Luke Krueger, Xtracycle owner and active lifestyle dude, managed to snap his right leg leaving him immobile and dependent on his friends and family to achieve his daily tasks. Five weeks later, Luke is getting into more active with his physical therapy and found a way to get exercise, find his independence and smile, just a bit:
Luke Krueger shoveling cobb with Xtracycle as couch
Here’s a photo from one of the many ways my Xtracycle has enabled me :) I’m rehabbing from a broken leg and Doc cleared me to ride a stationary bike a couple days ago. I realized I could sit on the snapdeck of Rover here and be nice and low and safe, recumbent style, while still being able to pedal and reach the brakes. I’m sure y’all have tried this lowrider position. It got me out on my own for the first time in 5 weeks! After miles of smiles I came home and realized I could sit on the snap deck to do yard work as well, since I can’t stand on my leg yet. Here I’m sifting rocks for cobbing. Crutches on the longloader, water in the bottles, tools in the pouches.. this is so much better than the couch! Go team.
longer is morebadasser
Contest time again, this time with a bit morebadasserness!
We know that Xtracycles help shift people’s perceptions of interdependence, freedom and excitement. We know that they help engage their riders with their locality, improve health and increase smiles (all scientifically founded, at least we’re pretty sure).
But what we don’t hear much of lately is how badasser it makes you feel! With that emptiness in mind, we are calling on those that can emulate the concept of morebadasser in video format to noodle on and create a short (15-30sec) video of why Xtracycles are the kings at badasserness.
What’s in it for you? Other than web notoriety of the badassest kind, we’ll feature the top three winning videos on our home page, the top three contestants will receive a sick Morebadasser baseball cap and we’ll toss in a $50 online store gift certificate!
So, to recap for those lost in the dreams of badasserdom:
- Make a video depicting why you think your Xtracycle has made you morebadasser
- Keep it to 30 seconds or less
- Upload it to vimeo.com (basic accounts are free)
- Email info@xtracycle.com the link to your video, your full name, location and one sentence description of your video (and any other interesting tidbits related to the making of your vid)
Deadline for Entries is April 20th, 2011 get out there and make some badasserness a reality!
Ride On,
The Xtracycle Crew
PS Want to be lazy but still rock the cap? Buy one here.
Riding an Xtracycle is a magical thing.
Sure, it’s practical, helps you exercise, invigorate your life and find an independence you may have thought never existed, but Marya hits the nail on the head with her initial impression of using and riding an Xtracycle:
A couple weeks later, Marya was sold. “This way of getting places just gives you something back”, she proclaimed. “When I drive I feel like I’m wasting my life away.” After just two weeks of pedaling my intellectually superior spouse was able to articulate what I had not after seven years. She also reported that when my son rides on the back of the Xtracycle, he likes to sing. “He’s my little radio”, she said. Can It get any cooler than that?
family biking and sharing the ride
Read full post at B-Town Biker Wants You To Bike More.
My wife and I live in a small apartment with five of our bicycles living with us. The first moment of zen came when I realized I was tall enough to store my lighter road/mtn bikes horizontally against the ceiling, but my Big Dummy still took up a commanding amount of square footage.
We recently shifted the rooms around and need that precious footprint to be reduced. Problem was, I need to store the Dummy on it’s tail, but maneuvering a wheel-less Big Dummy like that was bound to scratch and damage the rear bridge tube. What I need were some casters to allow me easy positioning and storage of my Xtracycle cargo bike in a vertical position.
I sketched up a design diagram, chatted with Ross about some potential pitfalls, and dove right in. Was a bit hasty about the initial two prototypes, but finally ironed out my issues with the third version.
Now I can easily bring the bike inside, hold the rear brake, lift up the wheel, TailWheels make contact, and then I push on my MagicCarpet with my knee while still holding the handlebars to get it into full, mobile and upright position.
It’s also been a boon for use on BART and elevators. No more scratched paint or dented tubes!
Ride on!
The Xtracycle platform’s coolest feature, IMHO, is its modularity and ability to customize the platform for specific tasks. Numerous Xtracycle riders have utilized the plug-n-play features of their X’s for years. Wes Trout, an Xtra owner for 3 years, has taken customizing his Xtracycle to an impressive level.
We’ve occasionally interacted via the RootsRadicals Yahoo! Xtracycle user group, but recent record snowfalls and his newest invention, the Snow Plow, caught my eye and I had to get more details on his projects. Read the full interview below about how Wes started his own business, Shifting Gears, catering to the needs of businesses seeking sustainable solutions for their needs, and his perspective on cargo cycling culture.
Wes Trout with his cargo bike snow plow
Read the rest of this entry »
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