fender1

Thanks sammy. I'll take a look.

BAH

Cool that other companies are picking up on this idea, but man that is one ugly sucker

Electra needs to come out with a longbike

And I agree with you donna- all new longbikes need to be xtracycle compatible!

whatsmyname

Maybe - Kona's well known for making niche interest unmarketable bikes in addition to their mainstream range. it's what makes them so cool...

spambait11

They should make an integrated front rack as well potentially to help counter balance a heavy load in back. People forget that hauling 300+lbs. on an Xtracycle can be a pain in the ass esp. when you have to stop and start a lot, or must ride slowly. Not having enough weight at the front end can make the front jump around such that you're popping unnecessary wheelies when starting from a complete stop.

And I second the need for better kickstand technology, as well as the need for better lock integration/gps tracking. Nothing like coming out of a place with tons of goods only to find your rig missing.

JeffS

GPS tracking... are you serious?

don't forget flip-up dvd system for the passenger, the electric lift for the kickstand, and the on-star system. It's a bike, not a mini-van.

spambait11

Well, it's got to be invented, but you should be able to implant some sort of RFID chip in the seat tube, for example, so that if it does get stolen, it can be traced. Would some sort of detonation device be more acceptable to you?


Don't hate just 'cause some people know how to roll. We don't all lead boring lives.

Raiyn

Only problems with that are

A) It's not a beacon, they use a passive RFID system in pets which is the chip that most of these types of threads propose. Passive RFID tags have no internal power supply. The minute electrical current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency signal provides just enough power for the CMOS integrated circuit in the tag to power up and transmit a response. Most passive tags signal by backscattering the carrier signal from the reader. This means that the antenna has to be designed to both collect power from the incoming signal and also to transmit the outbound backscatter signal. Not to mention they don't work so great inside metal objects. That and the active RFID's (like in toll booth passes) in addition to needing a power source only have a range of 300 feet.

B) Who's going to know to scan your bike with a chip reader? Also there's no guarantee that the chip reader will be compatible.

So no, I doubt you'll be going all "Jack Bauer" on some scumbag bike thief when you put Fido's microchip in your bike.

Schwinnrider

Surly doesn't have the Big Dummy on the market yet. I respect that they are willing to spend the time to get the product right, especially considering it's not going to be a huge seller(not that any of their bikes are huge sellers, but the Dummy will probably be the lowest seller in their line).

Mike

spambait11

The technology will get to this point, no question. But you're right: whether they become adaptable to bikes is a different matter entirely, predicated on the almighty dollar and whether such an idea can be profitable. Some sort of integrated bike lock technology is much more realistic though, or even something that's able to lock the brakes in place which needs some kind of special release; something a bit more secure than these.

terceiro

Is it just me, or does this bike look sorta like an extra-long mixte? I think the lines are interesting, and it will probably be even more attractive than an xtracycle add-on once there are some nice accessories for it.

SingingSabre 

70+ pounds.

100+ if I'm feeling feisty. That's with a climb which daunts me with no load, too.

Have you ridden a long bike? The load is carried mostly between the two wheels. They also sport a much lower center of gravity, especially when loaded on the sides. This eliminates front, and rear wheel pop up in all but the most severe cases.

Since getting my Xtra, I've never, ever accidentally lifted a wheel. Bombproof tires are my friend.

johann

On first glance, the xtracycle's FreeRadical system (giganto pouches, a place for footpegs/footsies, the ability to put carrying rails for long items like surboards, kayaks, etc) seems superior to this design. But it is still great that this type of bike is getting attention from the more major manufactureres.

unkchunk

I wonder if someone will try to hook an Xtracycle to the back of one of those Kona things.

vulcan

I think they put the small panniers on purposely so as not to cover up the bike.

You could put some pretty huge stuff on that.

Russ

I've never ridden an Xtracycle, but just by looking at the bike, and considering basic physics, you can see that this can't be true. Extending the length of the bike makes "popping a wheelie" harder, not easier, regardless of how much weight is on the front of the bike.

Bushman

ever ridden in North Vancouver mud? that fender is perfectly adjusted for BC terrain.

Bushman

where did you find that? i dont see it on the Kona site......

me want

whatsmyname

If I were going to buy this bike, I would be tempted to buy as a raw frame and buy a bug gear for it.

JeffS

what's bug gear?

spambait11

All I know is that when putting 300+ lbs on the back of my Xtracycle (which I've done at least three times) I have to push the bike forward a bit to get it rolling, then when I stand up to push down hard on the cranks, my front wheel can slip moving slightly side to side because the wheel pops up, maybe 1/4"? (Sorry, I don't know the distance for sure; I haven't tried looking.) It's worse starting on sandy, hard-packed dirt (a trail going behind our local elementary school), and we're not talking 15" wheelies here. At first I thought my gearing might be too high for such a load (42T x 34 = 31.8 gear inches), but after the first time, I just rolled the bike longer before pedaling. Even then the front end is still a bit unstable, but once rolling, everything's cake. I'm using a Bridgestone MB-6 by the way. Don't know if that makes a difference.

Raiyn

A bit more secure than a set of bar ends and a stem?

whatsmyname

It's, erm, "hub gear" spelled incorrectly.

Russ

I think that has more to do with the 300 lbs than it does with the xtracycle itself. If you were to put 300 lbs on the rear rack of regular bike, the characteristics you describe would be even worse.

spambait11

Dope! He switched the ad!

That page used to display pics of brake levers that had push button locks to lock the brakes in place.

spambait11

No doubt. That kind of weight pushes the Xtracycle beyond its intended means, and I never meant to imply it was the fault of the Xtracycle; it is definitely a user issue.

But just looking at that Kona and the Big Dummy makes me think that owners will try to push those bikes' limits. In that case, my suggestion was to distribute some load to the front wheel, if possible, for better stability.