Evolution of our Xtracycle

We've owned an Xtracycle Freeradical since 2003. Attached to a fairly basic mountain bike, it's done a lot of work in the past. However, for the last two years, our Xtracycle had fallen out of use. We both had become used to the comfort of Dutch town bikes, and as a result, we were more likely to pile parcels high on our town bikes, sometimes pulling a trailer as well, than to ride the Xtracycle. When I rode it in December, I noticed that the chain was worn and several things felt a little unpleasant, so work needed to be done.

Recently the sales in our online shop have built up and the option of moving all our parcels on the normal town bike had become quite unworkable. We needed a cargo bike again. Over the last few weeks I've done quite a few small jobs on the Xtracycle to get it in usable order once more.

Fundamentally, much of what was "wrong" with our Xtracycle came down to it being a mountain bike with a thing bolted onto the back.

Now I know that many people love their mountain bikes. There is no reason why they should not do so. Mountain biking is a fine sport. The problem isn't mountain bikes, or their riders, but the use of the wrong tool for the job. Mountain bikes are not particularly practical bicycles. MTB gearing is rather on the low side, which is fine for travelling through mud or up steep slopes, but not ideal around town. The sitting position is uncomfortably stretched out due to the long stem and straight handlebars. The high bottom bracket, useful when riding off-road, is a nuisance in town as it requires that one hops down off the saddle at stops. MTBs don't come with mudguards, chainguards or racks, which can be tricky to fit. A kickstand isn't fitted, and permanent fitting of lights is not straightforward. A practical bike needs to have nothing on it which must remove when you park.

Many of the problems with using a mountain bike for everyday transport can be solved with suitable add-ons, and by doing this one can approach the concept of a practical Dutch everyday bike, which comes fitted with everything you need for practical use without requiring work to be done.

Some of the issues are tackled by the Xtracycle Freeradical add-on itself. It provides an oversized rack. If you also fit the Xtracycle specific kickstand then that solves another problem as the bike can now stand upright without assistance. These two things we'd already done. However, the problems that remained with our Xtracycle were typical "MTB as town bike" problems, which have now been put to rest as well as possible.

For a start, the tyres. Knobbly tyres are designed for mud. They're also OK in snow. However (with just a few exceptions) they are inefficient and slow on smooth surfaces. Also, cheaper tyres are puncture prone. There are various add-on products available to try to reduce this problem, but far and away the most effective way of reducing the problem of punctures is to fit better quality tyres with a good anti-puncture layer. I chose the Schwalbe Marathon tyre. It's not fast like a racing tyre, but it's faster than typical knobbly tyres, and puncture resistance is very good. This also makes the bike blissfully quieter to ride as you don't get the characteristic hum of a knobbly tyre on tarmac. While on the subject of wheels, another essential for everyday riding is to fit mudguards (fenders). Because I don't like spray on my feet and shoes, I also fitted the larger and truly effective type of mudflap.

Only half a mudguard is fitted at the back. Sadly, my original model Freeradical had no really good way of mounting a rear mudguard. I understand that eyes for mounting a mudguard are provided on newer versions of the product.

To achieve more comfort when riding the bike required changing the handlebar and stem and also the saddle. My handlebar and stem are a set which we already owned which is equivalent to the combined handlebar and stem in the webshop. This change brings the handlebars a lot closer so that we don't have to lean over so much when riding and the cargo is closer to the turning axis, so the bike is easier to control when heavy. Also, the ends of the bars turn backwards, which is much more comfortable for the wrists than a straight handlebar. The saddle is the same wide sprung and comfortable model as we'd already got on other bikes of ours, and as used by so many people who want comfort and practicality.

Our Xtracycle is fitted with a Steco front rack for extra capacity. This works very well, but it also makes the steering more likely to flop around when the bike is on its stand. For that reason I have fitted a steering damper to the bike. I'd not used one before, but I find that it works very well with the rack. The handlebars no longer turn so much when the bike is parked, and so weight in the front is less likely to flip the whole thing over. It also has a benefit when riding as it tames the front end a little, which is helpful when there is a lot of weight on the rack.

I've also fitted dynamo lights to our Xtracycle. They've a huge advantage over battery lights in that they are permanent, bolted on, part of the bike so don't have to be removed when you park and there are no batteries to be flat. This is essential for practicality.

I'm using a Nordlicht dynamo attached with a special bracket for the V-brake boss, coupled with a Basta headlight mounted on the light bracket built into the Steco rack. There are brighter headlights for use on long rides in the countryside, but that's not what we use our Xtracycle for. For use in town, this provides more than enough light for a very reasonable price. The rear light is difficult with the Xtracycle. Again, there is no good place to attach a light to the Freeradical frame. I've opted for a DIY solution using an old battery-powered rear LED light adapted for dynamo use and attached to the bottom of my saddle.

I would have liked to fit a Dutch style lock to the bike. These are by far the most convenient and quick to use style of bike lock, but they don't fit with the Freeradical in place. Instead, I found a way of mounting an old D lock permanently on the bike. A hole drilled in the advertising board allows the D lock to be swung into the wheel. It also stays in place above the top tube while riding. It's not the highest security arrangement, but it's enough around here.

The triple crankset (22/32/42 teeth) which was originally fitted to the mountain bike which we used as a donor has been replaced with a single speed crankset with 46 teeth. This gives higher gears for a bit more speed in town.

Finally, a bell. Of course, for a large bike there is just one choice - the 80 mm Ding Dong bell.

And how has it turned out ? Well, now the bike is once again enjoyable to ride, and over the last few weeks since the work was done, it's been used several times.

Winter's here...

Last weekend we had a big thaw, and we took the opportunity to go and collect a Christmas tree from one of the local growers. I rode the Xtracycle again, as it's good for moving long things.

On the way back we saw the amusing sight of a car driver trying to use a bus road but coming up against an obstacle which has featured before on this blog. You can see in these photos why the driver changed her mind and turned around:

After the mild weekend, the cold weather returned, and there was snow and ice for the rest of the week. My children cycled to school on Wednesday morning, just like every other morning. It was -2 C, and there was snow on the ground but there was no suggestion of travelling any other way:


Orders have continued to come in to the Dutch Bike Bits shop and as ever the customers parcels have made their way to the post office by bike.

In this case I had seven parcels in all, for customers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, the USA and one staying within the Netherlands. Four of the customers had ordered Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres in the 20" size (which we have in stock now), and those are the parcels stacked on the back of my bike.

It was very pleasant riding to the post office in the freshly fallen snow, but on the way back it turned into a blizzard, and I saw these two people and one umbrella on a bike going in the opposite direction to a snow-plow on the same cycle path. I guess they sorted it out before they collided:


I also did a day's work in Groningen yesterday, setting off at 7 in the morning when it was -5 C (23 F) and returning at about about -2 C. As ever, the 60 km round trip went without any drama, I went a little slower than usual and took care on the corners so it took an hour and ten minutes in each direction. Though fresh ice had fallen/formed on some of them afterwards, the cycle paths had all been swept except for the same five metre long portion in the middle which was missed last year (the centre photo here):


It's -7 C this morning. My eldest daughter is travelling today to see grandparents in the UK before Christmas. Some of the Dutch trains are working on half hour services instead of quarter hour services at the moment, and there might be some delays, but it seems they're all running. I don't think they'll have any problem with getting to the ferry terminal, not on the ferry, but I'm a bit concerned about the trains in Britain. As ever there are reports of "Travel Chaos" despite weather which other countries seem to be able to cope with, and indeed which Britain also used to be able to cope with:



However, some problems have been caused here too, as you can see from this news report from here in Assen:


The other major thing this week was the meeting about the Netherlands Cycling Embassy, which was the subject of another blog post.

Xtracycle Kick-Back Review

The photo shows my Xtracycle with Kick-Back stand relaxing in the sun, and remaining upright with 80 kg in the panniers and front basket.

Emigrating is difficult. Setting up a business is difficult. Learning a language is difficult. Doing all these things just at the time that a global recession starts to bite is extra difficult. As a result, I've been doing a part time job delivering mail in order to earn a bit more money. The Xtracycle is the bike I've been using for this.

Unfortunately, my Xtracycle is one of the very early ones which had a weak point in the design at the point where the standard kick stand attaches. This broke off, leaving me without a kick stand. That was OK for trips between home and the post office or shops, both of which places have good quality wheel supporting racks which would keep the bike upright as I loaded it. However, it was a complete non-starter for a delivery job which involved standing the bike outside hundreds of homes each day.

In any case, the standard kick stand on the Xtracycle simply wasn't designed to keep the sort of weight we're dealing with upright.

I looked around for solutions and came across the Xtracycle Kick-Back. This is a specially made stand which fits into the tubing at the front of the Xtracycle.

You can see the parts which come in the box on the right. Everything you need to fit it is supplied.

As my FreeRadical is a very early production example it didn't have the holes required for the spring loaded clips also used by other accessories such as the wideloader. More modern FreeRadicals won't need this extra step of drilling holes.

In fact for most people it is a very quick job to install the stand. The only tools you will need are a screwdriver for doing up the screw which holds a stretchy cord to the rear stay - this is what provides the force to make the stand spring up - and a 5 mm allen key for adjusting the height of the stand. You want it so that it just forces one wheel off the ground when the bike is standing. If it is too high then you will find it is a considerable effort to park your bike.

I found I also needed to cut a couple of centimetres off the length of the black inserts for the stand in order that I could have the stand at a low enough height. I also recommend using copper grease when these are inserted. I ride in all weathers and without it the parts would seize in place.

And there you have it. The bike can now stand.

It's a very good product. The only one of its kind made especially for the Xtracycle, and I have found it to work extremely well.

It's been fitted since January 13th. That may not seem such a long time, but my bike computer tells me that I've covered over 500 km with the delivery schedule since then, and used the stand many thousands of times. Combined with a trailer, I've used the bike to haul as much as 225 kg ( about 500 lb ) of mail at once. It was as struggle to ride up the slightest of inclines, but the bike didn't fall over when I stopped.

If you want a stand which really works with your Xtracycle, this is the only one available which is specifically designed to do the job. It works extremely well and I suggest not bothering to consider any alternatives. It is Available here from BikeTrailerShop.com.

Our Xtracycle now
We now use our Xtracycle. with the Kick-Back, to make deliveries for our webshop. The bike has had several more upgrades since this article was written, and they're detailed in another blog post.

The Xtracycle is not the best tool for all jobs, but it does do what it does extremely well. I've lots more details of the Xtracycle on my web page about it. The front racks are here.

Racing against Grandad

I had some parcels to pick up today. Due to rain earlier in the day, and having baskets to make, I didn't end up getting around to going out for for the parcels until it was getting a bit uncomfortably close to 5pm when the depot shuts.

The depot is just 4.5 km (3 miles) away, but I'd left myself short of time so I had to ride flat out to get there on time. I rode the Xtracycle so that I'd be able to move the weighty parcels. 90% of the distance is on the excellent four metre wide cycle path in the photo, which unlike the road offers a completely uninterrupted route on which your speed is limited by your ability, not traffic, nor the four sets of traffic lights and one roundabout I'd have had to go through if I'd ridden on the road or gone by car.

The cycle path was fairly busy and I joined it a few metres ahead of an elderly gentleman on a traditional opafiets. With help from a tailwind, I soon had the Xtracycle going at 35 km/h (22 mph) and rode along for a bit before glancing behind before I overtook someone, and... there was "Grandad" ! At a guess, he was around 70 years old. He was just a few centimetres away and perfectly positioned to get maximum aerodynamic benefit from sitting in the considerable wind shadow of my cargobike.

A quick guy still, and skilled on the bike. He probably used to race. Maybe he still does. Something I noticed on moving here is that a lot of people are fast, and you can't necessarily tell from appearances who the fast ones are. Moving here, to a city with slightly over half the population of the one we came from in the UK, but at the same time a city with so many more cyclists, gave me that feeling of going from being a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond.

People in other countries, particularly the English speaking countries where there are few cyclists, often make an incorrect assumption that Dutch cyclists are slow based simply on an idea that the millions of utility bicycles here are slow bikes. While the everyday bikes may not be the fastest bikes in the world, they are efficient enough to travel at pretty good speeds given a good set of legs pedalling them.

Until you enter the realm of extreme aerodynamics, the speed of a cyclist is limited far more by muscle power than it is by the bicycle. Muscles used for cycling get stronger as a result of cycling a lot. The Dutch cycle more than people of any other nation. There is no Clif Bar 2 mile challenge here.

It's not just utility cycling, of course. Sport cycling is also much more popular here than in most countries. Many, many high specification sport bicycles are sold, and bicycle paths like that pictured go in virtually every direction. These provide a great place to train. What's more, cycle racing circuits are also common in many places, including here in Assen.

You can see the result of the popularity of sport cycling in the country's results in the Tour de France. No fewer than 61 Dutch cyclists have won stages in the Tour, vs. 10 Americans, 8 Australians and 6 Englishmen. Not a bad tally for 16M Dutch people vs. 380M from elsewhere.

There are several major sport cycling events in this area this year, including the start of the Vuelta a Espana, which starts in Assen this year and the Jeugdtour - the world's biggest youth cycle racing event, the Triathlon, the Erik Dekker Classic etc.

Collecting the Christmas Tree

This morning I took the Xtracycle out to take some customer's bike baskets to the post office and also collect a Christmas tree.

One of my local bike shops turned out to be selling trees, so I went no further.

As ever, my journey was direct and almost entirely free of cars. A lot of roads don't provide through routes for drivers, who are funnelled together on what are often less direct routes.

The bicycle road along the canal is the most obvious example of this idea. It's wonderful to cycle along, leading directly from the centre of the city past the suburbs on the west where we live and right out to the new housing estate built on the very edge of the city. It is impossible to drive along this route for far, so the only cars you see are a few using it for access to homes.

The video shows the return route, mostly along a bicycle road:


There is another short video of the same bicycle road.

This isn't the first time our Christmas tree has been brought home by Xtracycle.

Bikes and baskets

Bicycles have had baskets for as long as there have been bicycles.

I've just returned from a fabulous weekend at the Nationaal Vlechtmuseum in Noordwolde. This is the national basketry museum of the Netherlands on a site which used to be the basket-making school and this was a special weekend, the Nationale Vlechtdagen.

The first photo shows a sign on a minor road heading into the village. The village has the usual blanket 30 km/h (18 mph) speed limit, and the sign says "Welcome to the basket-making village of the Netherlands".

It was a fabulous event. As well as a chance to sell a few of my baskets, This was a chance to meet 25 other basketmakers and see other people's work, as well as have a look around the museum.

Of course, there is a special bicycle in the museum, as shown in the photograph on the right.

Noordwolde is 40 km away, I cycled down on Saturday morning and returned on Sunday evening with my Xtracycle cargo bike pulling a trailer with baskets and a tent. It's a cumbersome thing to ride when loaded up to that extent, but the cycle paths here don't have any obstructions on them, so once the bike got up to speed I could keep going quite steadily and the journey took under 2 hours.


This video shows some of the people at the Vlechtdagen. It was a very enjoyable event.

The Nationaal Vlechtmuseum has interesting exhibits, a restaurant, and is a very pleasant place to cycle to. It will be a destination on our cycling holidays next year.

I specialise in making bicycle baskets. You can see them on the bicycle basket page on my website.