[RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-05-16 Thread Pancake
Good find! And Bones will see that the Instagram x-tra cycled Clem has the 
stem mount for a Yepp front seat too!
Abe


On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 9:29:54 AM UTC-7, David B wrote:
>
> Xtracycle is possible! 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B-0wCPDA_YV/
>
> On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 10:31:28 AM UTC-5, Bones wrote:
>>
>> Not sure if this has been discussed here or not, but I'd like to hear 
>> people's thoughts on this. I spent all of last year carrying both of my 
>> kids on my Appaloosa (one in front, one in back). They are getting too big 
>> for that setup now. Though I can still handle the bike with ease, I think 
>> 80lbs is a bit too much for the bike, and it is only going to get worse. So 
>> my options, so far as I can see, are the following:
>>
>> 1) Get a bike trailer (Burley or Thule or whatnot)
>> 2) Big Dummy or Big Fat Dummy.
>> 3) Add an Xtracycle to my Clem H
>>
>> I like the idea of using the Clem the most because I really don't want to 
>> bring another bike or trailer into the house if I can help it, and I really 
>> like the Clem. So far it has been used as a trail bike, and with a few 
>> small children around, that means it doesn't get used that often. And that 
>> is a job my Appaloosa can easily fill. I have no experience with the 
>> Xtracycle leap kit though, so any suggestions here would be greatly 
>> appreciated!
>>
>>

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[RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-04-18 Thread Bones
Wow, lots of useful info, thanks everyone. I'm as confused as ever on which 
way to go though :)

Now I'm wondering how the an xtracycle would work on my Appaloosa. The 
chainstays are a little bit shorter and it's a double top tube so that 
could only help with stability. To date that bike has been the heavy lifter 
anyway. The only real appeal of the the leap kit is to save some money and 
not add another bike to my collection. A BD of BFD would certainly be the 
best way to go. One last option is a 10 year old Novara 29'er that's been 
sleeping in my shed for a few years. It's in great shape, and I was 
intending to offload that at some point, but maybe that would make a good 
candidate for a conversion. Bottom line is the cargo bike will get lots of 
use, and I want to love riding it as much as I have enjoyed riding my 
Appaloosa.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-04-18 Thread Robert Tilley
 That wasn't my experience with the Xtracycle cargo bikes. I owned a Big Dummy for a number of years and then sold that in order to buy a Tern Cargo Node which used the Xtracycle Leap kit. Both of these rode very well even with heavy loads.I did use wideloaders or U-bars on my bikes and kept the heavier items as low as possible which may have helped. Now I'm using a Tern GSD but I do miss the longer Xtracycle cargo area. If I had room I'd have a Big Fat Dummy for sure.Robert TilleySan Diego, CA Sent from my BlackBerry - the most secure mobile device   From: gbrugu...@gmail.comSent: April 17, 2020 9:17 AMTo: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.comReply-to: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.comSubject: [RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle  I haven't had experience with the Xtracycle Leap kit, but I did use the Free Radical kit quite extensively.  Once I gave a friend who weighs ~90 lbs a ride on the back and it was dangerous and scary.  All the twist and flex in the back sent the front end to and fro unpredictably.  Pedaling a straight line was practically impossible.   Although that was an extreme case, IME ~30 lbs loads were the limit, after which the bike would become too wobbly.  I've heard that the Leap is more rigid than the Free Radical, but I am skeptical that the improvements are such that they beat an actual cargo frame like the BD or BFD in terms of rigidity.  After that experience I got a BFD-- the 26" fat tire version.  The first thing I did was give a friend, ~150 lbs, a ride around the parking lot, and though there was some wobble it was manageable, and I could pedal a straight line.  I've attached a photo of ~60 lbs of cargo, which I pedaled trouble free around 2.5 miles home.  So my suggestions for increased safety would be a BFD or BD over the Xtracycle.  I don't have enough experience with bike trailers to offer any suggestions.



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[RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-04-18 Thread Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)
I toyed with this idea a few months ago. Ended up finding an Xtracycle 
conversion on Craigslist for $300 attached to an old generic MTB-ish thing, 
very Clem like in geometry without the long chainstays so I'm just using 
that for the kid taxing and cargo hauling. 

Anyway, someone else on here (Hi, Ed!) who had built up a Clem-Xtracycle 
DM'd the below to me. He had tons of experience with different cargo bikes 
and his thoughts are below. 

Short version: It worked brilliantly and he fully recommended it. 

Long version (quoting from Ed here on out): "I "salvaged" a Leap kit off of 
a Tern Cargo Node, so it's not quite the retail kit but close enough. I've 
had a Dummy, a 1st gen Edgerunner, and Tern Cargo Node. I really liked the 
Dummy (regret selling it to this day...) since it was a solid bike that 
rode well with or without a load. The Edgerunner was a disappointment: a 
bit too flexy in the wrong places, and pretty "dead" for a cromoly frame. I 
could never get the fit of the Tern right with that weird Andros stem and 
the ride was dead too, though as a cargo bike it was serviceable.

The Clem build up wasn't too dramatic. The long chain stays aren't a 
problem. I wanted to run the "shorter" wheelbase slot on the leap but that 
didn't work the way the dropouts are on the Clem. The rear dropouts do work 
with the "long" wheelbase option on the Leap without interference, and I 
didn't find the bike any more unwieldy than the other longtails I've owned. 
Having a kickstand plate is an advantage and relieves stress on the top of 
the chain stay tubes. You're already familiar with the "mullet" wheelset I 
had built up: front rim hub, rear disc hub, using rim compatible Sun Rhyno 
XL rims F/R. For brakes, I ran BB7 and stock pads with a 180mm rear disc - 
with a load, 160mm may be too small - and Shimano V-brakes up front with 
Kool Stop pads. As with any longtail build, I used a full run housing to 
the rear derailleur and brake. Compressionless is best but super expensive 
so I used the pro version of Jagwire housing as an affordable alternative. (
https://jagwire.com/products/housing)

The built up bike was brilliant. It had all the characteristics of the 
Dummy in terms of handling with or without a load, but with a step 
thru/lower standover frame and a more upright, and comfortable, riding 
position. (I'd recommend the Clem L over the Cheviot for the lower 
standover.) The mullet brakes are as weird as you'd expect - different 
modulations - but easy to get used to and always plenty of stopping power.

Eventually, I did take it apart to sell the Cargo Node as a complete bike. 
I would have opted to get the retail Leap kit and rebuilt the Clem L but I 
am an old man with twins so opted for a cargo e-bike instead."



On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 11:31:28 AM UTC-4, Bones wrote:
>
> Not sure if this has been discussed here or not, but I'd like to hear 
> people's thoughts on this. I spent all of last year carrying both of my 
> kids on my Appaloosa (one in front, one in back). They are getting too big 
> for that setup now. Though I can still handle the bike with ease, I think 
> 80lbs is a bit too much for the bike, and it is only going to get worse. So 
> my options, so far as I can see, are the following:
>
> 1) Get a bike trailer (Burley or Thule or whatnot)
> 2) Big Dummy or Big Fat Dummy.
> 3) Add an Xtracycle to my Clem H
>
> I like the idea of using the Clem the most because I really don't want to 
> bring another bike or trailer into the house if I can help it, and I really 
> like the Clem. So far it has been used as a trail bike, and with a few 
> small children around, that means it doesn't get used that often. And that 
> is a job my Appaloosa can easily fill. I have no experience with the 
> Xtracycle leap kit though, so any suggestions here would be greatly 
> appreciated!
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-04-16 Thread J Imler
Wow, amazing. My experience was with the original Xtracycle. The Leap version 
appears to have added a long chainstay solution.

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[RBW] Re: Clem H + Xtracycle

2020-04-16 Thread David B
Xtracycle is possible! 
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-0wCPDA_YV/

On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 10:31:28 AM UTC-5, Bones wrote:
>
> Not sure if this has been discussed here or not, but I'd like to hear 
> people's thoughts on this. I spent all of last year carrying both of my 
> kids on my Appaloosa (one in front, one in back). They are getting too big 
> for that setup now. Though I can still handle the bike with ease, I think 
> 80lbs is a bit too much for the bike, and it is only going to get worse. So 
> my options, so far as I can see, are the following:
>
> 1) Get a bike trailer (Burley or Thule or whatnot)
> 2) Big Dummy or Big Fat Dummy.
> 3) Add an Xtracycle to my Clem H
>
> I like the idea of using the Clem the most because I really don't want to 
> bring another bike or trailer into the house if I can help it, and I really 
> like the Clem. So far it has been used as a trail bike, and with a few 
> small children around, that means it doesn't get used that often. And that 
> is a job my Appaloosa can easily fill. I have no experience with the 
> Xtracycle leap kit though, so any suggestions here would be greatly 
> appreciated!
>
>

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