Every Day Adventurers

Patrick Boone, a Wisconsin Xtracycle rider, submitted a video to CNN’s iReport. CNN asked people to try to live car-free for one day (big leap, but better than nothing) by using their bicycle.

We offered up a store gift certificate to the Xtracycle riders that got their videos selected for the iReport. Congrats, Patrick, and thanks for the quality video and Xtracycle plug. Ride on!

An undeniable facet of owning an Xtracycle is it’s magnetism for questions. “What is that?”, “Did you make it?”, “Is it like a normal bike?” are just a smidgen of the queries you’ll get.

We asked our twittersphere to share with us their off-the-cuff responses to the perennial question, “What is that?” Here are their responses:

• “It’s an extention frame that mounts to a normal bike allowing you to haul most anything, cargo and/or people.” @illintechnology
• “it’s a cargobike, I do my shopping & stuff without a car. It’s really just my old bike but longer and able to carry 200lbs” @shanerh
• i tell them its my grocery-getter & get-around-town eco ride! i also tell them how awesome it is (& that our 2yr old loves it)! @schwartzsheldon
• “It’s an #Xtracycle! It’s my station wagon/kid hauler/grocery getter. Lots of fun to ride!” @jessikate
• “It’s a long bike called an Xtracycle FreeRadical. I use it for getting groceries and having fun. Cars Suck!” @xtracycleTony
• Actually, the most frequent question I get is: “Did you make that?” To which a yes or no answer isn’t easy. @gauch0
• “It’s a sport utility bike, kind of like a bicycle pick-up truck.” @jasondcrane
• “Xtracycle: A hitchless trailer puts me at the center of gravity, making the ride smoother, even with up to 200 pounds behind me.” @jamcycler
• if I have time I put the footsies on and show them what it is! @redfieldbikes

Thanks everyone for sharing their tactics for spreading the LongTail revolution. Please share any responses you might have in the comments below. My personal favorite response to, “I like your bike!” is, “My bike likes YOU!”

Have a great commute, ride, spontaneous adventure this week!

We’d love to pin down the neurons that fire happiness in people when they see passengers being carried on an Xtracycle. Without fail, we manage to lift spirits around us when our friends, loved ones and strangers are straddled on, or surfing, our SnapDecks.

Last week, we asked our twitter buddies what tips they had for carrying passengers, here’s their do’s, don’t's and heck’yeahs!

• Stand up, surf and feel the wind in your hair!
• MagicCarpet pad very worth it; made foot pegs with chopped straight handlebar, bar ends & brake cable holding ends in. see most recent 4 pics here
• Don’t ditch the granny gear! 100+ lbs. of person makes a mean hill.
• Left hand under the handlebars, right hand gripping the stoker bar attached under the seat. Always w all cargo removed first.
• Some folks are shy, but it’s really better if they snuggle up close to pilot. Less sway.
• Side-saddle an option 4 short folks/kids/skirt wearers and readers too!
• The drunker you are, the harder it is to do. Admin Note: We do not advocate drinking and riding. However, we do advocate riding and then drinking.
• When you’re carrying three little ones, put the smallest one in the middle, and the most experienced rider all the way in back
• Side saddle is my GF’s preferred orientation, skirt or pants.

Thanks to: @xtracycleTony, @coxn, @dandyerband, @loquaiciousD, @oninformation, @crunchysue, @sarahgilbert for sharing the wealth (of knowledge).

Please share your tips with your fellow longtailers by commenting below. Happy, and safe, riding!

Our entire staff at Xtracycle commutes to work by bike. Some of us ride over 10 miles and that means multiple opportunities for glass to become buddies with our tires and inner tubes. On top of that, our HQ are in North Oakland and sometimes our fellow neighbors like to use the street as a testing ground for seeing how well glass bottles bounce.

In the spirit of Bike to Work Day/Week/Month/Year we wanted to help improve our fellow commuters commute by cleaning up the glass and various trash we encounter on our ride to work. We hope you find the time to wake up a little earlier to sweep up the shards of sadness on our streets.

Happy Bike to Work Month!

See all the photos, and video, of Jason and Rick’s cleaning efforts on their way to work!