Thanks for that Devian.So it appears there isnt a simple plug n play fork
huh.Thats to bad.

I was thinking to myself I wonder if any Pedicabs use suspension forks.I did a
quick search and found some use heavy duty triple-clamp forks on their
bicycles.I assume their not plug n play either?

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, Devian Gilbert <asanacycles@...> wrote:
>
> fitting the fork to a frame depends on compatibility.
> 1.  steer tube diameter
> 2.  headset compatibility to frame and fork
> 3.  Steer tube length vs headtube height, stack height, and stem.
> 4.  Stem compatibility vs headset and steertube types and sizes.
> 5.  finally handlebar... handlebar compatibility to stem.  clamping diameters
of both steer tube and handlebar clamp.
> 6.  geometry of frame and fork
>
> when I look at the Monark fork, my first impression is that it is not an
optimal candidate for a cargo bike.  However, lets say this fork was already on
a cruiser type of bicycle and that bike could be a decent cargo bike.
>
> if a person were to take a modern MTB and try to put that fork on it, and
convert it to a cargo bike... I don't think it would be the best idea.
>
>
>
> On Nov 20, 2011, at 11:26 AM, TIM_H wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Found some Heavy Duty Monark Forks,question is what would it take to fit em?
A great price too.
> >
> > Anyone know?
> >
> > http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/bik/2708822029.html
> >
> > --- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "skeem2005" <emilyskopp@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Why is front suspension bad for an Xtracycle? I understand rear suspension
will not work.
> > >
> > > Is an Aluminum frame strong enough to withstand the torque of the Free
Radical?
> > >
> >
> >
>

I have an aluminum frame with front suspension. The front suspension is
not ideal but it works. I can haul heavy loads.  I dialed out as much
play in the fork as possible (it is still too much).  If I can find a
proper fork (1" threaded steerer) , I'll upgrade, but otherwise, I'm
going to ride the frame into the ground before I replace it. I even have
a chromoly rigid mtb that can be switched out, but it would take too
much work and my current set up is too comfortable to mess with.

Michael

Enough people have spoken about the reason why front suspension is not
ideal on an Xtracycle, so I will not address it. However, I will speak
about aluminum frames.

	 At the moment I have a steel single-framed Surly Big Dummy, which I have
had for a couple of years. However, for several years before I “upgraded”
to a Big Dummy, I had a few Xtracycle FreeRadical extensions on my
Univega 750 FS aluminum frame. I really felt that my old Univega with the
long tail extension was a stiffer ride than my Big Dummy. There have been
some old discussions about steel versus aluminum on RootsRadicals, so you
can search the archives from a couple of years ago to possibly find them.
Basically though, steel has some flex in it, but aluminum does not, which
is why I think I believe my old Univega had less flexx while loaded.
	 Understand though, while aluminum is lighter than steel and not as prone
to rust, it is not as easy to fix a break by welding. Once the aluminum
hits beyond its maximum weight/pressure/etc. limit it will break
catastrophically, but a steel frame is more likely just to bend slightly
and can also likely be bent back without too much concern.

	 In one of the responses someone stated they had cracked two aluminum
frames when fitted with a FreeRadical. They also said they carried lots
of weight and even jumped off curbs. I have no idea how thick that
person’s aluminum frames were, but in my case the Univega 750 FS frame I
had was extremely thick. Here is a link to a photo where you can see the
thickness of the frame:
http://www.cranksgiving.net/XtraLoads/LunarLoad-Angle.jpg
	 Only the seat post had what would be considered normally sized tubing.
Even the chain-stays seemed extra thick compared to other steel and
aluminum bikes. In fact when I got the Univega I was already working as a
bike messenger in NYC and I had broken a chrome-moly frame while on the
job. It was the bike mechanic at my local shop, who actually picked out
the Univega for me because he knew exactly what kind of treatment I put
my bike through... and that was even a few years before I got an
Xtracycle. Even later after I became an Xtracycle rider, I ended up
breaking three FreeRadical extensions on the Univega before “upgrading”
to a Big Dummy.
	 I would not recommend ever hauling a load like the one in the photo, but
obviously it shows just how strong the aluminum frame was. Also in the
photo you can see that I lock up my bike with a 3’ long 15 pound
Kryptonite chain. Working as a full time messenger meant I was locking
and unlocking my bike at least 20 times a day, which is why the paint job
got scratched and chipped off so much. That chain must have undoubtedly
worn into the frame as well. I will say I tried never to jump off curbs
that much, especially when loaded... after all I avoided riding on
sidewalks as much as possible. In any case, not performing hops or drops
on my bike certainly gave the aluminum frame a longer life, but I
definitely had my share of collisions. When you are riding a bicycle on
NYC streets several hours a day for several years it is statistically
unavoidable.
	 Still my Univega-Xtracycle survived all the way until at least a year
into living in York, PA, where I commuted by bike about ten miles round
trip each day to and from my non-cycling job in almost all weather
conditions. Eventually though it did break down after numerous bulky and
heavy loads with over 30,000 miles on it. I am not sure that many bike
frames, even steel ones, can say the same. So when I “upgraded” to a
single-framed steel big dummy I was surprised by how it flexed more when
loaded, not to mention it weighed 10-15 more pounds compared to my
Univega.

	 In case you are wondering, when my aluminum Univega did break down it
seemed to literally tear apart at the lower weld right behind the head
tube. It tore almost completely through the down tube from the under-side
up. When it finally happened I was commuting to work up a slight hill
without any real load and my ride quickly built up a severe wobble. I
thought I had a flat in the front wheel or something, but before I could
even get both feet on the ground the front wheel rolled out ahead as the
bottom bracket and chain rings contacted pavement. I just snapped the
rest apart with a little brute bending force from my hands.
	 The winter before there had been a day with snow where I was riding to
work and I rear-ended a car. There was low visibility through my slightly
fogged up ski-goggles because of the snow, but the driver’s rear lights
did not come on to indicate he had stopped, only his running lights had
remained lit. When I finally did realize the car in front of me had
stopped, I broke as hard as I could on my disc brakes, but the momentum
slid me in over the wet asphalt. It did not feel like a hard impact, but
it was enough to bend my front fork back so my wheel touched the down
tube. The car in front had snow on the back window and if the driver did
feel the bump he most likely did not see anyone behind him in his side
view mirrors. Considering the awful weather the driver did not even step
out of the vehicle and instead just drove off a few seconds after the
collision. The car had not sustained any damage because only my front
tire had contacted their rear bumper. My 1.5” higher-pressure semi-slick
tires were still fully inflated. I had to call my wife to drive me to
work in our minivan. Regardless, in retrospect I am pretty sure that bump
must have contributed significantly to the eventual frame breakage
several months later.

	 I guess in conclusion, you can certainly use an aluminum frame as your
Xtracycle donor bike… but just make sure the frame has really thick
tubing, avoid curb hopping & dropping, and do not rear-end massive static
objects with your front wheel. Ride safe,
_TONE_

I thought I would share some Cranksgiving spirit with the RootsRadicals
list. As some of you know I started Cranksgiving, a charity bike
messenger alleycat race, in New York City back during the fall of 1999.
It was like a scavenger hunt on two wheels in which checkpoints of the
variable-routed course were supermarkets where food was bought to be
donated later in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Store receipts acted
to proove cyclists had gone to the appropriate checkpoints. Anyway, I
continued organizing Cranksgiving in New York for eight years while it
slowly grew and during that time people in other cities began emulating
my efforts starting with a messenger couple I know from LA in 2001. In
2007 I moved from NYC and tried to start Cranksgiving up in York, PA
while an x-messenger friend of mine back in NYC kept the tradition alive
there.

	 For the past four years I built up the event in York, PA, but usually
year after year I debated more and more whether to continue doing it. It
is a lot of work for one person to pull off… at least the way I like to
do it. You see, I am a bit obsessive compulsive and have a graphic arts
background to boot, so I like things to look sharp while running as
smoothly as possible. This year I finally decided not to do it, but a
funny thing happened. Two or three local York, PA past-attendees wanted
to take it over from me, so after twelve years I was able to actually
ride in a Cranksgiving!
	 I partnered up with a cyclist buddy of mine native to the area and we
bought about three times what the manifest called for at each store.
Actually, the deal was he would buy and I would fly… more like a grounded
cargo plane that is. I carried all the stuff and watched the bikes while
he went into the stores. I did buy out an entire shelf of canned mixed
vegetables at our second stop where we swapped places to change it up a
bit, but he pretty much shelled out the money for everything else while I
hauled the load. A fair trade he thought. At our last store my buddy
rolled a shopping cart in because the plan was for us to buy as many
turkeys as we could as well. Unfortunately, even though I think I could
haul over ten turkeys the store only had eight fifteen pound turkeys left
in the freezer bin, so we had to settle for that. Here are two photos of
my Big Dummy loaded with the turkeys at the finish of the race:

http://www.cranksgiving.net/XtraLoads/CranksgivingYork2011-Back.jpg
…and…
http://www.cranksgiving.net/XtraLoads/CranksgivingYork2011-Side.jpg

	 Normally the right side of my Big Dummy carries my dog these days, but I
think a flock of five frozen turkeys is a decent replacement. Something
else that was amusing is that the organizers this year also offered a ten
minute time deduction if an optional turkey was bought. Unfortunately, my
riding buddy split up all the receipts evenly, so according to the rules
my manifest packet did not have enough ten minute deductions to place in
the top three. If all the turkeys I carried had actually counted, then my
time would have been only 29 minutes and I would have won. I am totally
fine with that because the winner bought extra stuff as well as a turkey.
Separate from the race, he also drove his pick up around for two weeks
before the race collecting scrap metal, which he sold off so he could
afford to buy twelve other turkeys for donation as well. He not only won
first place, but he was also recognized as the most charitable. In
previous years he usually won that charitable award as well, but this
year he was eyeing my bike differently with envy. He said he was thinking
of getting a long-tail bike himself, so I told him it would be “on”
between him and I during next year’s Cranksgiving if he did. Little does
he know I am confident I can top or at least match his twelve
pick-up-carried turkeys on my Big Dummy. I am pretty sure if I had a
heavyweight contractor-sized garbage bag on each side I could load up
seven turkeys in each bag. I guess we’ll see. I know the turkeys I
carried were each about fifteen pounds a piece, so that would potentially
make 210 pounds of turkey next year, but how much would fourteen turkeys
cost? I guess we’ll see too since prices could very well go up.

	 By the way, www.Cranksgiving.org, which is the New York site, has 34
confirmed Cranksgiving-hosting cities listed for 2011. There are photo
galleries and great videos of the NYC event on there too. This year was
Philadelphia’s first Cranksgiving, which was put on by two young cats,
who had driven out to all four York, PA Cranksgivings I organized until
my convincing finally got them to do their own. When I started this event
back in ’99, I never thought it would blow up like it has. It was just
another messenger race run in a totally different way from other
alleycats with the idea of messengers giving back a little since some
messengers have it hard enough that they have to go to soup kitchens at
times themselves. It was only in 2001 when LA began their Cranksgiving
that I realized Cranksgiving literally had the potential to go
coast-to-coast. Later when I moved to York, PA and Cranksgiving had grown
beyond the messenger sub-culture I realized something more profound about
Cranksgiving. There were now three important reasons for Cranksgiving,
which should be specifically directed to the broader cycling communities
in any city or town where it might exist:

1) To bring cyclists together for a social event to help form and build
more cohesive local cycling communities, which might in turn help
revitalize downtown neighborhoods affected by urban sprawl and/or suburban
developments.
2) To actively demonstrate to ourselves and the greater community that
cycling is a viable and efficient day-to-day method of transportation
within our downtown neighborhoods, which not only promotes good health,
but also reduces the dependence on automobiles and all the monetary and
environmental costs of that enclosed separatist form of transportation.
3) To utilize grass roots efforts by local people to support a charitable
cause in their own communities without the dependence of national or
global corporations, which may only have their own public relations
interests in mind.

	 With all of that said, I hope everyone enjoyed the read, and I also wish
everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. For all those international
Xtracyclists in countries without a Thanksgiving, I wish you the best too
as we should all be thankful for what we have no matter where we are
Ride safe,
_TONE_

This is very cool! I forwarded your email to a local group, to see if maybe we
can get something started in San Diego.

Thanks for starting this!

Neil

Tone wrote:
>  I thought I would share some Cranksgiving spirit with the RootsRadicals
> list. As some of you know I started Cranksgiving, a charity bike messenger
alleycat race, in New York City back during the fall of 1999. It was like a
scavenger hunt on two wheels in which checkpoints of the variable-routed
course were supermarkets where food was bought to be donated later in time
for the Thanksgiving holiday. Store receipts acted to proove cyclists had
gone to the appropriate checkpoints. Anyway, I continued organizing
Cranksgiving in New York for eight years while it slowly grew and during
that time people in other cities began emulating my efforts starting with a
messenger couple I know from LA in 2001. In 2007 I moved from NYC and tried
to start Cranksgiving up in York, PA while an x-messenger friend of mine
back in NYC kept the tradition alive there.
>
>  For the past four years I built up the event in York, PA, but usually
> year after year I debated more and more whether to continue doing it. It is
a lot of work for one person to pull off… at least the way I like to do it.
You see, I am a bit obsessive compulsive and have a graphic arts background
to boot, so I like things to look sharp while running as smoothly as
possible. This year I finally decided not to do it, but a funny thing
happened. Two or three local York, PA past-attendees wanted to take it over
from me, so after twelve years I was able to actually ride in a
Cranksgiving!
>  I partnered up with a cyclist buddy of mine native to the area and we
> bought about three times what the manifest called for at each store.
Actually, the deal was he would buy and I would fly… more like a grounded
cargo plane that is. I carried all the stuff and watched the bikes while he
went into the stores. I did buy out an entire shelf of canned mixed
vegetables at our second stop where we swapped places to change it up a bit,
but he pretty much shelled out the money for everything else while I hauled
the load. A fair trade he thought. At our last store my buddy rolled a
shopping cart in because the plan was for us to buy as many turkeys as we
could as well. Unfortunately, even though I think I could haul over ten
turkeys the store only had eight fifteen pound turkeys left in the freezer
bin, so we had to settle for that. Here are two photos of my Big Dummy
loaded with the turkeys at the finish of the race:
>
> http://www.cranksgiving.net/XtraLoads/CranksgivingYork2011-Back.jpg …and…
> http://www.cranksgiving.net/XtraLoads/CranksgivingYork2011-Side.jpg
>
>  Normally the right side of my Big Dummy carries my dog these days, but I
> think a flock of five frozen turkeys is a decent replacement. Something else
that was amusing is that the organizers this year also offered a ten minute
time deduction if an optional turkey was bought. Unfortunately, my riding
buddy split up all the receipts evenly, so according to the rules my
manifest packet did not have enough ten minute deductions to place in the
top three. If all the turkeys I carried had actually counted, then my time
would have been only 29 minutes and I would have won. I am totally fine with
that because the winner bought extra stuff as well as a turkey. Separate
from the race, he also drove his pick up around for two weeks before the
race collecting scrap metal, which he sold off so he could afford to buy
twelve other turkeys for donation as well. He not only won first place, but
he was also recognized as the most charitable. In previous years he usually
won that charitable award as well, but this year he was eyeing my bike
differently with envy. He said he was thinking of getting a long-tail bike
himself, so I told him it would be “on” between him and I during next year’s
Cranksgiving if he did. Little does he know I am confident I can top or at
least match his twelve
> pick-up-carried turkeys on my Big Dummy. I am pretty sure if I had a
heavyweight contractor-sized garbage bag on each side I could load up seven
turkeys in each bag. I guess we’ll see. I know the turkeys I carried were
each about fifteen pounds a piece, so that would potentially make 210 pounds
of turkey next year, but how much would fourteen turkeys cost? I guess we’ll
see too since prices could very well go up.
>
>  By the way, www.Cranksgiving.org, which is the New York site, has 34
> confirmed Cranksgiving-hosting cities listed for 2011. There are photo
galleries and great videos of the NYC event on there too. This year was
Philadelphia’s first Cranksgiving, which was put on by two young cats, who
had driven out to all four York, PA Cranksgivings I organized until my
convincing finally got them to do their own. When I started this event back
in ’99, I never thought it would blow up like it has. It was just another
messenger race run in a totally different way from other alleycats with the
idea of messengers giving back a little since some messengers have it hard
enough that they have to go to soup kitchens at times themselves. It was
only in 2001 when LA began their Cranksgiving that I realized Cranksgiving
literally had the potential to go
> coast-to-coast. Later when I moved to York, PA and Cranksgiving had grown
beyond the messenger sub-culture I realized something more profound about
Cranksgiving. There were now three important reasons for Cranksgiving, which
should be specifically directed to the broader cycling communities in any
city or town where it might exist:
>
> 1) To bring cyclists together for a social event to help form and build more
cohesive local cycling communities, which might in turn help revitalize
downtown neighborhoods affected by urban sprawl and/or suburban
developments.
> 2) To actively demonstrate to ourselves and the greater community that
cycling is a viable and efficient day-to-day method of transportation within
our downtown neighborhoods, which not only promotes good health, but also
reduces the dependence on automobiles and all the monetary and environmental
costs of that enclosed separatist form of transportation. 3) To utilize
grass roots efforts by local people to support a charitable cause in their
own communities without the dependence of national or global corporations,
which may only have their own public relations interests in mind.
>
>  With all of that said, I hope everyone enjoyed the read, and I also wish
> everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. For all those international
> Xtracyclists in countries without a Thanksgiving, I wish you the best too as
we should all be thankful for what we have no matter where we are Ride safe,
> _TONE_
>
>
>

Neil,

	 San Diego does not seem to be listed on this year’s Cranksgiving.org
list, but for some reason I seem to recall it happening there in a
previous year. Regardless of whether it has happened in the past or not,
I am happy to hear my post might entice you or people you know to attempt
your own Cranksgiving!


Everyone,

	 Here is just a little more about my own Cranksgiving experience this
year, which might give you some incentive to start one up your own city.
Let me tell you something personal that happened to me after the race,
which I did not include in the previous post.

	 After the race the whole group biked to the food bank to donate the food
then dispersed, but one of the organizers rode back with me on the back
on my Big Dummy. He had to return to the finish because the other
organizer was still waiting for a few stragglers. While we waited and
talked, a couple of them showed and were able to ride to the food bank
themselves to donate their stuff, but two more riders were still out
there. Eventually the two organizers had to go, but I stuck around
talking to two other people from the event. One of those people had the
cell phone number of one of the last two riders, so he called him. They
had just left their last checkpoint. By this time it was just after 1pm,
so the food bank had closed and the two remaining riders did not know
where to donate the food. I offered to rendezvous with them on their way
back to the finish, so I could take all their food from them and bike it
to the food bank myself. I figured I could leave the non perishable food
on the doorstep, and the worst that could happen would be it might get
stolen by someone in need anyway.

	 It turned out the two last riders were a father and daughter. It was
their first time riding in Cranksgiving and obviously the father was
riding slow and taking side streets to make sure his daughter was safe.
She was only twelve… born in 1999, the year I started Cranksgiving! We
stood around and talked for a while on a street corner after unloading
their food onto my cargo bike, and eventually it came out that I had
originally started the event. The little girl was shy, but very pleased
to meet the founder of the event. She was so innocent and naďve, that she
tugged on her dad’s arm and whispered into his ear to ask me something.
She wanted to know why it was called Cranksgiving, so I obviously gladly
explained. In her triple-fat-goose coat she still looked like she might
be cold, but with her braces-filled smile she said she was only a little
tired. Following a closed course eight mile benefit ride during the
summer, this had been the longest bike ride she had ever done. Her father
proudly teased her about braving the cold, the traffic, and the entire
ride while also helping others in the process. She said she was glad she
decided to ride with her father, and I was moved by her positive
experience. Here was a young girl about to blossom into womanhood and she
most likely left the event with so much more than just pride and a great
father-daughter adventure. She left with more self confidence as well as
the first hand knowledge she could safely ride around her city on a bike,
which means in the future she might actually think twice about taking a
car to perform shopping errands or go visit local friends.

Just some more food for thought,
_TONE_

Tone,
Thanks for the post! I love the spirit and energy and good will of Cranksgiving and am happy to see, read, hear of it  each year.
I don't think I ever realized though that you were the originator of it. Many thanks to you for all your effort and commitment to it...and hurray! for being able to ride in one this year.

i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff looks
promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd rather buy
something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything will take a
little customizing.
thanks
-k-

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "rictofn" <hosselam@...> wrote:
>
> i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
> i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff looks
promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd rather buy
something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything will take a
little customizing.
> thanks
> -k-
>
I am using the Planet Bike fenders that Xtracycle sells.  The only cuatomization
that was required for the original installation, was that I had to use my brain
and zipties, suapension forks aren't the easiest guys in the world to deal with.

When I changed out the fork, the installation of the fenders was even easier. 
Everything bolted right up nicely.

On my big dummy, I'm using the planet bike cascadia 29er genders. I'm running maxxis hookworms for my tires. No adjustments to speak of other than extending the fork crown mount on the front fender and some bending and trimming of the stays

Steve

When I installed wide VO stainless fenders on my Big Dummy I made up a aluminum
spacer for the steerer bottom to fender to give the desired fender to tire
clearance all the way around.

I also have the front "Nice Rack" mounted.

Rich Wood

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, Pete Beers <pete.beers@...> wrote:
>
> I run Schwalbe Marathon Extreme 2.25s on the Big Dummy.  Up until a few
> weeks ago I was using Planet Bike 26er MTB fenders.  I switched over to the
> Velo Orange 60mm Stainless fenders.  They were a little more expensive....
> especially if you opt for the mud flap up front (which I suggest you do),
> and they are WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!
>
> The Planet Bike fenders were always good.  I honestly had no complaints at
> all with them.  The VeloOrange fenders are much, much better.  They cover
> much more of the tire and the mud flap keeps spray off my feet.  I rode in
> the rain for over an hour yesterday and arrived home with dry toes.
>
> They require much more patience and attention to install correctly.  The
> directions and hardware are superb.  The fit isn't absolutely perfect...
> the steer tube mount holds the front fender a little higher than I'd like,
> but it is secure and functions very well.  My Dummy has a Nice Rack up
> front and the VO fender fits perfectly under it.
>
> Take your time with the install and cut the stays to the right length.  The
> hardware is both beautiful and functional.  You won't be sorrry that you
> spent the extra time and money.
>
> VO Fenders:
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/vo-fenders-stainless-\
60mm-26-atb.html
>
> Mudflap option:
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/leather-mud-flap.html
>
> When installing all this, I added a steering damper to help center the
> wheel a little when I'm parked.  It works okay, but isn't strong enough to
> center the wheel when there's a lot of weight in the front basket.  That's
> what I expect.  It just makes parking when the front end isn't loaded a
> little nicer.
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/racks-decaleurs/vo-wheel-stab\
ilizer.html
>
> The clamp doesn't fit the dummy's downtube, so I just used 2 zip ties.  If
> I were buying fenders and stuff from VO again, I'd order this and set it up
> the same way.  It is a little thing, but it helps a little.  I don't feel
> it at all while I'm riding.   Here's a photo of me riding Danger Panda on
> the Dummy with the steering stabilizer installed:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/6265875655/
>
> Hope that helps a little.
>
> Pete
>
> On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 6:27 AM, johnw <johnwilde@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "rictofn" <hosselam@> wrote:
> > >
> > > i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
> > > i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff
> > looks promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd
> > rather buy something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything
> > will take a little customizing.
> > > thanks
> > > -k-
> > >
> > I am using the Planet Bike fenders that Xtracycle sells. The only
> > cuatomization that was required for the original installation, was that I
> > had to use my brain and zipties, suapension forks aren't the easiest guys
> > in the world to deal with.
> >
> > When I changed out the fork, the installation of the fenders was even
> > easier. Everything bolted right up nicely.
> >
> >
> >
>

 

On my big dummy, I'm using the planet bike cascadia 29er genders. I'm running maxxis hookworms for my tires. No adjustments to speak of other than extending the fork crown mount on the front fender and some bending and trimming of the stays

Steve

On Nov 22, 2011 1:36 AM, "rictofn" <hosselam@...> wrote:

 

i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff looks promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd rather buy something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything will take a little customizing.
thanks
-k-

How did you mount the VO fender in the rear? I was interested in them, but was
concerned that they wouldn't be stiff enough with a single stay in back.



--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, Pete Beers <pete.beers@...> wrote:
>
> I run Schwalbe Marathon Extreme 2.25s on the Big Dummy.  Up until a few
> weeks ago I was using Planet Bike 26er MTB fenders.  I switched over to the
> Velo Orange 60mm Stainless fenders.  They were a little more expensive....
> especially if you opt for the mud flap up front (which I suggest you do),
> and they are WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!
>
> The Planet Bike fenders were always good.  I honestly had no complaints at
> all with them.  The VeloOrange fenders are much, much better.  They cover
> much more of the tire and the mud flap keeps spray off my feet.  I rode in
> the rain for over an hour yesterday and arrived home with dry toes.
>
> They require much more patience and attention to install correctly.  The
> directions and hardware are superb.  The fit isn't absolutely perfect...
> the steer tube mount holds the front fender a little higher than I'd like,
> but it is secure and functions very well.  My Dummy has a Nice Rack up
> front and the VO fender fits perfectly under it.
>
> Take your time with the install and cut the stays to the right length.  The
> hardware is both beautiful and functional.  You won't be sorrry that you
> spent the extra time and money.
>
> VO Fenders:
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/vo-fenders-stainless-\
60mm-26-atb.html
>
> Mudflap option:
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/leather-mud-flap.html
>
> When installing all this, I added a steering damper to help center the
> wheel a little when I'm parked.  It works okay, but isn't strong enough to
> center the wheel when there's a lot of weight in the front basket.  That's
> what I expect.  It just makes parking when the front end isn't loaded a
> little nicer.
>
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/racks-decaleurs/vo-wheel-stab\
ilizer.html
>
> The clamp doesn't fit the dummy's downtube, so I just used 2 zip ties.  If
> I were buying fenders and stuff from VO again, I'd order this and set it up
> the same way.  It is a little thing, but it helps a little.  I don't feel
> it at all while I'm riding.   Here's a photo of me riding Danger Panda on
> the Dummy with the steering stabilizer installed:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/6265875655/
>
> Hope that helps a little.
>
> Pete
>
> On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 6:27 AM, johnw <johnwilde@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "rictofn" <hosselam@> wrote:
> > >
> > > i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
> > > i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff
> > looks promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd
> > rather buy something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything
> > will take a little customizing.
> > > thanks
> > > -k-
> > >
> > I am using the Planet Bike fenders that Xtracycle sells. The only
> > cuatomization that was required for the original installation, was that I
> > had to use my brain and zipties, suapension forks aren't the easiest guys
> > in the world to deal with.
> >
> > When I changed out the fork, the installation of the fenders was even
> > easier. Everything bolted right up nicely.
> >
> >
> >
>

I have planet bike fenders and have had then for several years.  Not sue of the size of titre exactly now but they work really well.

Thanks for the info about the VO's - look like a great option.  Am currently
running PB fenders on my Big Dummy with 2" Big Apples.  Definitely had to modify
the rear lower part of the fender (trimmed with a Dremel) so it would not rub on
the chain when in lowest gear.  Any issues in that regard with the VO's?



--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "konaspaniel" <tbbrown1@...> wrote:
>
>
> How did you mount the VO fender in the rear? I was interested in them, but was
concerned that they wouldn't be stiff enough with a single stay in back.
>
>
>
>

Speaking of fenders... I've got planet bike fenders (I think--black
plastic) on my bike.  I've added a mud flap cut from a 2-L soda bottle
(zip tied on) to the front fender, but just can't keep from getting
splashed and gritty from at least knees down.

Any ideas without having to buy new fenders?

CL

thanks so much for the ideas. this should point me in the right direction.
  thanks
  -k-

On my 2011 Big Dummy I am also running the Planet Bike Cascadia 29er
fenders.  We're having a pretty wet fall so far (for us) and they have
performed great.  I did have to trim the rear fender with a dremel to
avoid chain rub in the granny gear but other than that no problems.  I
attached the front fender to the mid-fork braze-on to avoid the disc
caliper but the rear was attached using the included disc brake
adpater without issues.

Pics are here:

http://roberttilley.smugmug.com/Bicycles/Surly-Big-Dummy/16185229_DFKXRK#1215500\
118_K6uLg

Robert Tilley
San Diego, CA

On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 10:50 PM, rictofn <hosselam@...> wrote:
> i was wondering what fenders people are using on there xtracyles.
> i'm running schwalbe big apples on 26 in rims. the planet bike stuff looks
promising but there's so many different mounting styles and i'd rather buy
something once as opposed to experimenting. i imagine anything will take a
little customizing.

On Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 6:39 AM, David Backeberg <dbackeberg@...> wrote:
> Congrats on your 2011 Big Dummy. I love my 2011 BD, but I have one
> small complaint. The metal tubing for the head tube seems to be finely
> ribbed rather than smooth, and for whatever reason, the cable housings
> for my brakes and derailleurs have been steadily removing the gloss,
> and now the paint from that surface. You can now see bare metal in one
> particular quarter inch by quarter inch square where the front disk
> brake cable housing rubs as it heads down toward the fork. I have
> about 650 miles of urban riding on this frame.
>
> I've never experienced this before. I don't expect that this is
> particularly abrasive, super tough cable housing? It says 'Jagwire'.
> Very strange. Does anybody else with a 2011 Dummy want to take a look
> at their head tube and see if they're having the same thing happen?

I haven't noticed any rub issues on my Dummy yet but I recently set up
a Karate Monkey for my new off-road commute & the cables rubbed the
paint down to bare metal in under two weeks.  I think it's more of an
issue with Surly's crappy paint than with abrasive cables (although I
did use Jagwire cable).  I put some clear tape meant for chain slap
protection on the spots where the cables rub to prevent any further
problems.

Robert Tilley
San Diego, CA

Alec from xtracycle suggested I post this bike tow solution up.
Pictures here
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1425073/sn/1228859900/name/utetow+008.jpg and here

http://xa.yimg. com/kq/groups/ 1425073/sn/ 1820736605/ name/utetow+ 001.jpg

After much toying with the idea including screwing a delta bike hitch 
http://www.deltacycle.com/dcimages/BH1005x.jpg onto the snap deck (in the end I
didn't want to screw into it such a piece of art - maybe consider screwing into
a tec deck if I had one).

In the end I used this after-market clamp -
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CAMN9AB/title/torpedo7--alloy-bike-mount--\
-fits-t7-ext-cargo-bar - it clamps perfectly on the tube as its designed for a
similar profile roof rack. It has a sturdy bracket that wraps around the tube.
It comes with a knob bolt to tighten on. You need to get it on the right angle
to allow tyre clearance ( I have schwalbe big apples and as you know they have a
large aspect ratio) and I sawed off most of the bolt as it is quite long. I will
probably replace with a hex head bolt so i can bit a bit more torque on it.

One thing I noticed if you go up a steep incline then turn sharply or quickly,
the leverage from the bike at extreme angles can twist the mount round on the
tube. I think this was due to the fact I had only had used finger force to
tighten the knob, so the replacement bolt should resolve that. Otherwise I have
found it stable and secure on my test runs so far although I havent taken it off
road yet. The turning circle is certainly bigger but seems to be smooth at a
decent angle.

Anyway hope this assists and I will keep you posted.

Alec, this looks like a great solution. Here's "the rub" in my opinion: the
clamp you use does not allow for rotation of the fork in the clamp. The clamp
was designed for bikes to remain stationery on a rack, not for bikes to be towed
and for the clamp to experience all sorts of torsion. One solution (and I may be
way out on a limb here) could be to wrap the Xtracycle horizontal (spreader?)
tube with a thin, but durable plastic sleeve after greasing the tube. You could
then clamp the hitch to the tube (maybe use some thread lock) and know the hitch
would rotate some if needed.

Thanks for your efforts!

-Phil

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "A" <andyboote@...> wrote:
>
> Alec from xtracycle suggested I post this bike tow solution up.
> Pictures here
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1425073/sn/1228859900/name/utetow+008.jpg and here
>
> http://xa.yimg. com/kq/groups/ 1425073/sn/ 1820736605/ name/utetow+ 001.jpg
>
> After much toying with the idea including screwing a delta bike hitch 
http://www.deltacycle.com/dcimages/BH1005x.jpg onto the snap deck (in the end I
didn't want to screw into it such a piece of art - maybe consider screwing into
a tec deck if I had one).
>
> In the end I used this after-market clamp -
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CAMN9AB/title/torpedo7--alloy-bike-mount--\
-fits-t7-ext-cargo-bar - it clamps perfectly on the tube as its designed for a
similar profile roof rack. It has a sturdy bracket that wraps around the tube.
It comes with a knob bolt to tighten on. You need to get it on the right angle
to allow tyre clearance ( I have schwalbe big apples and as you know they have a
large aspect ratio) and I sawed off most of the bolt as it is quite long. I will
probably replace with a hex head bolt so i can bit a bit more torque on it.
>
> One thing I noticed if you go up a steep incline then turn sharply or quickly,
the leverage from the bike at extreme angles can twist the mount round on the
tube. I think this was due to the fact I had only had used finger force to
tighten the knob, so the replacement bolt should resolve that. Otherwise I have
found it stable and secure on my test runs so far although I havent taken it off
road yet. The turning circle is certainly bigger but seems to be smooth at a
decent angle.
>
> Anyway hope this assists and I will keep you posted.
>

 

Alec from xtracycle suggested I post this bike tow solution up.
Pictures here http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1425073/sn/1228859900/name/utetow+008.jpg and here

http://xa.yimg. com/kq/groups/ 1425073/sn/ 1820736605/ name/utetow+ 001.jpg

After much toying with the idea including screwing a delta bike hitch http://www.deltacycle.com/dcimages/BH1005x.jpg onto the snap deck (in the end I didn't want to screw into it such a piece of art - maybe consider screwing into a tec deck if I had one).

In the end I used this after-market clamp - http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CAMN9AB/title/torpedo7--alloy-bike-mount---fits-t7-ext-cargo-bar - it clamps perfectly on the tube as its designed for a similar profile roof rack. It has a sturdy bracket that wraps around the tube. It comes with a knob bolt to tighten on. You need to get it on the right angle to allow tyre clearance ( I have schwalbe big apples and as you know they have a large aspect ratio) and I sawed off most of the bolt as it is quite long. I will probably replace with a hex head bolt so i can bit a bit more torque on it.

One thing I noticed if you go up a steep incline then turn sharply or quickly, the leverage from the bike at extreme angles can twist the mount round on the tube. I think this was due to the fact I had only had used finger force to tighten the knob, so the replacement bolt should resolve that. Otherwise I have found it stable and secure on my test runs so far although I havent taken it off road yet. The turning circle is certainly bigger but seems to be smooth at a decent angle.

Anyway hope this assists and I will keep you posted.