I Got An Xtracycle.

Posted by Byron Watkins Wednesday, June 01, 2011

So I got this totally cool new bike toy. I am so excited. It is called an Xtracycle and it is an aftermarket attachment that will affix to any 26" bicycle. It turns your bicycle into a longtail bike and it makes it much easier to carry large and heavy loads. I love commuting to work and using my bike for utility but I always run into an issue when I have something that is too large to carry on my bike. 

Not anymore! The Xtracycle is rated up to 200 lbs. and the longer wheel base is supposed to make loads easier to carry and distribute them more evenly. I have seen some crazy pictures of giant loads people have gotten on their Xtracycles. 

I bought it used this last weekend from Chris at Tower Velo. I had been looking at them for awhile but I was unsure if it was the option I wanted. When I found out Chris had one used for a good price I went ahead and made the leap. 

I decided to attach it to my old mountain bike. I have had the bike five or six years and paid about $350 for it when I bought it new. I have been primarily using my commuter bike so the mountain bike has seen little use as of late. I bought some new smooth road tires to replace the old knobby ones then Joe from the Fresno Bike Kitchen helped me get it all attached. 

It rides really nice and smooth. While the turns are wider, I don't feel like it slows the bike down at all. I have hauled a two-wheeled kid trailer before and didn't like the experience much but this seems like it will ride great. On Memorial Day I carried my seven year old son about seven miles to Riverpark. He sat on the wood deck part and had a great time. His first time out he couldn't stop laughing.

Riding my bike doesn't even compare to being in my car. Being outside, breathing the air and just enjoying myself. This is a perfect excuse to do it more and challenge myself in the process. 

I will keep you updated on how the experience is going and will post pictures of some of the loads I am able to haul.

I removed the rear wheel and the derailleur. The original brakes detach and are connected to the Xtracycle.

This is it all attached. The system mounts into the original tire dropouts and attaches to where the kickstand
would mount. The original rear tire is moved back into the Xtracycle's dropouts.

They call the bags/panniers "Freeloaders". They are rated to carry 50lbs each. 

The wood deck on the top can snap quickly in and out of place. It adds rigidity to the frame and it is
rated to carry 200lbs to the front of the rear axle and 50lbs to the rear of the axle. 

The shelf on the left is called a Wideloader and it is removable so you can carry larger items.
There is one for each side and they are rated to carry 60 lbs each.