So, here is my scenario. I wish to spend much of any year touring. Maybe spend a few months at home in the winter. I really like the capacity of a bike like the big dummy. I am not in a hurry. I would like to spend weeks at a time in remote areas, so I need to be able to carry pretty big quantities of food and sometimes water in arid areas.

Here is the issue. I would also like to be able to box up the bike and travel on AmTrak occasionally to get to a new area fast or to escape winter weather if I linger too long in the north. The big dummy won’t fit in bike boxes so I am considering an Extracycle add-on instead.

How hard is it to disassemble and assemble an Extracycle. Can I do it on the road without a big tool chest?

Also, with an extracycle add-on on properly assembled, is it as rugged as a single piece frame like the big dummy?

I've never used the big dummy, but I do use an Xtracycle both as a commuter vehicle (with the wife on the back) and as a cargo bike (hauling groceries, etc.). I've hauled everything from people, to stacks of wood, to two grocery carts worth of groceries on the Xtracycle, and haven't had any real problems. When I have the wife on the back, if I stand up and rock the bike, I can feel the frame flexing, but if I stay seated it feels very rigid. Disassembly would be pretty straightforward where you would only have to disconnect the brake and rear derailleur cables, remove the two dropout nuts, and remove the bolt that connects near the kickstand - probably around 10 minutes with an allen wrench, adjustable wrench, and some needle-nose pliers to remove the cables.

All in all I've found the Xtracycle to be a reliable workhorse that can take the abuse of being an all-weather commuter, and I would highly recommend it.

If it weren't for the need to box it up, I would highly recommend the Big Dummy. A one-piece frame is going to be less flexy than two pieces bolted together. Also the Dummy is a very stout bike. Stoutness of an Xtracycle depened on the donor frame.

However, since you need to box the bike, I'm going to go a step further, and say you shouldn't be riding a longtail. I'd recommend a good sturdy touring bike. Don't underestimate what can be carried on an LHT, Fargo, or other bike built for loaded touring.

Thank you for the quick reply!

It sounds like an extracycle would carry what I would need. Also looks like I could handle disassembly and assembly at the train station if I can find an out of the way corner.

I have a 1992 Trek 820 that I think would be a good frame to add an Extra cycle to. Heavy duty cromoly frame.

Yes, I could do most touring on LHT type bike and I did that in the 1970s.. a lot. My desire now is to have to option of packing 10 days worth of food on the bike and wandering down some remote US Forest Service road to base camp and day hike. Or, put 6 gallons of water on the bike and travel the back-country roads in Big bend National Park or Coronado National Forest for a week. I don't think I could add 50 pounds of water to my outfit on my LHT.

The other option is a trailer. I agree that if you wouldn't be boxing it up, then a BD would be ideal. the xtracycle can be taken apart relatively easily, but if you are going to do it often, then a trailer may be better. I have an xtracycle, and it is great for narrow streets, hauling people and stuff, but I wouldn't want to be taking it apart too regularly. A good trailer might be a better (and cheaper) option.

Head over to some of the lightweight backpacking forums-- you really don't "need" a long tail bike for epic touring, IMO.

50 lbs/person of gear/food/water is luxury camping IMO-- and that could easily go on a regular tourer!

www.backpackinglight.com

I've been ultralite backpacking since before it was called that. Fifty pounds of water(6 gallons) is not a luxury when there is no water source for a week of traveling. My outfit is very minimal and light weight so that I CAN carry 10 days worth of food even when backpacking. I am also an addicted naturalist and tend to carry field guides, good binoculars(not compact) and maybe even a spotting scope if good birding areas are on the tour(Texas).

I've shipped an Xtra a couple of times in two boxes, very easy to put together, no special tools required.

This should answer your rugged question: https://www.ridingthespine.com/videos.html

Interesting videos. Note that the longtail in the video has an extra seat stay to the extended dropouts(like the BD) that the current xtracycle doesn't seem to have. This would seem to minimize stress on the donor rear triangle. Was that really an xtracycle? was it modified? Was it the protype for the BD?

It's not an Xtracycle standard but they were protoing a heavy duty one earlier this year. Contact them for info.

Could have been a proto for the BD. Once you get to that length it doesn't come apart, so...

The point of the video was to show you it can be done under extreme conditions that you likely won't approach. I think they broke things but not big deal, it was welded back together.

It's important not to overthink things and just live sometimes.

I am definitely not interested in doing anything as rugged as in the videos. I would like to get off on some backcountry roads, dirt and gravel/stone, maybe a little bedrock. Being able to carry food and water for a week in arid areas like Big Bend NP or Coronado NF is the goal. I will probably enjoy a higher comfort level for living on the road, too. Traveling in arid country always keeps you moving to the next water source(or food suplly for that matter). I would like to be able to slow down or stop and explore when an area grabs my attention.

Thank you all for your comments. Now we'll see if I can manage to retire!

sedges, you might also consider an Extrawheel trailer. Three wheels for heavy loads makes for a long lasting rear wheel and you get a regular mtn. bike when you get where you're going after unpacking everything.

https://www.extrawheel.com/

Your list =/= ultralight, then -- field guides & scopes etc.
And you really need 22L of water??? Whoa!

Sounds like a trailer would be ideal, since you could literally box it and mail it ahead to your next seriously arid leg of your trip to haul the water.

I've found even on a long tail that much liquid sloshing around is an issue.

Maybe use a trailer to isolate this effect.

By "outfit" I mean basic gear to live sleep be warm and dry and eat. That part of my gear is ultralite, 12 to 20 pounds depending on the weather I need to be prepared for. When backpacking that allows me to carry 10 days of food. When backpacking with 10 days of food I rarely take extra stuff like books or binoculars, but traveling on a bike allows a bit more flexibility there.

Yes you really need 6 gallons of water if you have no source for a week or more. Why is that so hard to understand?

If water is contained properly and place properly in the panniers I don't think it will "slosh around" much.

Since I started this thread I have seen trailers being used in pretty rugged conditions and I will be considering those.

You misunderstand: the liquid sloshes around within a well-secured container, even if mounted low.

If I buy a couple of cases of wine or beer or whatever, a slight bar correction will set off a secondary reaction. In english it means if I turn into a corner the liquid weight waits, then catches up and throws the bike slightly off balance so that another correction is in order.

It's a larger effect the more liquid present, natch, something you have to experience to appreciate.

I didn't read the whole thread, but this caught my interest. Unless you are planning to stay in the desert, a water purifier, available at better wilderness outfitters everywhere, would be a much better solution than carrying 50+ lb of water in.

Ok, I'm going to chime in again. I have an xtracycle and have hauled 4 gallons of water and didn't notice a thing. I don't think that two more gallons would have made a difference. The trick is that I used 4 separate bottles to haul it in.

Dan! "Being able to carry food and water for a week in arid areas like Big Bend NP or Coronado NF is the goal." That would be desert. I carry and use a purifier. Just to clarify. If there has been rain or snow there may be springs available, but often they are dry. If springs are running and I don't have to carry as much water I could carry more food and stay out in the remote back country roads longer. It just depends on the weather.

jankdc! Thank you for sharing your experience. Under what circumstances were you carrying 4 gallon of water?

I own a BD and my friend toured with a MTB + Xtra by packing both into a large cruiser bike box and shipping them that way. Based on what you have said I think the BD is a better option for hauling gear and the MTB+Xtra for shipping. You can get a BD with S&S couplers so you can split it, but it won't be a cheap upgrade. A touring bike with trailer would also work and depending on the configuration might be very packable.

I don't think an Xtra will be a problem even if it's not as optimal as a BD, but unless you get a big bike box you'll have to ship it as two items - possibly will have to no matter what if you count your touring gear that can go into one of the boxes.

The other thing to think about is a BD is not as big a tandem and folks take planes, trains and buses with them so I'm not sure why a BD wouldn't be work as it's no bigger.

lots of smaller bottles Vs a big bag.. at least it's not milk you haul..
those big trucks cannot baffle the load , or it will churn butter on the way to the bottling plant.

I personally would opt for the Xtracycle (Whoops, I already did, like one of the posters above, I have and commute on an Xtracycle.). If you can install it with no issues, you should be able to disassemble it for shipping.

I think that an Xtra would be an ideal touring rig, especially for backcountry bikepacking.
I occasionally use a Burley flat bed trailer with my Xtracycle.

It was a trip from Walmart. I was getting distilled water for a project. I was also loaded down with laundry detergent and a whole lot of other stuff. It held up fine on my xtracycle. I could have carried a lot more water. I think that I may have felt it if I was using a 5 gallon carboy. I actually have a picture from that trip: