Utility Cycling - Xtracycle Questions....

Hi All, First post here, so w00t,

But on to the important stuff. I have been looking at the xtracycle website and on here for a couple days, and I think i am convinced I want to get one soon. I would use the Free Radical kit. I have an 08 Giant Rincon, that I have been mainly using for getting to campus and running some errands around town. The question is, do I find a garage sale bike or a used bike to use, or should I use the Rincon? I do every once in a while use it on trails up here in the UP of Michigan, Houghton to be more specific. But I am not by any means a hardcore trail rider or anything. I guess I need some advice. Any and all would be appreciated, thanks all.

Well... That really depends... IMHO, the Rincon would make an interesting 'donor' bike. If you plan to use your xtracycle everywhere and every day, why not using it. You will have to probably change your wheelset at some point for something a little beefier. After riding my xtra daily for close to 2 years (I am carfree), I've noticed that the demand on components of a loaded long tail is pretty high. Hubs, chains (yes--- chains), cassettes and rims tend to suffer. The xtracycle will do fine for basic trail riding, as long as you don't have to make very quick sharp turns.

HTH

Yeah, I would probably use it daily come to think of it, as I sometimes run errands when I come from campus or going to work. And By all means the Rincon is not a hardcore Mountain bike. It has a little beefier components than the Boulder or Boulder SE from Giant. I am not seeing myself carrying heavy loads all the time, but getting the groceries would be easier on an Xtracycle. Would i need to change components right away or would it just affect the longevity of them? I am kind of new at having a nice bike, and not a walmart special. Thanks

I wouldn't... Just replace what wears out when it wears out... I would just changethe tires for something a little faster than the knobbies if you do mainly pavement riding...

Have fun!

I wouldn't... Just replace what wears out when it wears out... I would just changethe tires for something a little faster than the knobbies if you do mainly pavement riding...

Have fun!

I just did some trail riding on a bike camping trip this weekend. I'm not planning on taking my Big dummy on any super tight switchbacks or technical rock gardens, but man is it fun on dirt roads and mellow singletrack. If you're not tackling killer grades, which I'm fairly sure don't exist betwixt the Rockies and Appalachians; fat slicks work fine in the dirt. Hell, my dad rode most of the same stuff on 700x32s no problem. I just let some air out of my big apples, and they worked great. There's something fun about the long bike offroad, and being on slicks makes slow boring trails a lot zippier.

Actually The area up in here in the UP is pretty hilly, but like i said before I am not really that into trail riding, it is more of a fun thing to do if the opportunity arises. BUt thanks for the advice, I have been thinking about getting a slicker tire for riding around town. I think once i sell my laptop to my sister i am going to order. Any more advice would be great too! Thanks!

Anyone have an internal geared hub with an Xtracycle?

How about winter use in snow/slush/slop?

There was some discussion on the Rootsradicals mailing list in the last couple days talking about how the tongue of the FreeRadical can "saw" through the chainstay bridge on aluminum framed bikes over time.

That may or may not be relevant to the bike you posted above, and there are ways to mitigate the issue using scrap metal or a 2nd FAP (available thru Xtracycle) to avoid the wear. But just an FYI to be aware of, not a showstopper.

CastIron, do some searches in here... there are a bunch of threads about internal hubs on Xtracycles and Big Dummys.

Steve