Utility Cycling - Custom snap deck?

I just got a free radical kit attached to a bike yesterday for... wait for it...

$250!

A free radical and an electra cruiser to boot! All in like new condition! Yes! I will sell the cruiser and recoup most of the cost! Yes!

Anyway, there's no snapdeck. They left the bike outside and the snapdeck weathered and cracked and they threw it out- no way to salvage the snappy things. I looked at the xtracycle website and those snappy things are $4.50 each and it seems silly to me to spend $20 just on those things, so I figure there's got to be another way to do it.

So... Is there? I've got the wood and the wood skills to make a deck, but is there another way to attach the deck properly or are the snap things the way to go?

As I understand it the snap deck is a structural components of the whole thing, is that correct? I'm guessing the snapdeck pushes out on the riser bars to tension them or something... anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

The snap things are the way to go.
You could drill holes in the top of the bars on the freeradical, and bolt the snap deck on, but it will make the freeradical weaker.

It's too bad the whole v-rack/snap deck assembly just passively sits atop the Xtracycle/Big Dummy sub-frame. If those elements were structural they'd stiffen up the whole back end of the bike and make the combined unit much stronger.

Man, the snap pieces used to be $2, I should have ordered some. I think the new tekdeck that Xtracycle is working on might add some rigidity, it's got a part that clips to the vertical part of the rack.

http://www.xtracycle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/img_1158.JPG

Who knows when or if it'll be for sale.

You could make snap pieces from wood. Little angled blocks would probably do, if you don't have a router to put a curve on them. The snap peices don't work that great anyway. You need a strap to hold the V-racks together to keep the thing from popping out sometimes.

The manual at xtracycle isn't there (comes up as not found), so can someone describe for me how it hooks on exactly and if it is/isn't a structural element, why, why not?

The thing doesn't seem as rigid as I assumed it was so I'm having a hard time imagining how the snap deck worked. I mean... it snaps on, but from the inside? Outside? Does it stiffen everything up? Float? What?

The snap things are hooks of a sort. They pressure fit inside of the top bars of the freeradical. The snap deck helps to stiffen the rig.

It's nice to be able to pop the snap deck off. I find it easier to reach my hub from the top when I need to change a tire.

what about these things, prob available at home depot

http://www.hughescomputerconsulting.com/teardrop/images/2005-swamp-cooler/pipe-holders-and-electrical-cover.jpg

You won't be able to remove the deck easily, which ain't a huge deal. Looks like they would work well.

The snap things are hooks of a sort. They pressure fit inside of the top bars of the freeradical. The snap deck helps to stiffen the rig.

Ah. Thanks.

what about these things, prob available at home depot

http://www.hughescomputerconsulting.com/teardrop/images/2005-swamp-cooler/pipe-holders-and-electrical-cover.jpg


Yes, but I guess I'm interested in having the abililty to pull the deck off easily. I'm going to have to look at the hardware store and see if there isn't some kind of rubber bumper that might work. I think anytrhing with a proper radius coudl work as a press-fit sort of deal

Just buy em - you've wasted 20$ of time already ;)

If you want it to function like original, get original. Plenty of ways to build attachments but they generally lose the aspect of easy removal. If you put $20 into a snapdeck you're still way ahead.