Custom Snapdeck for Xtracycle cargo bike

My Xtracycle needed a new "snap deck", which is the flat carrying area above the rear tire.  I wanted something a little more distinctive than the stock deck, and also wanted to try a longer deck. 

I started by doing some "CAD" - Cardboard Assisted Design, that is. I made a few sample decks using some cardboard, and trimmed them until I found a size and shape I liked. 

I considered cutting the deck out on the bandsaw or with a hand-held jigsaw, but decided I wasn't steady enough to pull that off. Besides, I have access to TechShop's Shopbot, and it's way more steady than I am. 

Step 1: Sketch design on cardboard

I sketched the desgn in cardboard, and test fitted a few ideas. 

Once I settled on a design, I translated it into the computer version of CAD, and then created the shopbot file from that.

Shown here is the test piece made from scrap plywood. 

Comments

[BillBiker]

One other thing I suggest is that if you added wheels in the right places it could double as a skate board ;) .

[RunningPirate]

I've seen that actually. There's a guy in SJ that has a longboard as his deck. When he's running errands, he can park the bike in a central location, pop off the board and use that to get from spot to spot.

[BillBiker]

Wow that's actually a cool idea for a delivery type person! By the way to the author I really was serious about the wheels idea.

[BradMartinson]

I've seen photos of a couple who have longboards as their snapdecks. The Cherry I used for this one is way too stiff for a skateboard, but it can work like this:

[audreyobscura]

This looks SLICK! I always test fit items with cut paper bags, but cardboard I imagine works even better! Thanks for another great post.