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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm
looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. The Free Radical extension won't fake more that about a 28mm 700c tyre, so this time I'm thinking of nice fat Big apples on 26" with disc brakes, which it can accommodate. I'm also thinking of an Alfine hub, which would give enough range tor my purposes (on-road, slow, moderate hills, but often wet and mucky- if is Ireland!) without having for multiple chainrings. Would any of the new urban bikes such as the Saracen Pilot 8 be suitable? They all seem to have hydraulic brakes. Is it easy to extend the back brake line, or would I meed to change to a mechanical brake? Alternatively, I would be looking for a rigid 29er frame (to get less trail and standover height with the smaller wheel, and have a back wheel made up, but I haven't yet found a source. |
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#2
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
On Nov 13, 11:18*am, JennyB wrote:
Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. The *Free Radical extension won't fake more that about a 28mm 700c tyre, so this time I'm thinking of nice fat Big apples on 26" with disc brakes, which it can accommodate. *I'm also thinking of an Alfine hub, which would give enough range tor my purposes (on-road, slow, moderate hills, but often wet and mucky- if is Ireland!) without having for multiple chainrings. If you've already got a bunch of parts, a Surly Big Dummy frame can start looking pretty nice. You'll have to figure out a way to tension your chain, which isn't the biggest problem in the world. Alternately--if you've got the extension--used rigid mtbs are terribly cheap, and unlike a conventional bike, you really only need to put the disk on the rear, where the weight will be. You can run a seven or eight speed wide 11-34 cluster with a single ring up front with a bash guard and a nickel plated chain--nearly maintenance free as well. |
#3
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
JennyB wrote:
Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. Sorry to hear about your Cannondale. Note that if you are the original owner, and if either you or your dealer can scare up a proof of purchase, Cannondale will replace your frame under warranty. That does not cover crash damage or other misfortunes not covered by warranty, but in the past they offered reduced-cost frame replacement for such circumstances. They might still do so. However, a new Cannondale frame probably would not be my first choice for enhancing with an Xtracycle. Despite having had their usual points of failure addressed with design refinements, they are neither as stiff nor as rugged overall as their equivalents from 20 years ago. Whether they are appropriately designed for Xtracycle use is an open question, but their thin-skinned nature does not seem ideal for a cargo bike. The Free Radical extension won't fake more that about a 28mm 700c tyre, so this time I'm thinking of nice fat Big apples on 26" with disc brakes, which it can accommodate. That's a good choice. 26 x 2.5" Maxxis Hookworms are almost identical in size to 26 x 2.35" Big Apples, have similar virtues, and in the USA cost a lot less. So you have options there. I'm also thinking of an Alfine hub, which would give enough range tor my purposes (on-road, slow, moderate hills, but often wet and mucky- if is Ireland!) without having for multiple chainrings. The Xtracycle layout requires a chain tensioner, even if you use a gearhub. A tensioner can be an old derailleur or something more specific to the job like the Surly Singleator. That does not negate the other benefits of a gearhub, but it is something to keep in mind. Would any of the new urban bikes such as the Saracen Pilot 8 be suitable? They all seem to have hydraulic brakes. Is it easy to extend the back brake line, or would I meed to change to a mechanical brake? A good shop that is accustomed to servicing hydraulic discs should be able to furnish a brake line as long as you like. One of the concrete advantages of hydraulic brakes is that they exhibit normal feel in setups that have such a long, tortuous routing that a cable actuated brake would feel like crap. Alternatively, I would be looking for a rigid 29er frame (to get less trail and standover height with the smaller wheel, and have a back wheel made up, but I haven't yet found a source. The Redline Monocog 29er is an outstandingly robust frame. Its only drawback for your application is its lack of brazeons for shift cables, fenders, racks, etc. All it has are brake cable stops, which may not even be relevant to you if you use a hydraulic brake. But it is a rugged and well-thought-out frame that can be had for not too much money: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=24506 When I went looking for a 29er frame of my own, I found one thing or another I didn't like about every single one of them, until I ran across the Monocog 29er. It does not have a normal chainstay bridge, and the chainstays are heavily shaped, so that might present an issue when mounting the Free Radical subframe. I haven't evaluated the situation for myself, except to note that the Free Radical mounts somewhat similarly to a kickstand at the front end, and I was unable to figure out a straightforward way to to mount a kickstand on my Monocog 29er. I reckon this is an issue you are almost certain to face with any 29er MTB frame. Chalo |
#4
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
On Nov 13, 6:53*pm, landotter wrote:
On Nov 13, 11:18*am, JennyB wrote: Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. The *Free Radical extension won't fake more that about a 28mm 700c tyre, so this time I'm thinking of nice fat Big apples on 26" with disc brakes, which it can accommodate. *I'm also thinking of an Alfine hub, which would give enough range tor my purposes (on-road, slow, moderate hills, but often wet and mucky- if is Ireland!) without having for multiple chainrings. If you've already got a bunch of parts, a Surly Big Dummy frame can start looking pretty nice. You'll have to figure out a way to tension your chain, which isn't the biggest problem in the world. Alternately--if you've got the extension--used rigid mtbs are terribly cheap, and unlike a conventional bike, you really only need to put the disk on the rear, where the weight will be. You can run a seven or eight speed wide 11-34 cluster with a single ring up front with a bash guard and a nickel plated chain--nearly maintenance free as well. That looks like the value-for-money option, since I already have the extension, and no dealer near that understands hydraulics and hub gears. Also i have got a hub motor built in a 26" non-disc front wheel that I'd like to experiment with. |
#5
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
On Nov 14, 3:50*am, Chalo wrote:
JennyB wrote: Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. Sorry to hear about your Cannondale. *Note that if you are the original owner, and if either you or your dealer can scare up a proof of purchase, Cannondale will replace your frame under warranty. *That does not cover crash damage or other misfortunes not covered by warranty, but in the past they offered reduced-cost frame replacement for such circumstances. *They might still do so. Thanks for the thought, but it was already second-hand and crashed when I bought it back in the early '90's, so it doesn't owe me anything.I'd noticed it starting to shimmy under heavy load, and eventually it just tore in two at the top of the down tube. About the only original parts left that I can reuse are the chainset and the Brooks saddle. |
#6
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I went through the process of looking for a good base bike recently and steered away from 700c options after talking with the folks at Xtracycle and concentrated on 26" bikes instead. I ended up getting a Novara Safari on clearance from REI and have been super happy with it (down from $849 to $679, I think). It's not an internal hub option, because I think the range on this setup is better and I didn't want to get a Rohloff (I wish!), but it does have a super small chain ring that I slip into when I've got both boys on the back and groceries. It also has disc brakes and since it's meant for touring, it's got a beefy frame, but it's aluminum, so not too heavy. Here's a link to some pics of it. Since I snapped these I added a stem riser and albatross bars and it is really dialed-in now. It comes with Continental 1.9 Town & Country tires, but there's way clearance for fatter. I put the silver 60mm PlanetBike ATB cascadia fenders on there and will upgrade to Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 26" x 2.0" tires when the new ones come in stock later this month.
Good luck with your search http://picasaweb.google.com/rohrer.gunther/Xafari# |
#7
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
On Nov 14, 9:21 am, JennyB wrote:
On Nov 14, 3:50 am, Chalo wrote: JennyB wrote: Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. Sorry to hear about your Cannondale. Note that if you are the original owner, and if either you or your dealer can scare up a proof of purchase, Cannondale will replace your frame under warranty. That does not cover crash damage or other misfortunes not covered by warranty, but in the past they offered reduced-cost frame replacement for such circumstances. They might still do so. Thanks for the thought, but it was already second-hand and crashed when I bought it back in the early '90's, so it doesn't owe me anything.I'd noticed it starting to shimmy under heavy load, and eventually it just tore in two at the top of the down tube. About the only original parts left that I can reuse are the chainset and the Brooks saddle. I would fine a nice used steel mountain bike which even in Ireland shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred euros for a suitable candidate. Phil Brown |
#8
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Recommendations for Xtracycle base bike
On Nov 14, 1:44*pm, philcycles wrote:
On Nov 14, 9:21 am, JennyB wrote: On Nov 14, 3:50 am, Chalo wrote: JennyB wrote: Now that my 20-year-old Cannondale has finally given up the ghost, I'm looking tor another bike to Xtracycle for the next 20 years. Sorry to hear about your Cannondale. *Note that if you are the original owner, and if either you or your dealer can scare up a proof of purchase, Cannondale will replace your frame under warranty. *That does not cover crash damage or other misfortunes not covered by warranty, but in the past they offered reduced-cost frame replacement for such circumstances. *They might still do so. Thanks for the thought, but it was already second-hand and crashed when I bought it back in the early '90's, so it doesn't owe me anything.I'd noticed it starting to shimmy under heavy load, and eventually it just tore in two at the top of the down tube. About the only original parts left that I can reuse are the chainset and the Brooks saddle. I would fine a nice used steel mountain bike which even in Ireland shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred euros for a suitable candidate. Frame material would be about the last consideration on my list for a donor carcass--but aluminum might be just the ticket in dank ole Ireland*. ;-) *If you pay attention to traditional manufacturers in Rusty Places such as Sweden, you'll notice that they're putting less and less steel even into their "traditional" bikes these days. http://www.crescent.se/cyklar/classic/1399 |
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