Touring - Xtracycle Touring

On a recent tour, I happened to cross paths with a large group of Xtracyclists who were also on tour. They were on their way from North San Juan to the Yucatan and southern Mexico.

They were not only self-contained, but were also carrying musical instruments and sound equipment, for giving concerts along the way.

There may be pictures of the group online, perhaps linked to their website. I'll check.

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There was an interesting post in another thread yesterday,

[will post links shortly...]

Here they are:

The thread:

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=369550

The post:

http://bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=5844748&postcount=10

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"...I'd rather tour on this than my touring bike...."

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All this has me reconsidering the Xtracycle.

It seems like an interesting alternative, and I keep hearing good things about Xtracycles... including by those using them for long distance tours.

The stays are not just slightly longer, they are way longer. I've ridden them, and the effects are much more noticeable.

Just found an interesting video about their trip,

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_R9Q_OXqA

You saw Xtracycle's co-founder Kipchoge Spencer and his band. His blog says he's "stepping down from his role as Xtracycle president, to follow his long-time dream of taking the show on the road... Setting off from Xtracycle HQ in the Sierra Foothills, they’ll make their way to southern Mexico over the next four months, carrying all of their instruments and their state-of-the-art 800 watt human-powered sound system — on their bikes, sans auto, going slow and promoting the bicycle as toy, tool, solution, trusty steed, and liberator."

There's another view of their tour here, along with more of what's behind it,

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CxqOBt-GE&NR=1

One of my favorite travelogues on CGWAB is Andy Jensen's tour across Canada. It is a well written and amusing account. he also used an Xtracycle

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=rzyi&page_id=4781&v=0