Every Day Adventurers

Every Xtracycle has a different effect on the life of the person (or people) using it. Sometimes the effect is profound.  We thought we’d share this letter we received from Liam Daly.  The photo is his as well:

Dear Xtracycle:

• I love you.
• Six years ago I bought a FreeRadical with freeloaders and wideloaders.
• I was living in car-centric Kansas City, and Xtracycle changed my life.
• I quickly told people that the FreeRad was the best thing I ever bought.
• Four years ago I moved home – to Ireland – with my XtraCycle.
  
• I work for myself as an artist, a painter. There is no canvas, no frame, no entire art show, that my xtracycle has been unable to carry.
• In 1992 I did a solo cycle through 10 countries from Ireland to Turkey.
• In 1996 I did a solo cycle through 24 US States from Boston to San Diego.
• I wish my bike had been XtraCycled back when I did those and other long-distance tours.
• Starting on July 1st, I am doing a solo trip of 2-3,000 miles around all 32 counties in Ireland, painting pictures for people who shelter and feed me. Those people are finding me online: http://paintingtour.com
• I posted a gallery the other day of 24 photos of my XtraCycle carrying various loads. A national newspaper saw it (Irish Independent) and interviewed me for a feature on cargo/utility bikes.
• I know of 2 cases in Ireland who have bought XtraCycles based on my witterings on Twitter and my blog.
• Six years of heavy use, American Midwest weather, and Irish rain, have taken their toll. It’s a long time since anybody could read my snapdeck or called it a skateboard.
• I still routinely tell people that XtraCycle is the greatest thing I ever bought. Because it still is.
• But most of all, I love you.

Thanks and best wishes,

Liam Daly

It came to our attention that our FreeLoader manufacturers have been mis-threading the rack straps through the buckles. Instead of just passing it through the outermost loop of the buckle, they’ve been threading it through both loops, which limits the range of the rack strap and can lead to stitching failure due to the increased stresses.

This video, featuring Alameda, CA resident and Xtracycler Marvin, shows you how to quickly re-thread the rack strap through the buckle to relieve the pressure on the strap and give you more maneuverability when buckling your FreeLoaders.

Nate and daughter with the 2011 Radish

Now that the 2011 Radish is finding its way into homes and bike shops across the US (and beyond), we thought we’d share some feedback from Xtracycle’s own Nate Byerley, who was one of the very first adopters of the redesigned bike.  We gave him some areas to hit, and here’s what he had to say:

Ride Quality
Radish rides like a city bike.  Thanks to help in the redesign process from Grant Petersen of Rivendell and Bridgestone, the new Radish has quick handling & responsive steering, makes tight turns, and its light weight makes it easier to accelerate.  The Radish Sport (which includes the Hoodie) weighs in at a svelte 43 lbs. (The Surly Big Dummy weighs 53 lbs, while most other cargo bikes are even heavier, sometimes in excess of 80 lbs.)

The 2011 Radish’s geometry is designed to work with a wide range of riders.  I’m 6′ tall and my wife is 5’1″, and we both love the way this bike rides. And not only does the new Radish have 8 speeds on one simple shifter, the gear range spans the most useful 70% of the gear range of a mountain bike – favoring the low end for easier hauling.

Cargo Capacity
Radish is built to carry 350 lbs (rider + cargo), which is the same amount as the FreeRad. You can easily tote two kids and 4 bags of groceries at the same time.

Two-part Frame
Radish is built on the FreeRadical cargo bike extension, with a custom front frame and attachment setup built to interface perfectly with the FreeRadical. That means less twisting when under load than on any other Xtracycle-equipped bike.  All long bikes experience some twisting, but it’s minimized on Radish (while still keeping the overall cost low).

Affordability
Radish is the only chromoly cargo LongTail under $1000! That’s impressive when you realize it has SRAM components as well as an Avid drivetrain and brakes.

If you’re considering going car-lite or car-free, or just want to see how Radish handles, we suggest you try it for yourself.  Give one of the Xtracycle dealers a shout and take it for a spin!

Congrats to Sam, the only entrant :P, for the Morebadasser Video Contest. But, not to be outdone, Sam entered two videos (thanks, brother!). And while we’re down with moving homes via bike parties and producing less CO2, we found his second video, Xtracycle Cyclocrossing to be oh-so-much-morebadasser! Enjoy and Sam, we’ll be in contact to get you your goodies!

Xtracycle More Badasser Cyclocros 2010 from samh on Vimeo.

Almost 2 years ago, we profiled Jay Marlette, who had decided to make his home inspection business greener by adding an Xtracycle to the mix. As you can see from our photos and video, this wasn’t a small commitment.  The ladder is longer than the Xtracycle!

When people make a shift like this, it’s natural to wonder how things worked out.  So guess who I ran into the other day just as he was wrapping up a home inspection:

Two years later and he’s still going strong!  A lot of people can say they’ve gone green, but when you see Jay riding around town hauling that ladder, you know he’s walking the talk.

Some things need to be seen to be believed, so if you want to check out Jay’s geared-up Xtracycle and ask him about his experiences in going green via bike, both Jay and his ride will be at the Berkeley Earth Day celebration this Saturday, April 23rd (12-5pm, Civic Center Park).  As part of the Earth Day celebration, Jay will be fielding general home questions and can also offer advice on ways to make your home more energy efficient.

The Earth Day celebration will have free valet bike parking (which we love to hear). For complete event details, click here.