The Long Way Home: Xtracycle Review

I figured after a couple thousand miles, and hundreds of pounds hauled with a couple different configurations it is about time to write a review of one of the most practical products the bicycle commuter/car free world has seen. It worked so well a couple major manufactures decided to try and copy it and Surly even liked it so much they built a frame specifically around its platform. Sounds like the industry is a fan of the Xtracycle

Lets start with the basics, how is mine built: Currently the Xtracycle is bolted to a Surly Troll frame, this combo is quite a bit stiffer than the old steel Marin frame I started with (in all fairness that frame had been hit by a car at one point in its life) I am running Sram X-7 drivetrain and hubs, the rims are now Mavic 521's. They are heavy but pretty strong and I like that they have eyelets. My original wheels were some 28h red ano Sun Ringle Cr-18's I won at a race years ago and could never throw them away. They lasted long enough for the braking surface to wear to the point the rim cracked around the braking area and stayed surprisingly true since with those wheels I carried close to 200 lbs a couple times. Tektro disc brakes which work ok but will be replaced by BB-7's when these fail or need the pads replaced, it really is hard to touch the performance and durability of a BB-7, as a plus it uses the same pads as my MTB.

How does it handle loads? Quite simply, GREAT! I have carried close to 200lbs and other than it getting very difficult going uphill the bike actually handled really really well. With 60-80 lbs I hardly notice any effect on handling. One note though, since the Xtracycle puts a lot more weight on the front, if you are carrying a heavy load use the rear brake as much as possible to avoid over-stressing the fork. You have plenty of traction with the back wheel when there is a big load so it really is no big deal.

Does it make my bike less fun to ride when not loaded? Depends on your idea of fun, it adds some weight and a little bit of lateral flex so your bike will be a little bit slower than it was before Xtra, but if you do not base the quality of your rides on average speeds alone it makes it a much more fun bike in many ways. The Xtracycle handles singletrack great and I have ridden many miles of it on my Xtracycle, it actually adds novelty value and makes what once was a mind numbing trail exciting again. In no time you will have learned to actually pop off of lips and get some air with your Xtra (just remember, you have to push forward on the bars much harder than with a normal bunny hop, it is doable even with platforms with a little practice though)

Overall I absolutely love my Xtracycle and hope to do a big family tour on it in a few years. Anybody looking to add versatility to their bike should really consider this option. It is great to impulsively run to the store and not have to over analyze what will fit into panniers or making sure you have the trailer.

My only complaint is I wish there was a way to lock the velcro pocket inside the freeloaders but a little creativity might take care of that problem.

Now what everyone on the interwebz looks for, pictures! Here is a history of my Xtracycle over the past few years in pictures.

Xtracycle mounted to Troll frame in winter commuter mode, normally I run Big Apple slicks in the summer which give a supper smooth ride that can slay paved corners with more stability that I ever imagined possible on a bike.

Drivetrain is nothing special, Sram X-7 mostly and cheap truvative cranks. One thing I really like is these Shimano double sided pedals, I clip in when I plan to do some exploring but for daily commuting I wear regular shoes. Also note, the car absolutely loves to sleep on the snap deck as you can kind of make out in this pic.