Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Lovin it

Ye ole Xtra-cycle
Snow falling, 70 lbs of tools, 2 wheels, 1 huge smile.
Dang I'm loving this thing!
After our nasty wind storm, I rode the Xtra to the arena to see if there was still Shinny. Good news, there was...other good news, this thing is even smile-making when it's empty.

8 comments:

rigtenzin said...

I have a feeling the xtracycle is great in the snow. What do you think?

Jerome said...

Yeah, it is actually. The long wheel-base makes it feel really sturdy. Slow speeds (riding through snow drifts coming through the gate into my yard) are much easier on the Xtra than another bike.

Vik said...

Ahhh...you lucky bastard! One day I too will know the joys of throwing leg over some Xtra! Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but one day my life will be Xtra-good!...=-)

Doug said...

Xtrafun!!

With all that weight, have you considered getting the wide loaders? I think they help distribute the weight a little better with heavier loads like your tools.

Jeff Moser said...

I got the commute to work by bike thing down now. The next thing will be a utility bike for running errands. I see something like this in my future!

Vik said...

Jeff you need a Surly Big Dummy!

http://tinyurl.com/2a62kb

Jeff Moser said...

Kona has the Ute...a complete bike for the price of the Surly frame. But still...that Big Dummy is just so cool. And already fits all the extra cycle accessories. Would be nice! Maybe after a 29er...

Vik said...

I had a look at Kona's offering and frankly it is a lame half-baked idea. Without access to all the Xtra-cycle accessories you are far better off with a good cargo trailer, or a XTracycle free radical and a normal bike than a Ute. It is almost like Kona said utility bikes are becoming popular we need one! Their design is weak and doesn't seem well thought out.

Read the archives of the Surly blog for lots of background on the design and testing of the Big Dummy. They worked over 3 prototypes before they made a production model and what is more important they have a clear vision of what the bike is and how it can be used.

The Ute is 10% of the same functionality at half the price. Still not a good deal in my books.

Sorry for the rant!