Living Car Free - My bicycle mini-van: Xtracycle with handlebars for kids (Xpost from Utility Cycling)

I'm now using my Xtracycle as a mini-van hauling my kiddos around everyday by bike. I was able to make this happen by designing and building a simple set of handlebars made of PCV piping. I've posted some pictures of this setup before, but I finally posted an article about how I built it and how it performs on my blog at: http://austinbikeblog.org/?p=736.

Enjoy!
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Really nice. It's gonna be a project for me. I'll borrow your idea, if it's okay by you, for my grandkids.

Did you put any especially thick tires on your wheels? Are your wheel extra strong (i.e. with thicker spokes)?

I have a mountain bike frame that I want to convert into an Xtracycle cargo bike. Your photos are definitely an inspiration. I plan on abusing the hell out of the bike, so I'm going to get wheels with thicker spokes and rims. I also want a rear hub with internal gears and a front hub with dynamo to power light on the bike.

I'd be interested to know if there is any equipment you'd recommend, or recommend I stay away from, for cargo and people hauling on one of these.

Really nice. It's gonna be a project for me. I'll borrow your idea, if it's okay by you, for my grandkids.

Go for it. That's why I posted this . . . to inspire others to do the same.

Did you put any especially thick tires on your wheels? Are your wheel extra strong (i.e. with thicker spokes)?



I'm running 32 mm Marathon Pluses on a 32 spoke 700c wheel. I've not noticed any problems with durability yet but my kids are the only thing I've transported so far. As I ride it more, I'll do additional write ups on my blog so hopefully I'll have more recommendations.

I visited Clever Cycles while in Portland this last weekend, and they do a lot of Xtracycle conversions. They've stopped doing 700c conversion for handling and tire pressure reasons. They prefer 26" or 24" wheels with nice big tires. These smaller tires with 36 spokes would be pretty bullet proofed, I'd guess. (more on my experience at Clever Cycles here: http://austinbikeblog.org/?p=812)

I have noticed the larger tires can be a little twitchy at low speed and cadence under load. I try to get in an easy gear when I stop to avoid this problem. You can shift internal gears from a stop so if you go that route, this would not be a concern. I was converting a bike I already had so my brake, shifter, and wheel sizes were already determined for me. If I was doing a new bike, I'd probably go with small wheels, disk brakes, and internal hub.