directly a part of the bike, but this thing works extremely well! So far, i've loaded one roommate at 140lbs, maintenance tools, her giant purse, and 2 cases of beer on all at once. Then upon arriving home, opened up one of the inner pockets to discover that i'd forgotten to take out the tent poles and camping gear that were test-stuffed into the bike beforehand.
Have done multiple such heavy loads since, such as picking up a massive roll of flooring, and a christmas tree, at once. The Freeradical is very robust, and I would be much more worried about wheel failure, or frame failure than the X' itself coming apart. However, it seems possible to do so, i'll elaborate more on that in the negatives.
+ Installation is a simple process. The only tool that not everyone might own, that they might need, is a chain tool.
+ The pockets on the inside of the freeloader are well designed, including one small net pocket for immediate accessibility, and one larger pocket thats actually fairly well hidden.
Overall, my opinion is that this thing is really quite useful!
There are negatives so far, however:
- The Snapdeck. While its highly attractive looking, this deck isn't designed with weather in mind. It would be nice if they had another option available, because a few rains and this deck is going to be toast. Needs to be coated with more finish than it is upon arrival in order to survive.
- Freeloader quality control. My left freeloader is flawless, put together extremely well. The one on the right however, has 2 problems: The drawstring on the front was sewn into the netting, and chewed up. Managed to work it loose, but the drawstring is quite damaged and will fall apart.
Also, the reflective strip on the back of the right freeloader strangely, does not reflect. I noticed this the other night holding my bike light while putting it on, that the one on the left shines, but the right reflector is actually dull and useless. Then, I noticed that its actually peeling off the freeloader. Will be trying to contact Xtracycle about this, as it seems like the right freeloader is a lemon.
- This leads to my last point. While Xtracycle might have good United States customer service, I don't know. I don't know this, because apparently if you aren't living in the U.S. you can't call them. You also can't order products from their website it seems. While this might be understandable from their phone bill's point of view, it doesn't help if you're an international customer and need help with the product in a timely fashion. Of course, you can still e-mail them.
On a positive note, i'd like to thank Juergen Weichert of Acclivity solutions, he carries Xtracycle's products in Canada, and was very helpful in the process of obtaining one.
However, the Xtracycle won out, so this is the 3rd day review. Will update this again down the road to provide a longer term review. Will also provide some pictures.
At any rate, i'll begin with the positives:
+ Works as advertised. I was concerned about the performance of a high load accessory that wasn't directly a part of the bike, but this thing works extremely well! So far, i've loaded one roommate at 140lbs, maintenance tools, her giant purse, and 2 cases of beer on all at once. Then upon arriving home, opened up one of the inner pockets to discover that i'd forgotten to take out the tent poles and camping gear that were test-stuffed into the bike beforehand.
Have done multiple such heavy loads since, such as picking up a massive roll of flooring, and a christmas tree, at once. The Freeradical is very robust, and I would be much more worried about wheel failure, or frame failure than the X' itself coming apart. However, it seems possible to do so, i'll elaborate more on that in the negatives.
+ Installation is a simple process. The only tool that not everyone might own, that they might need, is a chain tool.
+ The pockets on the inside of the freeloader are well designed, including one small net pocket for immediate accessibility, and one larger pocket thats actually fairly well hidden.
Overall, my opinion is that this thing is really quite useful!
There are negatives so far, however:
- The Snapdeck. While its highly attractive looking, this deck isn't designed with weather in mind. It would be nice if they had another option available, because a few rains and this deck is going to be toast. Needs to be coated with more finish than it is upon arrival in order to survive.
- Freeloader quality control. My left freeloader is flawless, put together extremely well. The one on the right however, has 2 problems: The drawstring on the front was sewn into the netting, and chewed up. Managed to work it loose, but the drawstring is quite damaged and will fall apart.
Also, the reflective strip on the back of the right freeloader strangely, does not reflect. I noticed this the other night holding my bike light while putting it on, that the one on the left shines, but the right reflector is actually dull and useless. Then, I noticed that its actually peeling off the freeloader. Will be trying to contact Xtracycle about this, as it seems like the right freeloader is a lemon.
- This leads to my last point. While Xtracycle might have good United States customer service, I don't know. I don't know this, because apparently if you aren't living in the U.S. you can't call them. You also can't order products from their website it seems. While this might be understandable from their phone bill's point of view, it doesn't help if you're an international customer and need help with the product in a timely fashion. Of course, you can still e-mail them.
On a positive note, i'd like to thank Juergen Weichert of Acclivity solutions, he carries Xtracycle's products in Canada, and was very helpful in the process of obtaining one.