The Surly Mr. Whirley in my BD is I think at the end of its life. It is noisy
and there is play and no more adjustment.

Any recommendations about what to replace it with?

Thanks.

David Dannenberg

Were you wanting a new BB, a new crank, or both? Your title implies BB, but your
message contents imply the crank itself. Any outboard bearing BB should work.
Shimano, Phil Wood, Chris King and Tuvativ would all be good choices.

Steve

My first BB was a Sugino track BB  (very low Q), but surprise-surprise, track
BBs are not built for all-weather durability.  I replaced it with a Phil Wood
and have thus far failed to wear it out, or even provoke a funny noise.

However, I have not performed an exhaustive evaluation of all possible cranks.

You were interested in some used Terracycle idlers, weren't you?

David

On 2012-10-23, at 7:32 PM, David Dannenberg <ddannenberg@...> wrote:

> The Surly Mr. Whirley in my BD is I think at the end of its life. It is noisy
and there is play and no more adjustment.
>
> Any recommendations about what to replace it with?
>
> Thanks.
>
> David Dannenberg

I use square taper cranks, but if I was in your shoes I'd go with a King bb. 
They are more serviceable than others making it a good long term investment.



------------------------------
On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 6:58 PM MDT Steve Fuller wrote:

>Were you wanting a new BB, a new crank, or both? Your title implies BB, but
your message contents imply the crank itself. Any outboard bearing BB should
work. Shimano, Phil Wood, Chris King and Tuvativ would all be good choices.
>
>Steve

 

I use square taper cranks, but if I was in your shoes I'd go with a King bb. They are more serviceable than others making it a good long term investment.

------------------------------
On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 6:58 PM MDT Steve Fuller wrote:

>Were you wanting a new BB, a new crank, or both? Your title implies BB, but your message contents imply the crank itself. Any outboard bearing BB should work. Shimano, Phil Wood, Chris King and Tuvativ would all be good choices.
>
>Steve

Thanks all for the advice. I am likely to lean toward the Chris King in that I
would rather spend once and have little to deal with later and good
serviceability. Will talk with some local folks as well.

As to idlers, have thought about them, in conjunction with an eccentric BB so I
can eliminate my tensioner and still use the Kickback. On reflection though, I
am not sure that the idlers would be less cumbersome and attract much less dirt
than the tensioner and I wonder how much I'd scrape my leg against the higher
change and get filthy.

Further thoughts appreciated.

David Dannenberg

Hi!  I just saw this new towing system for the Yuba Mundo:
http://dingdingletsride.com/updated-how-to-tow-a-bike-with-a-yuba-mundo/

Anyone know if there's an analogous product available for the xtra?
Right now we just strap the front tires of our kids' bikes into the Freeloaders,
but it does damage the freeloaders over time.  This looks like a nice
alternative.

Hi,

I have seen lots of pictures of fork holders attached to xtra rear, with the
front wheel in a FreeLoader.

Kind regards

On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 4:09 AM, David Dannenberg <ddannenberg@...> wrote:
> Thanks all for the advice. I am likely to lean toward the Chris King in that I
would rather spend once and have little to deal with later and good
serviceability. Will talk with some local folks as well.

I've run a RaceFace crank/integrated BB for about 5k miles on my
dummy.  It takes a beating and keeps on spinning.  I'm pretty sure it
was the Turbine when I bought it.  Which, it looks like it's still
called:
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=40010&category=37\
9

I've towed at least 10 bikes on my Xtra.  I just took my daughter and her bike
to the park for her to practice riding.  I've even towed my wife's bike with the
Burley attached after she caught a ride home in the rain.

I've never used any sort of fork mount or anything.  I've always just carefully
attached the front wheel to the Xtra.  I always carry hold down stuff. 
Especially old tubes as they work very well and are easy to cut should I need
two.

My first gen freeloaders still appear to be fine.  I should note that I put the
bikes on the drive side of the bike after getting a small hole on the brake side
caused by my BB7 rubbing the bag.

Than again, I'm also the weirdo riding my Xtra with a front suspension fork
which many think is a no no too :)

Tony B.
RiverWest Wi

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "E_E_Thomas" <eli@...> wrote:
>
> Hi!  I just saw this new towing system for the Yuba Mundo:
> http://dingdingletsride.com/updated-how-to-tow-a-bike-with-a-yuba-mundo/
>
> Anyone know if there's an analogous product available for the xtra?
> Right now we just strap the front tires of our kids' bikes into the
Freeloaders, but it does damage the freeloaders over time.  This looks like a
nice alternative.
>

On 2012-10-25, at 7:50 AM, anthonyeberger <anthonyeberger@...> wrote:
> Than again, I'm also the weirdo riding my Xtra with a front suspension fork
which many think is a no no too :)

Eventually, it is a no no.  I wore mine out quite a lot after just a few years,
which is what precipitated the Big D upgrade.  Donor bike was reassembled and
rebuilt to best of ability and sold for small $ to a much lighter person (with a
warning about the fork -- it wasn't unusable, just getting old fast under my
use) and sold the FreeRadical to someone on this list.

The thing I am coming to appreciate more and more is that (modern) bicycles
really are not much overbuilt, which is why you need to keep an eye on that
fork; the longer wheelbase adds a lot to the load on the front wheel.  And if
you already weigh over 200lbs, and drive on our wonderful Northeastern roads....

David

 

I've towed at least 10 bikes on my Xtra. I just took my daughter and her bike to the park for her to practice riding. I've even towed my wife's bike with the Burley attached after she caught a ride home in the rain.

I've never used any sort of fork mount or anything. I've always just carefully attached the front wheel to the Xtra. I always carry hold down stuff. Especially old tubes as they work very well and are easy to cut should I need two.

My first gen freeloaders still appear to be fine. I should note that I put the bikes on the drive side of the bike after getting a small hole on the brake side caused by my BB7 rubbing the bag.

Than again, I'm also the weirdo riding my Xtra with a front suspension fork which many think is a no no too :)

Tony B.
RiverWest Wi

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "E_E_Thomas" <eli@...> wrote:
>
> Hi! I just saw this new towing system for the Yuba Mundo:
> http://dingdingletsride.com/updated-how-to-tow-a-bike-with-a-yuba-mundo/
>
> Anyone know if there's an analogous product available for the xtra?
> Right now we just strap the front tires of our kids' bikes into the Freeloaders, but it does damage the freeloaders over time. This looks like a nice alternative.
>

Thanks. Is there a single chain ring version? I have an IGH.

David

I've seen those setups too.  But the ones I've seen only accommodate one bike. 
I'd like to be able to have a bike on either side, as I have two kids.  That's
why the yuba mundo approach had appeal -- it's a modified running board, so that
you can slot the front tire of the towed bike into the running board.  It seems
like you should be able to do one on each side, and I think it would impinge
less on cargo space than strapping the front wheels into the freeloader.  And
hopefully have less friction on the freeloaders.

http://yubaride.com/yubashop/product.php?id_product=97

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, bruno.verachten@... wrote:
>
> I have seen lots of pictures of fork holders attached to xtra rear, with the
front wheel in a FreeLoader.

Nice solution - thanks for post.

Love my xtra w. suspended front fork. Will keep an eye on it after these comments, though.

On Oct 25, 2012 7:59 PM, "Thom Chiaramonte" <thom@...> wrote:
>
>  
>
> That's a funny aside about the fork. I built my longbike out of a 29er. I spent the first 100mi or so with the fork locked out and then finally released the suspension as an experiment and liked it enough to keep it that way...
>
> On Oct 25, 2012, at 4:50, anthonyeberger <anthonyeberger@...> wrote:
>
>>  
>>
>> I've towed at least 10 bikes on my Xtra. I just took my daughter and her bike to the park for her to practice riding. I've even towed my wife's bike with the Burley attached after she caught a ride home in the rain.
>>
>> I've never used any sort of fork mount or anything. I've always just carefully attached the front wheel to the Xtra. I always carry hold down stuff. Especially old tubes as they work very well and are easy to cut should I need two.
>>
>> My first gen freeloaders still appear to be fine. I should note that I put the bikes on the drive side of the bike after getting a small hole on the brake side caused by my BB7 rubbing the bag.
>>
>>
>> Than again, I'm also the weirdo riding my Xtra with a front suspension fork which many think is a no no too :)
>>
>> Tony B.
>> RiverWest Wi
>>
>>
>> --- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, "E_E_Thomas" <eli@...> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi! I just saw this new towing system for the Yuba Mundo:
>> > http://dingdingletsride.com/updated-how-to-tow-a-bike-with-a-yuba-mundo/
>> >
>> > Anyone know if there's an analogous product available for the xtra?
>> > Right now we just strap the front tires of our kids' bikes into the Freeloaders, but it does damage the freeloaders over time. This looks like a nice alternative.
>> >
>>
>

I'm in the process of building up a Yuba Mundo and like the idea of the tow
tray.  I checked some details with Yuba and they said that if towing 2 bikes of
the same wheel size there can be an issue with the handlebars getting in the way
of each other.

No doubt there's a way to work it so it can work with with 2 bikes with the same
size wheels, but it will need some thought and adjustment.

In the end I decided I'm already over budget some and to have a go at making
some running boards with slots to accommodate towed bike wheel.  Yet to do that
though.  I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to make some similar running
boards with slots for an Xtracycle.

I did stretch to some Yuba wheel skirts which will hopefully protect the
freeloaders from frame and parts rub.

Good information David.  Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it.  Thankfully I'm a tad
under 200lbs but it does have a rather heavy electric hub wheel and a bunch of
heavy batteries in back.

Oddly, I was just talking to someone looking to unload a pugsly fork and I was
considering the swap.  I think I'll get it just "in case".  At least that's how
I'll justify to the wife that I need to spend more money on bikes :)

I'm waiting for the side car too.  My goal is 3 sets of batteries so I can
comfortably ride to the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair next spring with all my
camping gear and such.  It's about 150 miles and hilly.

Keep riding

Tony B.

--- In rootsradicals@yahoogroups.com, dr2chase@... wrote:
>
>
> On 2012-10-25, at 7:50 AM, anthonyeberger <anthonyeberger@...> wrote:
> > Than again, I'm also the weirdo riding my Xtra with a front suspension fork
which many think is a no no too :)
>
> Eventually, it is a no no.  I wore mine out quite a lot after just a few
years, which is what precipitated the Big D upgrade.  Donor bike was reassembled
and rebuilt to best of ability and sold for small $ to a much lighter person
(with a warning about the fork -- it wasn't unusable, just getting old fast
under my use) and sold the FreeRadical to someone on this list.
>
> The thing I am coming to appreciate more and more is that (modern) bicycles
really are not much overbuilt, which is why you need to keep an eye on that
fork; the longer wheelbase adds a lot to the load on the front wheel.  And if
you already weigh over 200lbs, and drive on our wonderful Northeastern roads....
>
> David
>

Add two slotted boards to a wideloader and wouldn't you have the same thing as
the Yuba towing unit?

David Dannenberg

I was thinking the same thing - although it may need to be a polymer plank so as
not to scratch wheel / fork and maybe a cut out for any disc brake haulage?

How would you secure the planks - drill into the aluminium?
Andy

Drill through the wood on the inside of the wideloader bar and thread stainless
steel hose clamps (or zip ties) through and around the wideloader bar. Or, on
the bottom of the board use the little clamps used to mount pipe or conduit to a
wall.

David Dannenberg

How does the Yuba Mundo avoid having a towed bike’s fork, stem,
handlebar, etc. rub or bump against the long tail framing? From the
photos it looks like there is some sort of narrow black plastic bumper
screwed horizontally to the long tail framing, but I do not see how it
alone prevents the towed bike from leaning away from the hauling bike. I
would imagine tie-downs of some sort must be needed to restrain the bike
against the long tail framing, which is why that plastic strip is
necessary as protection between the two bikes.

	 According to the photos, I would not think it would be too hard at all to
make a similar track-slot for an Xtracycle’s wide loaders. Someone
mentioned just attaching planks with cut out slots in them across the top
of the wide loaders. I do not think that would even be necessary. You
might be able to get away with just using two lengths of conduit or bars
between the front and back tubing of the wide-loaders separated by a
space, which would be the width of the tire you want to slip through.
Along the bars you would drill in adjustment holes to screw in a front
bumper for the appropriately diameter wheel(s) you intend to haul. The
rear tubing of the wide-loader would function as the back bumper of the
slot. The only major concern to this idea would be the possible need to
include some kind of padding or soft bumper system so that the tire rim
and/or spokes do not rub against the metal of the bars you use on either
side of the slot.

Ride safe,
_TONE_

Hi all.  I'm a Yuba Mundo owner in Brooklyn.  Looking for owners, shops, and/or
bike manufacturers to donate or loan cargo bikes for use in delivering aid to
people without food, water, heat and more.  Please see below.

If you have contacts within XTRA, Surly, Yuba, and other makers, please share
with them.

These bikes can make a difference right away.

Thanks.

--
I have an urgent request.  With the gas crunch in NYC post-Sandy, the
occupysandy organized aid group could put cargo bikes to immediate and very
beneficial use.

Will you please donate some or all of the the existing inventory of cargo bikes
at your dealers in and around NYC for use by the various occupysandy hub sites?

Occupysandy has multiple hub sites around the city collecting goods, organizing
volunteers, and distributing aid as needed to people in danger from flooding,
fires, looting, and pending very cold weather.  See
http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/ for details.

I bought my Yuba Mundo bike from Bicycle Roots in Brooklyn.    I used my Mundo
today to deliver aid supplies and I plan to make my bike avail when I'm not
using it myself for the next few days.

The immediate benefits of bike use have been noticed and publicized this last
week in the city.  The bump in bike use will assist the general overall increase
in bike use in the city.  Cargo bikes, and the lifestyle they enable, can be a
part of that story.  Check out the bicycleroots FB page for a good collection of
post-sandy bike coverage.

https://www.facebook.com/bicycleroots?fref=ts

Thanks!

Kent Corbell
718.974.2854

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/nyregion/with-transportation-snarled-in-brookl\
yn-bicycles-roam-free.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121102&_r=1

Hello,

I'm new to the group here and would like to ask a couple questions. I'm going to
be purchasing my own Xtracycle Free Radical to bolt onto my old long-unused '94
Specialized Stumpjumper Pro mtb. I have a touring bike that is my daily (110+
miles/week), commuter and it has a nice, comfy Ritchey Biomax CX drop bar on it.
I think I've see all of about 3 or 4 Xtracycles with drop bars, so I'm gonna go
out on a limb and assume that a drop bar, even a wide one, probably doesn't
allow for enough control on a heavily loaded bike, correct? So, my first
question - drop bars, yes or no? Secondly, if drop bars are out, I'd like to use
a trekking bar

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175533_-1___202446

for the extra hand positions. Does anyone else use these? I'm thinking since a
trekking bar tends to move the main hand position back slightly that I'd need a
shorter stem? The thing is, I'm already having to convert from 1" threaded
steerer to one of those thread-to-threadless adapters, along with an adjustable
angle stem. My original riding position on the Stumpy as an offroad mtb was with
the bar lower than the saddle and a fairly stretched out position. Not
comfortable at all for lengthy rides on a heavily laden bike.

I run a 110mm adjustable stem on my commuter and it's angled pretty steeply to
get the bar close to level with my saddle. I'm going to shoot for a similar
riding position on the XtraStumpy. Nashbar sells a Ritchey adjustable stem like
I have on my commuter. I'm thinking maybe go with the longest one they sell -
120mm to help account for the way  the main riding position on the trekking bar
is a couple inches back from where it would be on a normal bar. Sound okay? Any
suggestions?

I'm using all the old drivetrain components of the Stumpy as well, but being
circa '94 they're 7 speed Suntour thumb shifters along with a real Franken-bike
set up of an XT rear derailleur on a basic Shimano 7 speed rear cogset. Should I
just buy two whole new chains for 7 speed to use rather than trying to use the
chain extension that comes with the Xtracycle kit? Finally, does anyone have a
good suggestion for an affordable way to secure the rack bars without buying the
expensive Watchamacollars?

I'm on a pretty limited budget for building this cargo bike so I'm making some
things myself like my own wood deck and running boards. I'm still considering
sewing my own cargo bags or buying some of the inexpensive Chinese-made touring
panniers I've seen on ebay. I'm not above doing a fair amount of engineering of
accessories myself, so any suggestions along those lines would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks

> I think I've see all of about 3 or 4 Xtracycles with drop bars, so I'm gonna
go out on a limb and assume that a drop bar, even a wide one, probably doesn't
allow for enough control on a heavily loaded bike, correct? So, my first
question - drop bars, yes or no?

I used drop bars for a while, and they were fine.  Don't recall control issues,
but I am 6', 220lbs (should lose a little weight) and some muscles.

Right now I am happy upright with Montmartre bars from Velo-Orange (they're
skinny, 42cm).  Generally I think I would recommend Left Bank, they're a good
shape, not quite so skinny, so not so risky.  I don't quite get the preference
for wide-wide-wide bars; I tried some of those once and they didn't work that
well (for me).  I don't need the wide bars for control; I've hauled 270lbs with
my skinny upright bars.

> My original riding position on the Stumpy as an offroad mtb was with the bar
lower than the saddle and a fairly stretched out position. Not comfortable at
all for lengthy rides on a heavily laden bike.

Yeah, don't do that.  Drop bars, pulled in, a little high, might be just what
you want.

> I run a 110mm adjustable stem on my commuter and it's angled pretty steeply to
get the bar close to level with my saddle. I'm going to shoot for a similar
riding position on the XtraStumpy. Nashbar sells a Ritchey adjustable stem like
I have on my commuter. I'm thinking maybe go with the longest one they sell -
120mm to help account for the way the main riding position on the trekking bar
is a couple inches back from where it would be on a normal bar. Sound okay? Any
suggestions?
>
> I'm using all the old drivetrain components of the Stumpy as well, but being
circa '94 they're 7 speed Suntour thumb shifters along with a real Franken-bike
set up of an XT rear derailleur on a basic Shimano 7 speed rear cogset. Should I
just buy two whole new chains for 7 speed to use rather than trying to use the
chain extension that comes with the Xtracycle kit? Finally, does anyone have a
good suggestion for an affordable way to secure the rack bars without buying the
expensive Watchamacollars?

Don't know if they expanded the FreeRadical holes or not, but they were tighter
than the ones on the Big Dummy 1.0, and did not need Watchamacollars.  Maybe you
still don't.  If they're as tight as I remember, be sure to grease them before
assembly, else aluminum-on-steel galvanic corrosion will mess you up.

Do whatever is cheapest; 2 chains will leave you some extra, if you save it, you
will eventually have enough left over to make your own extension.

I might go slow on the whole handlebar thing, if you have a setup that lets you
swap out bars w/o dismantling all the stuff on them (i.e., a bolt-on plate on
your stem).  Try what you've got, see how you like it.  Beware of the whole
MTB-vs-road bar diameter and V/Linear vs Canti/Center/Side cable pull standards.
You can get road-pull disk brakes (Avid), if you need them.

David

My use of Nashbar Trekking bars:
	 I’ve been riding long-tail for many years now ever since being a cargo
bike messenger back in NYC. The only difference now is that I no longer
work as a messenger, no longer live in NYC, and I upgraded from an
Xtracycle conversion to a Big Dummy. Ever since my first mountain
bike/hybrid in ’93 I have always ridden with some kind of “bull-horn”
handle bars. By that I mean a single bar with curved ends, similar to a
straight bar with bar-end extensions. I went through several versions and
brands of these while still in NYC and messengering, but eventually after
the last one broke I bought the Nashbar Trekking bar.
	 I did do something unconventional with it though. I actually mounted it
reverse from how it is intended. I believe it was originally designed so
that the brake levers and shifters, etc. would be on the ends of the bar
instead of mounted beside the stem like most bars. I had to force open
the mounts a little wider with a flathead screwdriver or something to
slide the brake levers and such around the bends of the bar, but it
ultimately worked out fine. I also positioned the bar end side further
ahead of the stem, which I am quite sure was not the original intent in
the design. I believe the Nashbar Trekking handle bars are meant to be
positioned with the bar ends closer to the rider so that the levers and
shifters are also closer.
	 Something else I did a bit different was to order some generic handlebar
foam tubing, which I slid onto either side of the bar ends. As a
messenger I hated when bar tape would come unraveled if my bike wrecked
or my bar rubbed against a wall, etc. By having the grip be a single foam
tube (well two, one for each end), then one scrape will not totally ruin
your handlebar grip. Also, I find the foam is more comfortable than cork
or synthetic tape. In fact with the configuration of my handlebars, I can
actually slip my forearms in between the loops of the bar, then lean
forward slightly and rest my elbows in the loop. It is kind of like
time-trial riders, and although the aerodynamics is somewhat defeated on
a cargo bike, it is still nice to have another optional position to
completely rest your palms during a long ride. I do not use riding gloves
for padding, only cold-weather gloves if necessary.
	 Someone mentioned space on the bars for adding accessories like lights
and stuff. Considering my foam grips were just about a one time install,
I did something else a bit unconventional to work with them. I actually
forced on a bit more of the foam grip onto the bar than was necessary.
This keeps it scrunched and extra cushiony instead of stretched and more
prone to tearing apart under pressure, etc. Also the compression of the
foam grip causes it to crease up, which provides something like a natural
gripping texture. In order to prevent the foam from expanding out and
past the bar end though, I attached two mini-mag light handle-bar end
mounts. They slide on and tighten just like bar-end extensions, but
instead of an extra place for a hand position they just have a fitted
slot for mini-mag lights. I can utilize two standard mini-mag lights,
each using two AA batteries, as my fixed headlights, then if I have a
mechanical failure at night I can just slide one out to use for lighting
elsewhere. Furthermore, if I am doing a touring ride with camping along
the way the mini-mag lights come in handy even more. By the way, the
mini-mag bar end mounts still allow the open tubing of the handlebar to
be accessible. For some fun, instead of using plastic caps, I ordered two
bar-end mountable Incredi-Bells, each with a slightly different tone.
	 I should warn, it does take a while to slide a single foam tube onto a
handlebar, especially around the turns of the Nashbar Trekking handle
bar, but I think it is worth it. Of course, taking them on and off for
maintenance purposes, such as swapping out the brake levers or shifters
is not desirable. I have very plain brake levers, but one of them is a
combo brake lever and gear-shifter to reduce space usage on the bar. The
one shifter only switches between the two or three chain rings at the
pedals. As a messenger I found it was a bit of a hassle dealing with
extra maintenance issues when having shifting capability at the rear hub.
If the chain would skip or whatever, then the Freeloaders and any cargo
made it difficult to access. Now I just have a very basic derailleur to
function as only a chain tensioner with a slightly thicker than usual
single cog on the rear wheel. By having only shift capability at the
bottom bracket, I do away with needing an extra shifter lever on my
handlebars. It also eliminates the need to special-order tandem-length
shifting cables. Over time I kind of felt like any possible stretching of
the longer shifting cable may not have been helping when shifting at the
rear cassette. Now I only order tandem-length brake cables, usually when
they are on sale so I can pick up an extra to have on hand if needed
later, and use them in conjunction with my Avid mechanical disc brakes.
	 As a side note, if you do not want to deal with a single tube of
handlebar foam grip like I did, there is an awesome alternative, which
makes it much easier to take your grips on and off. About a year ago I
found a new product on Kickstarter.com, which I think were called “Grip
Rings” or something like that. They were simply silicone rings about an
inch wide a piece with basic gripping lines molded into them. They come
in several color options, so you can mix and match to make your own
handle-bar color pattern. Of course, they are also stretchy, which
facilitates a faster installation and removal. I would buy them myself,
but my foam grips are still functioning fine, so I can not justify the
expense. Even though they were on Kickstarter.com, I know they rose well
beyond what they needed to push their product line into mass production.

Wider handle bar argument:
	 Somebody also mentioned they did not feel the need for a wider handle bar
for their cargo bike, even when it is loaded. Most people might argue a
wider bar helps with control. I have to agree with the general consensus.
While it definitely is possible to ride with a loaded cargo bike using
narrower handlebars, I always found myself stretching out my grip as far
as possible when riding with a bulky or heavy load. When I am not loaded
or not on a long touring ride, I tend to ride with my hands closer to the
middle, so when I am loaded I know it is a conscious decision to
stabilized my bike better by widening my grip. Also, I have always felt
having a super wide handle bar helps keep cars from passing to closely.
All drivers hate the possibility of having their side view mirror smashed
by a biker’s handlebars, so the wider the handle bars, then more likely a
driver will give a cyclist more space when passing. Remember, handler
bars are closer to a driver’s eye level than your potential wide-loaders,
so to drivers they provide the strongest determination of how wide you
and your bike are.

Two drive-chains instead of one with the provided extension:
	 Even when I first got my Xtracycle, for whatever reason I decided to set
aside the provided chain extension, and instead used two attached
standard drive-chains. I Guess I felt the clip-on chain would not be as
strong compared to two chains I put together. I always ride with a Topeak
multi-tool, which has a chain-breaking tool. I decided to always do that
after I was riding at an international bike messenger event. I was in a
pack of messengers riding back to Freiburg, Germany from a camp out in
the Black Forest. Someone’s chain broke, and luckily ONE person did have
a chain breaking tool. Fortunately, the person, who broke their chain,
was not on a single-speed or track bike, so they just dropped a link and
made sure not to switch to larger gears.
	 Later, when I was working as a cargo bike messenger, I also decided to
buy stainless steel drive chains. In case it is not apparent by now, I am
totally all about low maintenance, and I wanted to completely avoid the
issue of rusty drive-chains. Within a year or two it became obvious that
the stainless steel chains were actually not as strong as typical
drive-chains. They broke on me several times, usually when really loaded
or going up a steep uphill, but at least I always had my chain-breaking
tool to drop a link so I could keep riding. I had figured stainless steel
would not only be rust proof, but also stronger than standard chains. I
was obviously wrong, but I am sure using a much longer chain on my
long-tail bike probably was not what the manufacturer intended.
	 Kiltie-Celt, you seem pretty knowledgeable about bikes, but I will still
bring up something else about drive-chains. I have always been told when
swapping out just a drive-chain or just a gear/chain ring, one should
replace all the components. This is because if old parts are left on to
be used in conjunction with new parts, then the wearing will be
different. The difference in wear will actually cause everything to wear
faster. Therefore, it is best to swap out al the gears and chain rings
when even just changing the drive-chain. Obviously, on a long-tail bike
changing a longer drive-chain results in more expense, but I do believe
it is worth it. I know you said you are strapped for funds, but you
should still consider entirely replacing the gears as well as the chain
ring. I tried to get away with only changing the chain when I was
messengering, and sure enough the time span when I needed to replace
stuff noticeably decreased. That also provided another factor in deciding
to eliminate a multi-geared cassette in the rear hub. It was cheaper,
especially considering I rarely used all the gears anyway.

Rear rack security:
	 As I mentioned, I was a New York bike messenger. I never did anything
special to lock down my rear racks. I only always used a kryptonite
quadralink 3’ long chain to secure my front wheel and bike frame to a
fixed rail or whatever. For the back wheel I also used a small padlock
with rubber hose slide over the “U” to secure the rear quick release. I
took these precautions because I ride with Aerospoke composite wheels.
Remember, I am all about low maintenance. They were expensive, but I have
had them for over ten years on my cargo bike and I never had to true
them. Anyway, back when I was a messenger I was the first courier in NYC
with an Xtracycle, and there MAY have been about half a dozen Xtracycles
in the city during that time. Most of us knew each other from this e-mail
list to boot, so rear rack or Freeloader theft was very unlikely. It was
only after I upgraded to a Big Dummy after moving to York, PA that I
installed What-cha-ma-collars. While it added security, I mainly did it
to help keep water from leaking down into the steel mounts of the Big
Dummy. The collars have little rubber O-rings to help keep out water, and
I was paranoid about rust. To be honest, in retrospect I would not buy
them. They were a bit of a pain to install and you could always just
slide on a stretch of road bike inner tubing or something to keep water
out of the steel mounts. Furthermore, when I bought the collars the older
Freeloader design made it necessary to remove the rear rack entirely to
remove the Freeloaders. Every time I really wanted to work on the rear of
my bike I would have to undo every collar. Prior to that I simply undid
the Freeloader straps and lifted everything off. Of course now the new
Freeloader design allows their removal without dismantling the rear rack,
so that at least makes servicing the bike a bit easier.
	 Anyway, I guess I would feel better about already owning the
What-cha-ma-collars if I were still living in NYC now that there are many
more long-tail cyclists on the road. I guess it is a judgment call you
have to make for yourself depending on where you live. I definitely like
the answer offered by one of the other people, who responded to you.
Drilling a hole through two of the rear rack mounts to slide in either a
bolt or small lock, certainly secures the rear rack. That might void the
warranty though, but I think it is WAY cheaper and lighter in weight than
What-cha-ma-collars. I hate to not give proper respect to the products
Xtracycle makes because I have always loved and supported their efforts,
but I can not help stating what I feel to be the truth. They always seem
to appreciate honest productive criticism to constantly improve their
products, so they can take my $0.02 however they want. Much love your way
guys regardless of course!

	 Kiltie-Celt, I hopes all of this helps you, the Xtracycle team, or anyone
else reading this. Best wishes to all and ride safe,
_TONE_