Outside Magazine names Big Dummy among it’s 51 most “…Overlooked mountain ranges, river beer, running album, gear of all time…big ideas, accidental winners, and awesome things about the world outside we’ve come to love over the past 33 years.”

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/201003/editors-choice-24-20.html

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Rod Bryan, former 2006 independent candidate for Governor of Arkansas, shared with us his past efforts trying to shift our car-centric lifestyles using his Xtracycle, and his current work as Housing Coordinator for Our House, a non-profit shelter for homeless individuals and families in Little Rock.

In his run for Governor, Rod’s first proposed initiative was aimed at “[improving] quality of life for Arkansans by making it easier to travel in communities and across the state by bicycle.” His concrete goals included increasing daily use of bicycles by citizens & state employees; improving cycling infrastructure and increasing bicycle use and maintenance education. It’s refreshing and empowering to see someone close their music record shop, take work at a bakery, and devote their time, money and energy to help improve the livelihoods of their fellow citizens.

Now, as housing coordinator for Our House, Rod sees the effects of our car-culture on the individuals and families he serves. Living by example, Rod rides his Xtracycle to work and encourages people “to try and find employment within a biking radius from their homes.”

“Daily, shelter residents look at my bicycle with oohs and ahhs. I have a vision to introduce them to riding Xtracyles while they are staying at the shelter and encourage them to save money to buy their own upon leaving. I also envision residents learning bike mechanics as part of our job training and as a way to sustain their own transportation and independence.

If it weren’t for the money in my campaign, I don’t know if I ever would have gotten an Xtracycle. I know that many of the people in our shelter see bicycles other than second-hand or from Wal-Mart as extravagances. I truly believe that if we introduce our residents to Xtracycles and the many things that Xtracycle makes possible it will truly open them to another world. “

Rod is accepting donations through Our House to help individuals ease the cost burden of owning a cargo bicycle for use as their daily transportation tool. If you can offer financial support, or want to donate your FreeRadical after upgrading to a Radish or Big Dummy, you can contact Rod at rod{at}ourhouseshelter{dot}com.

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This post details the modification process, but I’ve only just put it on, so I can’t necessarily recommend this product for the long haul, yet. Will add to this post as I learn more about the light itself. My main concerns are, as with all LED lights, battery life, and then with this particular install, gradual rattling of hardware such that the light becomes loose or falls off.

The light is a German rear seatpost light made by Sigma.

First, you need to disassemble the light mount probably intended for the seat post and rescue the two plastic parts - one of which accepts the light, the other as a kind of wedge to orient the light more or less perpendicular to the ground (very nice on the sloped back of the PeaPod).


Using a 3/8″5/32″ bit, drill a hole through the PeaPod shell that emerges below the level of the seat pad on the other side (to cushion your little rider’s back from the minimal hardware we will use to attach the light to the seat.


After a good while of searching for a nut that would work on the existing screw that held the seatpost mount assembly together, I finally just switched to a slightly larger diameter screw and nut combo I had in my hardware bin. The nice thing about this, is that the screw bound a little to the plastic of the light mount and the seat, acting as a kind of built in loctite to prevent excessive rattling. Additionally, the nut I found was very flat, and the overall length of the hardware was such that there was no sharp screw end poking through the nut. Screw + nut were flush (well, pretty much) under the pad.


The light has a nice feature that it can be mounted horizontally, for that KnightRider effect, or vertically. This light has a few different patterns, some of which are intermittent enough that they won’t likely draw down the two AAA batteries too fast.


More to come!

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Here’s an initial post to satisfy some of that curiosity, though it is by no means the definitive and final product information for these products. That is to say, there is more to come.

2010 Hoodie

Redical Hoodie on 2010 Radish

The Hooded Sweatshirt - jacket, gloves, hat, in one! Reasonably priced. Great value.

Simultaneously, we were seeking a different aesthetic than the FreeLoader/SnapDeck combo - something more sleek, unified and integrated. Less of the straps-a-plenty look and feel, and more of the wheel fairing or engine cowling look. A true cover, hiding all the mechanical intricacies, and leaving only a pure form - function and fashion. Okay, so no one would say that a Hoodie sweatshirt is the essence of form meets function, but there is something casual yet cool about wearing a Hoodie out to brunch.

Hoodie Features:

• Hoodie has two bags that open out to accept objects large and small, soft and hard (max box size seems to be a case of 24 bottled beers).
• Hoodie has an integrated ABS frame sheet that acts as a deck for light passengering, and carrying items on top of the Xtracycle
• Hoodie is made of 600D polyester, and reflective webbing.
• Hoodie will work with V-Racks and P-Racks
• Hoodie has a U-lock pocket, which could also be used for keys, cell phone, tools, etc.
• Hoodie has a 6 point attachment system to secure it to Xtracycle
• Hoodie is not compatible with Big Dummy
• Hoodie has a small silkscreened Xtracycle logo at rear bottom, and 2 Xtracycle tags on either side.
• Hoodie is compatible with all FreeRadicals produced by Xtracycle
• Hoodie, though not yet tested, should be compatible with Terra Cycles Cargo Monster
• Initially, Hoodie will come in two colors - Charcoal and Redical
• Hoodie is not compatible with any Xtracycle decks or PeaPodLT.
• Hoodie Kit (1 Hoodie, 2 V-Racks) estimated retail price: $125
• Buying an Xtracycle FreeRadical and Hoodie Kit estimated retail price: $364

NOTE on Big Dummy compatibility: The Hoodie was not intentionally designed to be BigDummy non-compliant. The design of the BigDummy (with one large boom style seat stay coming down from the seat tube) is fundamentally different than that of a bike + FreeRad. To make the Hoodie work with BigDummy, we would have had to alter the design, losing our beloved LockPocket, the easy install, and full fairing coverage. Furthermore, we were focused on making the Hoodie an entry level solution. BigDummy customers we felt were already stepping out of ‘entry-level’ sphere, looking for something more, so we ultimately resolved that the Hoodie would not work with Surly’s product, by circumstance not by design. Much love to the BigDummy! We made some new FreeLoaders that you Big Dummy customers are going to love! Hope to post info on those tomorrow…

Hoodie Pictures:

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9/9/09 // Really, what more can I say?  My mother sent me these photos - taken from her front yard in Tucson, AZ.  I am seeking more information about this sighting.

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I’m excited to announce Xtracycle’s official release of our flagship chromoly LongTail, Radish, new for 2010. We want to send a special shout out to legendary bike designer and kindred sprit Grant Petersen from Rivendell, who played a key role in helping us nail the “sweet spot” cargo bike handling for what we believe may just be the perfect family cargo bicycle.

This post will attempt to unveil some of the thinking, rationale, and motivation behind choices we made to upate Radish for 2010. Special mention needs to be made to those who have played a hand in Radish’s re-creation: Ross Evans, Peter Kinne, Madeline Gradillas, Rick Pickett.

Materials

Just like its younger cousin, the FreeRadical, 2010 Radish is 100% Chromoly. A number of other longtails on the market are built from high tensile steel. What’s the difference?

Chromoly steel, also known as 4130 steel, is 60% stronger than high tensile steel, also known as low-carbon steel, or low-alloy steel. While there is no weight difference per unit volume between these two alloys, because of the strength difference, it takes more high tensile steel to yield the same strength of Chromoly. The result? High tensile bikes are heavier, for no good reason (generally only to save cost). Chromoly is used for automobile roll cages, aircraft construction, and other structural applications. Chromoly is the choice for many bicycle handbuilders and fewer and fewer larger production companies, including our friends at Surly. Why the demise of Chromoly in the mainstream marketplace? Mainly cost, but also, the level of skill required to weld - see next section.

What about aluminum? Aluminum is generally regarded as a light, stiff, but often brittle and unforgiving material for bicycle construction. As a bicycle is lengthened to increaese it’s usability and ride quality, the stresses placed on the frame increase. Aluminum is less suited to perform for the long run, under a wide variety of loading conditions. The benefits of aluminum, aside from weight considerations alone, include cost - Chinese aluminum frame production has reached economies of scale, and the training process for aluminum welders is less costly than that of steel welders. All of these combine to offer a potentially lower cost on aluminum bicycles, but it is unclear if the lower cost also translates into lower performance. Because of the need for aluminum bicycle frames to be heat treated (brought to a certain temperature, and then cooled at a specific rate), they generally cannot be repaired. Any failure means the life of the entire product has ended. Radish, by contrast, is built of modular parts, the most costly of which are built to be durable, and built to be repairable.

Xtracycle builds several modular parts that are not under as great a stress, like V-racks, TekDecks, Whatchamacollars, out of weight saving, cost saving aluminum.

Construction

Radish frames are tig-welded in small batches (usually 50 - 100 units at a time). Tig-welders are some of the most skilled workers in our Taiwan factories - they get paid the (in US currency) around $15 - $20/hour and enjoy excellent job security. The same woman, Ah Huey pictured below, has been welding Xtracycle FreeRadicals, and now Radish frames, nearly since their invention 10 years ago.

Ah Huey humors us for a photo. Ross humors himself in a helmet.

Handling/Geometry

By way of comparison, I find the 2009 Radish to handle remarkably well under loads of 50lbs or more on the SnapDeck or in the FreeLoader bags. When the deck/bags were unloaded the handling becomes noticeably more ‘floppy,’ which appealed to some riders, not so much to others.

The 2010 Radish nails the sweet spot where handling unloaded is crisp and sporty, yet remains responsive and stable under load.

What’s more, the longer effective top tube length on Radish yields a roomier cockpit enabling riders like myself, pushing 6′1″ with my Keens on, to feel totally at home behind the wheel. My wife, pushing 5′1″ in her clogs, feels no loss of comfort. The Radish pictured below is piloted by Madeline Gradillas, an architect turned product designer who played a large role in bringing 2010 Radish to market.

Madeline is 5′4″ and likes the 2010 Radish just as much as her 2009. She’s particularly happy with the increased ease in getting her leg over the top tube. The 2010 Radish frame is more than 2″ lower, where it counts, easing transitions on and off the bike.

Components

Across the board, components have been upgraded while we have kept the overall cost of Radish down.  Here are the highlights.  A full list of components can be found under the “Specs” tab here.

• Cranks: The new alloy crankset (34t) features an  dual-sided aluminum chainring guard to both protect the rider’s clothing from the chain, and to protect the chain from dismounting unexpectedly from the chainring. Owners of 2010 Radish will have the option of installing the included full-protection chain guard (a la Radish 2009) as well for total coverage.
• Brakes: Xtracycle upgraded brakes and levers on 2010 Radish to entry level performance Avid FR-5/SD-3.  To accommodate numerous upgrades and cut costs, we decided to jettison the rear disc-brake.  In conversation with customers, we found that few felt this to be a critical component, and internally, we agreed that V-brakes worked well for 90% of practical applications.
• Drivetrain: Rear 8-sp cluster remains the same (11-32t), but we’ve upgraded to a SRAM X-5 rear derailleur, and SRAM 3.0 twist shifter.  SRAM X-5 rear derailleurs are found on $1000 mountain bikes and we found, has the necessary spring tension to provide crisp clear shifting on Radish.
• Handlebar: Xtracycle worked closely with handlebar manufacturer Zoom, in Taiwan, to develop a bar that provided a comfortable yet nimble, upright riding position, for a riders ranging from 5′0 - 6′2″.  This alloy bar is not found anywhere else than on Radish 2010.
• Grips: Grips on the 2010 Radish are made by industry leader Velo.  We opted for round grips, with plenty of length, and a bolt-on feature that would allow customers to easily move/remove/replace them with no damage to the grip.
• Quick-Releases: All quick-releases have been updated on 2010 Radish for improved look and feel, but most importantly, function.

Kits

2010 Radish will become available with a host of new and existing Xtracycle Accessory Kits.  My next post will cover our new kits in depth.

Subscribe to our blog here, and be alerted about our next posts.

Presale

2010 Radish are in production, and are currently available for pre-order.  You may learn more about Xtracycle’s pre-order process here.

We only have 50 available at this time for pre-order, if you decide to be one of the few new Radish riders, you may place your order here.

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Here’s where to get replacement SpringPins for your WideLoaders, or any other Xtracycle DIT project you’re working on:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#pins/=6397fh

But wait, that link doesn’t get you all the way there - here’s the exact part number: 92988A730

Enter this number in the “Find” search bar - and it will take you right to the part you need!

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With the help of Google translate, you can read this guy’s blog here.

But really folks, check out that Red Big Dummy! Holy cats. That’s fantastic. With matching hat, jacket and Crocs. What’s funny is I told my wife this week that I want a pair of Crocs. The look on her face was a mixture of disgust and disdain, which then quickly dissolved into pity. Wait until she sees this! This guy Rocs the Crocs! Among many other mysterious things, on his blog he claims:

I was very happy to hear me talking excitedly at the sight of their fellow Doru eagles live on television in the distance…

And speaking of mysterious, check out these stream of consciousness poem-blog-entries about how Xtracycle solves all kinds of real-world problems. I’ve pulled out a few important quotes that bear repeating for your amusement.

Important cultural sensitivity note: of course these are not written how the writer intended them to be read - and I mean no disrespect to anyone. What I’m calling attention to is a Google algorithm’s attempts to unravel the nuance of language and translation resulting in some of the most profound, and unusual critique/praise of Xtracycle ever found. If a real live human out there is inspired to help translate these, I would love to know what’s actually being said. Each of the following posts is from this Japanese bike-shop blog.

Successfully solved a problem in the run up to the level of cases was found in some more cash.

It may be the fastest long-tail bike for now and possibly Japan. M-like, welcome to life long tail bike fun!

God certainly is, “Oh, I’m out of the one diaper bag waste.” It is sad to hear the shouts of joy.

I think the man is brain. Two bags in one side can not afford.

Xtracycle Longtail bikes are the perfect fit for diapers.

Long tail runs without a hitch a ride with a smile and a lot of luggage and children in such turmoil.

French bread and drink to raise, many generations back to the park trees.

It is recommended that you use a bike guy is raising a family picnic really like.

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Turns out, it’s a simple way to connect bicycle riders, those “willing to transport goods” and those “needing goods transported.” You can sign up to be a courier, or request a wire without needing to sign up or create an account.

You set a start location, end location, time frame, load description, trade/price offered, details and contact info. Make a little extra cash, donate your time for non-profits in you area, or just meet new people who appreciate the usefulness of bicycles.

We look forward to offering our cargo bicycles up for use, will be cool to see where and how BikeWire grows.

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