Every Day Adventurers

Peter’s truck had some mechanical hiccups on the way to HQ recently and needed to get it the last mile or so to park it ’til he got it workin’. The Xtra’ crew rolled out with three longtails and managed to lose neither life nor limb in another every day adventure.

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Editor Update: This is a semi-permanent solution for getting Footsies to work with KickBack. If you want to use WideLoaders, you’ll have to remove the bolts holding the Footsies on, so only do this mod if a) you’re fine voiding your warranty and b) don’t use WideLoaders.

KickBack is all the rage these days regarding our DIT tutorials. Our most recent tutorial focused on extending the peg platform of KickBack by using the handles off a Razor scooter. You can read up on that post here.

Taking passenger appeasement a step further, I wanted to explore a fast, simple solution to get your Footsies to play nice with KickBack. This mod will void your Footsie warranty, so proceed with caution (and if not installed properly, may void your KickBack warranty, too). Let’s begin!

Footsies modified to play nice with KickBack

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In a recent How-To post about carrying passengers on your Xtracycle, Don tossed a tip our way about using Razor scooter handlebars to get an ‘xtra 2″ of peg space. Intrigued, and always excited for new mini-projects, I started scouring the local 2nd hand stores and re-use depots looking for forlorn Razors.

Scooter's got some chic factor and I've got some pegs

Sadly, working scooters, let alone busted, broke-down ones were either in happy use or languishing under 10-years of other fads. Figuring that one would land in my lap at some point, I decided to leave the pot to boil on its own.

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Footsies have an image problem. Not only did KickBack relegate Footsies to second most popular Xtracycle product, KickBack also kept Footsies from coming along for the ride.

RootsRadical, Josh Larios, not content to let his passengers use KickBack’s foot posts, modified his well-loved Footsies to play nice with KickBack. Here’s his advice and info should you want to get Footsies back on their feet:

Footsies and KickBack, Happy At Last

Using 7/8″ OD aluminum pipe salvaged from a broken jogger/stroller I found at the side of the road, I’ve modified my Xtracycle’s Footsies to be compatible with the Kickback center stand.

If I had any decent plywood, this would have been a completely new build. As it was, I reused the platforms from the original Footsies and fabricated everything else. I have plenty of tubing left over, though, so I may build a new set later, completely from scratch. There are some elements of this prototype that I’m not particularly happy with (spacers, loose tolerances leading to difficulty attaching/removing).

Note: Due to the farther standoff caused by KickBack, the heels of your existing Footsies will need to be angled in to reach the FreeRadical chainstay to properly velcro in place.

Visit Josh’s flickr page for all his build photos and share-away your own Footsie DITs!

Ride On!

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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.

Front View

How to get yourself setup with a QuickHitch

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

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