Fack, similar thing just happened to me. Was planning on building up either a BD or a Karate Monkey with a free radical, but then I took my truck in for its 100,000 km maintenance (its a 1999 model, so it doesn't get driven much) and wham! $2700 hit to my bank account. $1600 for a BD seems like a great deal now.

Heh, like some people in this thread, I am putting my car for sale to get more bikes. And the Big Dummy is one of them. Unfortunately it is too late and I am geographically disadvantaged. Living in France I don't have the opportunity to hop back to the USA for buying an overlong bike. And just how would a BD frame fit in the plane? Not in the cabin.

I'll be waiting for the second batch this summer. I hope that there will be some available then... and that the Euro is still as strong as it is now... $1.50! Thats good for a nice discount on one of these frames... Now I can take the time to think about what size frame to get... all these big guys buying the second smallest frame size... I guess you aren't going for the C-bars are you?

WOW can you believe that guy put drops on his Big Dummy?

Yeah, I can cause it's my bike. It actually rides great. While I know it looks like a crazy reach, it's actually a 1.5 cm shorter reach than my Cross Check which is a 54 cm frame and 1/5 cm longer reach than my Masi race bike. I think this difference is mainly due to the varience between the saddle height and bar height. The Big Dummy is a 20 inch frame.

As far as cost goes, I bought the frame and fork and built it up myself. The only thing I had to do to the frame was chase the threads in the bottom bracket. Other than that it was just about perfect. I had all the other components already. For those of you concerned about price, my cost for the build was less than $1200.00 dollars. Money well spent in my opinion. I wanted to build it up myself because I knew it would be much cheaper and I didn't really care for the components they had on it.

I've been riding it around for a few days and I really enjoy it. It rides nicely. The long tail really really isn't a factor that I've noticed. Ride quality is somewhat between my Cross Check and the LHT. I mainly compare it to the LHT in terms of steering and my comfortable cruising speed. Both feel about the same.

I haven't carried a load with it yet, mainly because I haven't gotten my xtracycle racks. However I've commuted on it since I've gotten it built up and I really think it was a well thought out frame. I've been car free for two years now, and the few difficulties that I've encountered during that time will be much easier to deal with now IMO.

If you do have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

I'm a big boy too. I haven't noticed any frame flex hitting potholes, bumps, curbs, etc... the things I usually notice problems like that on. This was actually a concern for me when I bought the frame. So far that concern has been unfounded. Even had someone standing on the back of the frame (there's a spot on the frame similar to the footsies from xtracycle) and didn't have a problem. He probably weighs about 160-170.

I'm running Campy Veloce triple (52/42/30) with an Ultegra FD to an XT rear with an XT 11-34 cassette on it. Bar end shifters are in friction mode now, but that's mainly because I haven't had time to dial it in as well as I'd like to for the index mode. Shifts fine.

My main concern was chain slap on the cross member (where a rear wheel would be on a regular length bike) so I wrapped it with electrical tape to protect the powdercoat. So far that concern has been unfounded. The only difficult part I had was figuring out how to use the bottom pull FD on a frame designed for a top pull FD. Top pulls aren't compatible with my current chainring set up and I didn't want to buy a new one. I was able to figure it out with a little help from my LBS. We brainstormed a bit and solved it. My main problem was that the downtube is huge, around 35mm IIRC. So most adapters on the market wouldn't work.

If anyone is planning on using a road set up on the front and needs to use a bottom pull derailluer'. just let me know and I can take some pics to get you started.

With 5 bikes in the garage already, I don't think there's room for a BD.

Besides, my Surly LHT with shopping panniers and BOB trailer attached can haul as much crap as I care to pull.

Got that right! I see a big "L" appear on the foreheads of roadies that ask why I bother with a kickstand. Ever try to find something in a pannier with the bike laying on the ground? DUH!

What's wrong with this kickstand?

http://www.xtracycle.com/rock-sturdy-stand-p-82.html

Seriously. Since I've really never used one and I'm researching them now what do you not like about it?

BLASPHEMY! There is always room for another bike.

A folding version of the rock sturdy stand would, well, rock. That would be EXACTLY what I'd be looking for: stable under load even to the extent that you could blend a smoothie! :)

The problem with this particular stand is that, when you're loaded, you have to somehow manually pull the stand up on the right AND on the left without your loaded rig tipping over; each stand is independent of the other. From what I gather, you can either twist each stand up and somehow hold or velcro it against your Freeloaders, or you have to physically remove each one and toss them in your Freeloader. Either method seems too cumbersome and potentially dangerous depending on your load.

Jenson is listing a 16" in stock if anyone's still looking.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Frameset.aspx

Gotcha.

I saw that, but thought I was just misreading it. Apparently not.

I've been considering a Nuvinci. Anyone had any actual experience with them in the wild?

No.
But I know where you're going with that. :)




http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/...dfaa9d.jpg?v=0

^^ That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Yes.
Have it laced double crossed, triple cross will put the nipples at an extreme angle.
It's completely silent, no click/clack when you cost.
The shift feel is very smooth.
The hub is the size of a New York pizza.
I think it may be more robust than my Rohloffs.
The shifter turns backwards to a Rohloff shifter.
250% gear range.
It weighs more than a New York pizza.
Has handled heavy loads on my frankenXtraGiantThing for a year or so now, not even a hiccup.
The perfect match for long-tailed bikes.

Images:
NuVinci & ruler
NuVinci 2
NuVinci 3
Shifter
.gif of the shifter
My pretty pretty bike

There's a plate on the left side of the Big Dummy frame, near the rear wheel, for a standard kickstand. I can't see myself needing more than that.

Also, xtracycle claims that wideloaders can serve as a kind of kickstand. Might depend on how you're securing your cargo though.
I can't see why extra chain length would affect shifting. The derailers are still right next to the gears.

If anything, it helps by allowing more cross-chaining. Since the chain is longer, the cross-chaining angle is shallower by about half.

oops

How do you lock this bike up securely with the least amount of locks?

Anyone have locked up images of this bike?

How does the Xtracycle handle hills? I live in a hilly area. If I go downtown ~60-70mins one way it's all downhill but when I return I'm faced with about a short ~40 degree hill, a long ~1km 30 degree hill, ~5km long ~30 degree hill, short ~30 degree hill, and lastly the short hill on my street.

The hills make for a good workout in my area and the area is lovely but when carry a load on the returns especially at night I always take the main roads for safety then the 10-12km isolated (yet mostly flat) wooded trails which I don't find safe at night unless I was riding with more then one person.

Thanks Alan...it isn't a Rohloff but the price is right. ;)

Did you go with the 32 or 36 hole version?

Are the supplied shift cables long enough for the xtracycle or did you have to come up with something different?

Use these on the front and rear wheels, as well as the saddle.

Then use whatever lock you want, and hope no one runs off with all the loot you are carrying around in the bags. :)

Xtracycle has a topic on this in their forums. You should be able to lock this bike up like any other bike (e.g. u-lock on back, cable lock up front).

They mention that if you are worried about the panniers getting stolen, you could screw them to the frame, but they also mention they haven't gotten any reports of the panniers getting stolen......yet (no one must have an xtracycle in NYC).

In terms of the hills question, it all depends on the gearing. If you are maxing out your granny gears on your non-xtracycle bike, you'll probably have problems with a loaded xtracycle, and would probably want to change your gearing set up. If you have a couple to spare (as in the beautiful 34t), that you never use at all, you should be fine.

The bike really won't care what kind of hill you are riding. ;)
You're body might. And you can select your gearing to be very low.

I ride our loaded Bakfiets (100 lb+) up an 8% grade here in town. I have the 8spd Nexus geared very low - and I'm not attempting to set any speed records.

Chris I'm trying to get my head wrapped around the BD sizing. From Surly's website the effective TT on a 54cm CC is 22" and the the effective TT on a 20" BD is 24.2" I'm surprised the reach is less on your BD than it is on your CC.

I was confused on the sizing as well. I'm more of a Road bike person, so Mountain bike sizing just confuses me in general.

I wasn't expecting it to work out that well, I thought for sure I would be using Trekking bars.

The stem and bars are the same ones that were on the CC before I moved them over. One factor to consider is that I'm using a Brooks saddle, which has lots of wiggle room on the rails. I bet if I put the bikes side by side the saddle on the Big Dummy would be moved up quite a bit while the Cross Check saddle would be pushed most of the way back on the rails. I'll check that when I get home tomorrow.

36

You need tandem cables.

I think it's actually a more appropriate hub for a work bike than the Rohloff. Not to say the Rohloff is not a piece of engineering perfection, but with the NuVinci's heft I subjectively think it is more capable of handling heavy loads than the Rohloff. And given it's price I'm willing to overload my bike where I was more hesitant with the Rohloff.

And no other hub I've had other than the Rohloff feels as nice as the NuVinci.

Side note:
I cracked a SA-8 and the SRAM 5 and SRAM 7 could not handle the torque of my Giant causing them to constantly slip gears.

Had no problems with the Rohloff, I just did not want to risk killing it.

When I saw the Xtracycle on line two years ago, I emailed a friend that I'd seen something that was, fortunately, too pricey to be tempting. My first impression from their website was that it was something for Californians with too much discretionary income to purchase and feel green with.

I spent more time on the website, and asked my bike shop guy about 'em and he said he'd be glad to put one togehter for me. I had a few emails with Laughter Medicine. I took a deep breath on a Friday at 2:00 CA time, January 6, and called 'em... and got a priceless answering machine message telling me they were like, taking a few days off at the end of the year and I could reach Kipchoge at x number, somebody else at y number, and I could reach Laughter telepathically.

I gathered my siblings 'round after 'business hours' so they could hear the message... but a live person answered
then ;)

I got one of the things and had it put on my Giant Nutra hybrid. Waited for buyer's remorse.

There are now a dozen of the things in this college town. At least for *me* with my often painful incompetence dealing in things like how to pack things on bikes (if there's a way to put something on backwards and/or upside down, I will do both), this thing is completely awesome. I can bring everything in the world with me everywhere. It's like having the back seat of a car on the bike.

Oh, and it's a great place to mount a Christmas tree...

... and it also announces with its very presence that this is a bicycle somebody bought on purpose - not because they were waiting to afford a car, but because they wanted a good vehicle for getting around and doing things.

I can't really speak to locking issues - I lock it up as I would my bike, but where I park thigns haven't been swiped. I find it handles very easily and the long wheel base and the drum Y& disc brakes make this utter weenie really happy riding in sloppy conditions. I've taken it up 15% grade hills on occasion, but 'round here overpasses are the main grade challenge.
It was something very different from anythign I"ve experienced with a bicycle... so speculation about it with regular bikes as a reference is of limited value. Ya gotta ride one... and even then, it's only 'til I lived with one that I really got to know its nature. WHen I started waking up and hearing horrible weather reports and the bike said "that's okay, we can go!" ... welp, I sold my car last May just because my brother needed it and I haven't missed it. (I have a few other steeds in the stable, too.)

I got my 18" Big Dummy yesterday. The TT is fairly close to my mtn bike so I think the fit will be great with some Titec H-bars.....:D