Utility Cycling - How much Xtra will an Xtracycle cost me?

I'm gettin' my stimulus check and like every good American citizen,
I'm going to do what my President wants and stimulate the economy by
turning my 1989 Trek 800 into a Xtracycle. (if I can find one)

I think the Xtracycle is around $400.00.
But what about brakes?
I have the old style thumb shifters/cantilevers
How much will it cost to switch over to V brakes?

what about the wheels and cheap bottom bracket/drivetrain?
All the Xtra weight/stress going to cause problems?

I just don't want to install the Xtracycle.
Then have to upgrade to V brakes
Then have to buy stronger wheels
Then have to upgrade to an XT drivetrain
Then have to.....Well,you get my point.

I don't mind putting some money into the old girl to make her safe.
Just don't want to spend what I could get a new Big Dummy for
(and NO,I don't want a New BIKE period.)

2 heavy duty racks/panniers and a trailer might just be a better for my situation,
Only reason I'm liking the Xtracycle so much is it's the best
passenger AND stuff hauler I've seen.
(rather have my 4yr old with me on the bike than in a trailer)

What do you think?

JM

All you'd have to do is:

- buy the Xtracycle = $400
- get some v-brakes [if you are nice to your LBS they'll give you an old, functional set for free or just grab some off an old bike about town] = free
- use the existing drivetrain and wheel until you have an issue with either. If you keep the wheel well tensioned you might be surprised how well it does as long as you don't get ridiculous with the cargo you carry.

Vik's right on. Besides if the wheels came stock of that vintage, those rims are probably a bit overbuilt compared to many off the shelf today.

It might be worth taking them to a shop and having them true and tension the wheel (~$15) if you don't want to do the reading and learn how yourself, and probably wouldn't hurt to have them repack the grease in the hubs.

Happy trails :)

Thanks guys,

I was worried about having to buy a lot of Xtra high dollar stuff.

Just called and got on the waiting list.
Hope I can get one at the end of Aug. like the web site says.
Nice woman I talked to,said once they get them in,
they'll have plenty to go around :thumb:

Jm

You might need either a travel agent or a different brake lever if you have problems with your canti lever operating the v-brake (different pull distances - sometimes it works though)

Cantis are pretty powerful anyway, maybe upgrade the pads to kool stop? definitely have the wheels trued and checked for tension.

Cantis are pretty powerful anyway, maybe upgrade the pads to kool stop? definitely have the wheels trued and checked for tension.

You can't run cantis on the back of an Xtracycle, but wherever you get your free used v-brakes from just get the lever to go with them. They are ubiquitous now and should be easy to scrounge up a function, but free set.

Tandem cables.
You may very well need some to compensate for the extra length.

Tandem cables.
You may very well need some to compensate for the extra length.

I'm trying to recall, but doesn't the Xtracycle kit come with some long brake and shifter cables?

Cantis are pretty powerful anyway, maybe upgrade the pads to kool stop? definitely have the wheels trued and checked for tension.

I found that cantilevers were just fine as a front brake when I had my Xtracycle on a bike equipped with such, but as Vik mentioned they can't be used with the Xtracycle itself.


I'm trying to recall, but doesn't the Xtracycle kit come with some long brake and shifter cables?

It does indeed come with a new set :)

You can't run cantis on the back of an Xtracycle, but wherever you get your free used v-brakes from just get the lever to go with them. They are ubiquitous now and should be easy to scrounge up a function, but free set.

Didn't know this, why not? Never mind, just tried to envisage the cable run. Should still be possible, but much easier/cheaper to scrounge/find a v-brake setup. Can still use cantis on the front, yes?

Didn't know this, why not? Never mind, just tried to envisage the cable run. Should still be possible, but much easier/cheaper to scrounge/find a v-brake setup. Can still use cantis on the front, yes?

Would depend on the bike you added the XtraCycle to, but no reason why not as far as the XtraCycle is concerned.

Wat is possible to do often depends on your own skills, your imagination, what you are able to buy/ trade/ get for free, if yoy are willing to go off the "main stream" and so on. Your most important question is "why not"? If the answer does not make sense; go for it!

I just switched my old Specialized street stomper (80's vintage) to an Xtracycle. The long cables come with the kit and I did switch over to V brakes in the back but left the canti in the front. I first installed the Xtra on a Specialized Rock Hopper that my neighbor had given me (it was too small for me) and I was able to use the cantilever brakes on the Xtra. When I switched the Xtra to my bike I did put V brakes on and I recommend that. I couldn't get the V brake adjusted right until I realized I needed to switch to V brakes levers too. Now everything works fine. I am going to put a smaller chainring on front, it is a 28 tooth gear and the hills are steep here in our Victorian seaport especially with a 100 lb load.

I think the easy way is mountain bike, then suspention bike rear end, mine work well and does same as xtra and cost me 0$
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/demonic_inu/100_0138.jpg

I just converted a 1992 Kona Lava Dome to an Xtracycle. As noted above, V-brakes are mandatory for the rear as there is no provision on the FreeRadical for cantilevers.

I ended up going with new v-brakes and levers (Avid Single Digit 7 with Speed Dial SL levers). Found that I had to upgrade my wheels because the rims on the old bike were totally worn out. But that gives me the opportunity to go with a dynamo front hub, which is something I wanted to do anyways, so no loss. The existing drivetrain is working OK so far, and it's actually nice to have oldschool Deore thumbshifters because they have friction mode - which gives some nice forward compatibility options for 8/9 speed rear cassettes.

Anyways, every way I sliced a Big Dummy build (using all new components) it came out much costlier than my Xtra conversion, and honestly I'm quite pleased to be able to re-use a perfectly good old frame and the majority of its components instead of buying new. And all the stuff I pulled off the bike, which is also in good shape, got donated to the local bike co-op which helped me get the X built up. So all in all I feel better about doing the X than I would've if I'd just bought everything new.

Honestly my wife has panniers and a rack on her bike, but there's just no comparison with the X in my opinion. The carrying capacity is simply much greater... you can do two or three errands in one swoop, like using a car, whereas the panniers make that a lot more challenging.

HTH,

Steve

I just noticed that the Xtracycle is now $489, and the 26" model won't be available until mid-August. I should have gone ahead and bought one instead of waiting!

Ouch! That price increase hurts. I'm still working on saving up the money for one to convert my mid 90's Trek. I guess I'll be saving a bit longer...I did get some cheap linear V style brakes in preparation. I just wish I could have bought one a few months ago!