Utility Cycling - homebrew xtracycle builders, how much for your swingarm?

These questions goes out to to all the folks who have or are working on making their own longtail bike.

How much did you spend on your full suspension donor bike swingarm/rear triangle?

Where did you get it?

I have been bitten by the longtail bug and have been acquiring parts for 4 months or so. I have gotten most everything together except for the rear suspension swingarm. I have been watching craigslist and online classifieds for my local paper, I have been hitting second hand shops and checking bulletin boards at the local college. I have hit my local bike coop a few times but it feels pretty picked over.

I have already gotten a flat handle bar for the brace, kickstand plates, rear axle, etc. Its not that I am waiting for a perfect donor bike with all the parts needed for the project.

I have budgeted $25-$30 for the donor bike but cant seem to find one in that price range. I have a few near misses, got a pair of full suspensions of craigslist for $30, only to figure out at home they are 24" wheels *facepalm*. I got a mongoose "fourbar suspension" bike with a mangled front end for $15, after I got the singarm off the bike I realized it weighs way too much and is isn't as stable as a solid rear triangle.

There are more donor bikes in the $50-$70 price range, but that just seems a bit high to me.

Am I missing any good sources, what did you pay for yours and what did you get?

have you tried haggling with the CL sellers of these $50-70 bikes? It you can point out all the problems (original MSRP, heavy, rusty chain, broken shifter, etc.) you might be able to offer them $20-$25 cash. Worst that can happen is they say no.

I had two to choose from...one a Mongoose "xr75" (I think) that I actually bought at Target in the days before a local Craigslist to use as a cheap junker & the other a Univega DS900 that was pretty crusty + my dad picked up at an auction. I used the Univega + you can see pics in the sticky thread. Keep looking and you'll find what you need. I could have justified even an apparently high price because I completely recycled the parts (Mongoose drivetrain to build a steel greenway cruiser for my dad, bars for various other projects, crankest from Univega to my DIYxtracycle, brakes/levers from Univega to update my Cannondale urban mtb, Univega main frame to Ebay, Mongoose seat to son's "redneck fixie" project, and the list goes on). Oddly enough, if you have enough projects on tap, you can probably justify putting a little more coin into the donor bike.

Or.....

Short answer; $40

good suggestions, I decided to send out a round of haggle emails to this crop of >$75 full suspensions on craigslist and local online classifieds. Tried to target the ones that have been up 2 weeks or more, figure those sellers might be more flexible ;)

wish I had space to take on more projects, my (mis)adventures on this project already have my 1 bedroom apartment filled to the gills. Need to finish stripping down the the bikes I have already acquired.

thanks for the replies

I found my donor bike @ the scrap yard steel bins one weekend.

I had another one enter my hands not to long ago, but I ended up taking it back to the scrap yard. (Circle of life and all that.) I knew I should have hung onto it.....

Keep up the hunt, one will pop up. Those cheapo FS bikes don't last long in the real world. :)

I will give away rear swing arms, so long as shipping is covered by the receiver. We regularly scrap the kinds of bicycles that have these swing arms, and I would rather see them re-used than sent to a scrap plant.

However, it would be shipped from Canada. This may work quite well for those who are close, or in Canada :) but it may not be worth your time if you're quite far away.

At any rate, don't hesitate to ask!

At any rate, don't hesitate to ask!

PM sent =)

I just got back from a police bike recovery sale in a nearby town, got a magna with an appropriate donor swingarm for $10 =)