Hello Forum,

I have recently (4 weeks ago) sold my car and bought an xtracycle edgerunner with the intention of it being a car replacement as I have three small kids. Initially the idea seemed pretty sound. My wife drives the van, I made it through an ohio winter bike commuting to work, cargo bike to help when I need to do a quick grocery run, or when I need to pick up our youngest from daycare. I figured my oldest (7) would ride her own bike and then my 5 and 3 year old would ride on back of the xtracycle. It turns out I am not using it like this much as my 5 year old upped the size of her bike and now can ride the full distance from home to daycare and back pretty well.

I have used it to pick up groceries and that was fun and rewarding and all but not that practical as I can't do a "Full" grocery run. I have REALLY enjoyed bringing a kids bike (the 3 year old's balance bike) in one of the bags while she rides on my bike to the park, once we arrive she gets to take her bike and ride around there. I am starting to think I may be able to strap her small balance bike to a front fender of a touring bike. For weather days or lack of motivation days, I could just attach her bike with a follow me tandem (would need to buy) or the trail a bike we have to a regular bike with a rear rack and kid seat for the 3 year old. Meanwhile, the xtracycle is a bit challenging to maneuver in hallways and doorways at my work, I really fight to get it on a bike rack to go for a ride with the family (it takes up two spaces on the rack and was hard to lift and bring back down) and i wonder if I would be better served with a surly long haul trucker or cross check with racks and panniers. It pains me as I put in money with youtubes foot rests, bags and fenders. I also worry I am being short sighted to sell it after only having it for four weeks. It is super comfortable to ride but feels like it is more of a workout and limits the distance I can cover, may not be the best all around bike. So, in my position do any of you recommend trying to sell the 4 week old xtracycle, take the hit and forgo cargo bike adventure for a touring bike or cyclocross? I also really like the idea of bike touring, and while I bet I could tour with the xtracycle (huge carrying capacity) I may be pushing it taking a bike that starts out with a weight of 50+ lbs.

What's a dad to do? Am I just being an OCD perfectionist, obsessing about the shortcommings of my cargo bike or am I on to something? Ideally I could just keep the cargo bike and buy a LHT or CC but finances do not allow this. Even if they did, I would likely not chose the cargo over an equipped trucker or cc.

I would love to hear from members with any of the following experience: a family, who commute, with a cargo bike and or with a LHT and CC.


Thanks,

Tim

Is the Xtracycle your only bicycle? I don't think I'd be very happy with that situation since so many trips don't require the extra bulk and weight of a cargo bike. If limited to just one bike I'd prefer to use a more normal (lighter and smaller) bike together with a trailer for those circumstances where you need the extra capacity. OTOH, if you do have a second bike then keeping the cargo bike would be more appealing.

N+1 is a common suggestion, here. get a second Bike of a different type . add to the one you Own , not instead of ..



actually none of the above .. I dont have a house big enough for parking a Long-tail inside or a Garage, or in Ohio either.

Groceries go in my Panniers .

You might well end up finding something you'll like better for your situation but 4 weeks doesn't seem like quite enough to give it a fair shake. Is returning it for something different still an option?

If not I'd give it another month or two. I hate to see you get rid of this only to end up with something that still isn't quite right.

Thanks for the replies so far. I do have a mountain bike but I would rather not use it for daily commuting in good weather. I technically have a bunch of bikes influxing my kids and wife's. I probably could just ride my wife's cruiser but it is a larger frame and not my first pick. I contacted the lbs and he said he would give me $924 for it towards a trade in. I understand he is in business to make a profit but I bought it for $1500 nearly 4 weeks ago and put an end Xtracycle $300 in extras on it. I'm a little ill to think I paid this much for a bike that either wasn't worth what I paid to begin with or has dropped in price an average of $100 a week. At that pric it may be worth it to keep and b really glad I have it twice a month and get a cheap, vintage touring/ or road bike.

I agree that an xtra is quite a tank to have as the only bike to do everything with.

I also agree that 4 weeks is maybe a little short. I believe in punishing myself with owning something I don't like, if I buy something I end up not liking. (In theory the punishment will help me not spend money unwisely next time?)

However, I think it is quite possible that the cargo cycle is overkill. Almost all people that do touring, do not use a cargo bike, so it is definitely not necessary for that. It is cool that you can carry a bike on your bike, as well as (multiple!) kids, but as you mention, it may be possible to find other ways. Of course for towing kids the normal solution is a trailer (which would also serve very well for towing groceries; not sure about a little kid's bike!)

So keep thinking about it, evaluating, and make an informed decision.

A thought: if you bought the cargo bike from a local lbs that carries Surly, maybe give them a call and tell them you think you're regretting your purchase and are maybe interested in a different bike. Maybe they can swing a deal for you to minimize your loss, take the cargo bike back for a certain percentage off, and/or give you a good percentage off a Surly?

Bottom line, I enjoyed reading about how you're using bikes with your family, I bet it's super fun for the kids, and healthy for all of you to get active, and progressive to be thinking about how to not be a family of Car Clowns like most of the rest of the US. Keep up the good work, and realize that no one bike is 100% ideal for all uses, but all bikes are at least somewhat suitable for all uses, and with perseverance you can get the job done!

Ah, I took too long typing my comment...

Slap some slicks on that MTB (or some other kind of "urban" or "commuting" tire, there are tons of threads full of recommendations around here), and use that when you don't need cargo, it will do the job just fine, especially for short term if you watch craigslist for a suitable cheap, vintage touring/road bike.

How about a 2nd wheelset for the mountain bike with slick tires? Wheels are easy to swap if you have quick release levers.

The cargo bike might come in handy from time to time. There are definitely times when I wish I had a Surly Big Dummy. It's a big change to transition from driving, even if only part time, to getting by with only bikes. I think 4 weeks is just not enough time to get the hang of everything. I am not sure throwing a lot of money at the problem is the best solution. I would definitely use the mountain bike from time to time. I think most of use here have at least 2 bikes for peace of mind with mechanical problems, and so on.

Easy fix. Big Dummy or stick with what you have. I have a feeling that once you put an Xtra-cycle on a LHT you're going to have a flimsy-ass bike when loaded down. Long bike made of 2 separate pieces sounds inefficient. I like your thought process though!

Just to be clear I already have an xtracycle and am considering getting a long-haul trucker or cross check for a second bike or to replace my xtracycle. I am not looking to trade my xtracycle for a big dummy. I did ask the bike shop if they would buy the bike back enough so that I could afford getting a different bike and the rest spots where as they would but at nearly 1000 less than what I bought it for four weeks ago. Does that sound about right?

Thank you for the perspective that I may be prematurely dissatisfied. That helps.

50% is certainly market value on craigslist. Considering LBS can't sell it as new, they probably have to hope they can sell it at like 60%, certainly max 75%.

Although I would have hoped that, in the interest of strengthening customer loyalty, they might have offered something like "$924 cash refund, or $1100 store credit". Or is the $924 already higher than something like $700 possible cash refund?

He didn't say store cred or cash so I'm assuming it was cash. That's surprising that 50% is normal. Can same be said for used other bikes?

Too much extra weight for too little benefit. I ended up buying a new surly LHT instead and am really glad I get to just ride and enjoy. Thank you all for helping me make the decision.

I missed some of the early discussion. I'm glad you got a bike you like. Did you sell the XtraCycle? Sometimes one can do better on Craigslist than selling at the shop, or via consignment.

I have a kid's trailer that I use for moderate cargo loads, and a flatbed that I use for the big loads. I designed the flatbed to go with my custom cargo bike, but pull the kid's trailer behind an ordinary bike.

I do have some large duffels that I'll occasionally tie to the cargo bike, but I find the trailer may be more handy than the extra cargo capacity on the bike.

I don't understand why you just don't use your wife's van for the large grocery trips?