Can You live live with only a bicycle

[user 135]

Reading this post. I wonder what bike would be best, If you used it for daily transportation and only had a bike. I have seen Cruisers, BMX, Cargo Bikes, Trikes, Bikes with Trailers.
My choice would be a 21 speed bike with rack on front and back, I would also want a 2 wheel trailer. This way I could haul stuff on regular bike and if I needed to haul bigger stuff I would use my trailer.
What would you use?

My Xtracycle would be my one choice. It is always with you, no need to hook up a trailer.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

It ran and drove great but it was just too far gone. It was tore up from the floor up. and had over spray all over everything including seats, the convertible top, dash was ruined, It would have cost me a few grand to put the car right and I could buy one all together for that.

 

[honestherman]

Do you have a picture of Xtracycle without stuf on it?

Reading this post. I wonder what bike would be best, If you used it for daily transportation and only had a bike. I have seen Cruisers, BMX, Cargo Bikes, Trikes, Bikes with Trailers.
My choice would be a 21 speed bike with rack on front and back, I would also want a 2 wheel trailer. This way I could haul stuff on regular bike and if I needed to haul bigger stuff I would use my trailer.
What would you use?

My Xtracycle would be my one choice. It is always with you, no need to hook up a trailer.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Does the extracycle throw you off balance with a load?

 

[user 135]

Do you have a picture of Xtracycle without stuf on it?

http://www.xtracycle.com/cargo-bicycles ... frame.html

Does the extracycle throw you off balance with a load?

It did with that Desk. When the load is evenly placed you don't notice it. My kids ride on it and don't throw me off

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Ok so it has a platform on both sides...cool!

 

[expjawa]

Do you have a picture of Xtracycle without stuf on it?

http://www.xtracycle.com/cargo-bicycles ... frame.html

Does the extracycle throw you off balance with a load?

It did with that Desk. When the load is evenly placed you don't notice it. My kids ride on it and don't throw me off

Well, I suppose it's good to know that your kids aren't off balance... :mrgreen: Do you just have the load platform on one side or both? I have a repop Luxury Liner frame that I was thinking of using to build an Xtracycle. I figure that if a cargo bike's frame weighs a few extra pounds, it can't have too significant impact in the long run. But I agree, if I had to live with just a bike and no car, it'd have to be either a cargo bike or maybe a touring bike (like my LHT) with front and rear racks. Or, I suppose, I could convert the Trucker into an Xtracycle, but I'd probably just be a Big Dummy to do that...

 

[user 135]

I have the the wide loaders (platforms) for both sides but usually only have one on. The bags make it pretty easy to haul anything without the wideloaders.

 

[expjawa]

I have the the wide loaders (platforms) for both sides but usually only have one on. The bags make it pretty easy to haul anything without the wideloaders.

Interesting. Out of curiousity - how far forward can you load something on those before you have to worry about heel strikes?

 

[user 135]

A couple inches forward of the wideloaders. Unless you use the "long loaders" that space the load out and away from your heels.

 

[honestherman]

This bike is interesting to see how you can load weight, But you still have this weight loaded on 2 bike tires. I went on their site and can see how this bike can cost thousands of dollars to build (with accessories). If you had a trailer you could spread the weight over 2 bike tires and 2 trailer tires.
I was on another site and saw a one wheel trailer that looked lik the back of an Xtracycle. But then again only one tire trailer holding up a load

 

[expjawa]

This bike is interesting to see how you can load weight, But you still have this weight loaded on 2 bike tires. I went on their site and can see how this bike can cost thousands of dollars to build (with accessories). If you had a trailer you could spread the weight over 2 bike tires and 2 trailer tires.
I was on another site and saw a one wheel trailer that looked lik the back of an Xtracycle. But then again only one tire trailer holding up a load

I think that thousands is a bit of an exaggeration, practically speaking. Obviously, it can also be just a few hundred dollars if you already have a bike to convert. I agree about the tire issue though - there are limits to how much you can haul, depending on the tire size and what it's designed to handle. By that token, converting a skinny tire road bike would probably be a mistake, but I'd bet that something set up around fatter tires (if not balloon tires) could handle extra weight easily and, of course, would ride better under load. Many, many people do this, so obviously it does work.

But you're right, there are practical limitations of how much you can haul on an Xtracycle, or perhaps on a purpose built cargo bike like the Big Dummy. IIRC, that's about 200 pounds. You can potentially carry more on a trailer, but you do have to pay attention to their capacity ratings. Surly's trailers are rated up to 300 pounds, but some of the single wheel trailers are only 40 or 50. Yes, a two-wheel trailer does offer more capacity, but the single wheel offers more manuverability and a narrower footprint. They're typically used in touring, not in cargo hauling per se, and commonly in mountain bike off-road set ups. Conversely, you'll more commonly see two wheel trailers on pavement. It all comes down to what configuration meets your needs the best. A two wheel trailer suits you, a cargo bike suits cman, and maybe a single wheel BOB trailer suits the guy that does a lot of off highway touring. As for me, I haven't figured it out yet. They're all still novelty to me...

 

[honestherman]

Xtracycle website
Family Radish $1699.00
Shower Cap 25.00
Stoker Bar 50.00
U Brake 35.00
Heavy Duty Rack 50.00 (single)
Plus shipping and then more accessories are available too

While I was out at a bunch of meets. I have seen people who have made their own Heavy Duty Rack for the back of their bikes. They designed and welded these themselves. They have also made one and two wheel trailers YouTube is great to see some Ideas.
I agree with you. Application is important. A one wheel trailer is easier to get around. But then limits load capacity. Then there is the 2 wheel trailer that is Difficult to get by people who are walking or in tighter places.

Another thing to consider is what the heck it looks like. I would want my trailer and bike to look clean and organized. Black bag or cover with matching tie downs. I am sure all of you can understand what I mean. The homeless look. The guy riding by with that junk homeless looking bike. Keep it professional looking guys. Even if you are riding a Girls bike. It is much cooler than having the homeless can collector look while hauling your stuff on a bike.

 

[expjawa]

Sure, you can spend all that if you want. But let's say you have a touring bike or older rigid fork MTB already that's a perfect starting point. The Freeradical Eco is $299 (about the point where decent bike trailers start). That gets you all the basic functionality without all that outlay. If you want to buy a cover or other accessories later on, go ahead. My point was simply that its an exaggeration to suggest you need to spend thousands to get started. Of course you can also devise and fabricate your own long tail or trailer. That really isn't the point. Here, the engineering and design work, not mention the fabrication, is done for you, and - not insignificantly - all well proven.