Maker Faire Bay Area 2009 is the World’s big DIY (Do-It-Yourself) event. Each year over 600 do-it-yourselvers get together to show off their stuff - things they’ve created and invented on their own. The event started in 2006 and is in its third year of existence
Sponsored by Make Magazine, the event is DIY creativity and resourcefulness at its fine-ist!
In our neck of the woods it was hosted on the San Mateo County Expo Center grounds in California for two full days (May 30th and 31st) of play and innovation. Certainly not enough time to see how much resourcefulness and creativity there is here in the Bay. But so inspiring none the less. You leave wanting more - with your own creative juices fully flowing.
This year’s theme “ReMake America - Building a Sustainable Future,” was based on President Obama’s call to action to become part of a new era of Do-It-Yourself.
Some of the DIY themes and projects this year included bicycle powered spin art, hydrogen powered rockets, creating power from everyday waste, making your own robot from recycled products, building electric go carts, building bikes with discarded stuff, how to grow your own mushrooms and food! Glorious food!
Xtracycle donated the use of our Fleet of Radishes for the crew of the Maker Fair to help them move their stuff and people around. From the smiles and hooping and hollaring - we sure could tell they were having fun, while working it - thanks to the Radish!
More fun then a barrel of monkeys and a faster than your averaged life sized snail.
LongTail Technology’s (LT) modular system allows for creativity on many levels. Some users are fine with using our production model products and trim, but others see those tubes and imagination sparks go flyin’.
Galen (flickr: Muleteer) is just one of many creative tinkerers taking his Xtracycle to new levels. He recently wrote us, and posted photos on his flickr page of a rear trailer hitch for towing a bicycle behind your Xtracycle (as opposed to using a TrayBien, which mounts on the side). We’re calling it QuickHitch, for short.
Here’s Galen’s feedback on towing a bike using a QuickHitch:
“The bike in tow can pitch on the hub, and yawl on its own headset. Works great until the bike is at a right angle, and then, with no bike behind the fork anymore, the entire thing falls less than gracefully to the ground behind the big dummy. So, for those of you looking to replicate, make sure you don’t turn too slow too tight.”
Carting a second bike happens for a variety of reasons: A friend arrives on public transit, tow a spare bike on the way to greet them. A riding buddy flats or has mechanical breakdown, tow the crippled steed home with owner riding too! Or, you buy/sell/trade/barter/find a bicycle and need to transport it to its new home. Sure there’s more reasons, but that covers the usual fair.
Spare front hub (aim for slimmer hub bodies, like Shimano’s line) with quick release skewer
4mm Allen key
Top View
1. Installing Lamp Mount
Your QuickHitch attaches to the rear bridge of your Xtracycle. Clean the horizontal bridge before installing the Nitto lamp holder. Make sure the clamp plates on the bridge end of the clamp are on top, this keeps the hub end closer to the ground reducing wobble effects of the trailing bicycle. Use the 4mm Allen key to tighten the clamp bolts. Clamp should be horizontal to the ground, you can dip it a bit more if wobble is a factor in your test run. But, note that the lower the lamp holder is angled toward the ground, the more likely you’ll drag it when lifting the front wheel.
Side View
2. Prep towing bicycle and mount
Undo the front brake (ignore for disk brakes), remove the front wheel and stow in your FreeLoader. If you are using Adventure Racks or the Adventure Kit, snug to the side or your deck wheel using a CamStrap.
Insert fork onto QuitchHitch, be sure it’s just as snug as when you install your front wheel.
Turn on a blinky on the towing bike or tie a red flag on the saddle rails and roll!
Sal carries Sir Issac Newton (bike lovers give good names)
Post any photos/videos of your DIT QuickHitch here or on our Facebook fan page. Ride on!
P.S. Some people like having a larger footrest than the pegs KickBack has built in. Galen solves this with a simple solution: folding footpegs!
UPDATECarl followed the tutorial and fashioned his own tow-hitch setup. He also suggested something that we forgot to mention, using CamStraps or some other lashing device (Joel mentioned bungees in the comments section) to keep the sway of the towed bicycle to a minimum.
UPDATEJnyyz commented with his HitchBack rear fork mount, check it:
HitchBack: Won't rotate down like Nitto clamp might
Xtracycle rad-dad, Anthony's customized KickBack legs
Customizing our rides is one of the many things that draws us further into cycling culture. Sometimes it’s the perfect paint job, a well-worn leather saddle or that crazy doll you found in the gutter that now rides with you every where you go to help you identify with your bicycle.
For those rockin’ out KickBack, you can customize your ride some more. Use any tubing with a diameter of 7/8″ to replace the stock legs, but please use high-strength aluminum or steel if you’ll be carrying precious cargo like passengers, children or Fabergé eggs.
In the tutorial video below Nate demonstrates how to achieve a wider stance for your KickBack using steel cruiser handlebars. If you happen to customize your KickBack, please post some photos here or on our Facebook fan page. Ride on!
Xtracycle Dad, Anthony, chopped the ends of his Stoker Kit and used the ends to widen his KickBack stance to carry his two boys with added safety
SurfLoader and Radish - perfect accessories for the beach
With summer fast approaching, playing in water takes on new precedent. We know these are thrifty times, so we wanted to share a low-cost alternative to using our LongLoader and WideLoader for your surfing adventures.
Before jumping into the details, watch this brief video to get a good understanding of what the finished product will look like.
What you’ll need:
broom/mop handle, preferably used but in good structural shape (max of 22.2mm dia.)
screws - no bigger than 1/4″ dia. & 3/4″ long
rubber squeegee about 12″-16″ wide, more durable the better
tape (duct tape is the best, multiple wraps of masking tape works too)
sharp knife
hand saw
screwdriver
Xtracycle equipped with FreeLoaders
surfboard
1 friend
1. Measure & Chop
The beauty of LongLoader is that it safely offsets long loads to be out of your pedaling zone. Since we’re on a budget here, we need to make our surfboard sit outside our pedaling zone without LongLoader’s help.
Be sure to cut the stick upfront longer than the rear one
First, saw your handle into two pieces: one 16″ section and one 24″ section. The longer stick will sit in your forward bridge with the smaller one in the rear bridge. Both sticks should be inserted the full length of the bridges.
The rear of your board will sit ~5-6″ away from your rack. The front of your board will sit a bit further from the racks to keep it from interfering with your pedal stroke. Use a friend to hold the surfboard over the pegs and move the tip out far enough to allow for a clear pedal stroke.
Secure the sticks in place by installing screws through the spring button holes on the horizontal bridges. This is to keep the sticks from sliding out of the bridges when in use.
2. Chop some more
Remember: always cut away from vital organs/digits
Cut your squeegee in half. Using one half, cut a rough profile of your board’s edge into the rubber section of the squeegee. You can either slice out the entire section of the squeegee or cut two vertical slices and fold over the middle flap. Repeat for other half.
3. Measure & Chop
Position cut squeegee vertically with cut end facing up. The center of the rear squeegee, where your board will rest, should be about 6-8″ from your V-racks. The front squeegee needs to sit about 4 more inches further away from the bicycle to offset and avoid your pedal zone.
Wrap tape around the squeegee and the stick a number of times depending on the strength of the tape used. If you kept a flap in your squeegee, fold that over the stick and begin to wrap tape around the squeegee. You can also add screws through the squeegee body, but you shouldn’t need to.
Note distance of forward squeegee
4. Wrapping Time
With your sticks secured with screws and your squeegee taped firmly to said sticks, you can put your board in place. Make any adjustments as needed to keep your board out of your pedal zone.
FreeLoader straps secure your board nicely
Secure your board by unbuckling all three straps on the FreeLoader facing your board. Also undo the mesh draw string for maximum wrap-ability. Pass the buckles under the board and over to meet up with the top buckle. Depending on your setup, you may need to use the opposite FreeLoader straps to complete the buckle. Tighten down and take a test spin.
5. Fine Tune
Depending on your taste for pain, you will want to cover any protruding sharp ends. You don’t want a core sample of your shin, so tape those exposed bits well.
Radish, SurfLoader and Bali... Good times
Let us know how it goes!
If you decide to craft your own SurfLoader, send us some picts at info at xtracycle.com! Happy riding, both on land and on water!
In the spirit of the Longtail Standard, we happily present you with detailed instructions to build your very own PizzaLoader.
While we’d love to design, prototype and build every idea we sketch out, we’re still a bit grounded in reality and like to choose our products carefully. But don’t get us wrong, we love do-it-together (DIT) approaches to accessories, except the ones involving transportation of wee ones.
With that said we’re pleased to introduce: PizzaLoader! While there are a few bicycle pizza delivery services out there, the costs don’t justify the production on our end. Thank goodness for places like IKEA, where you can find just the right combination of parts to create masterpieces.
Wife and hubby team, Jeremy and Carrie, longed for the ability to carry pizza on their Xtracycle. Unfortunately, the square shape of a pie box leaves too much overhang when using a standard SnapDeck. Combine that factor with greasy, weak cardboard box and you’ll quickly accessorize gravel with your fresh pizza.
Solution? Build a wide-platform SnapDeck with rail to provide proper support and containment for your pizza as it travels from its brick oven womb to your home and, ultimately, belly. Let’s dig in!
While we’d love to design, prototype and build every idea we sketch out, we’re still a bit grounded in reality and like to choose our products carefully. But don’t get us wrong, we love do-it-together (DIT) approaches to accessories, except the ones 
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