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I was faced with two options for my bike cargo needs - build and hitch a trailer or find another less cumbersome solution. Enter the Xtracycle.
From the Xtracycle website:
With a bike trailer, you'll leave it at home because you prefer the way your bike rides without it, then later wish you had brought it along.
Great, I'm sold! Except... College... Money.... Oh yeah, lackofcash-itus :( Here's my $10 solution for a great idea!
Sorry Xtracycle guys - At the moment, I just can't afford to pay for the engineering :(
From the Xtracycle website:
With a bike trailer, you'll leave it at home because you prefer the way your bike rides without it, then later wish you had brought it along.
Great, I'm sold! Except... College... Money.... Oh yeah, lackofcash-itus :( Here's my $10 solution for a great idea!
Sorry Xtracycle guys - At the moment, I just can't afford to pay for the engineering :(
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Donor Bike with rear suspension (note the type of swing arm used)
Conversion Bike
Steel Tube
Grade 8 Bolt
Conversion Bike
Steel Tube
Grade 8 Bolt
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check this out, sans support bar, via oldtimer hal, the man the myth the legend at Highland Park, Los Angeles, California's Bike Oven!!!
The whole point of the Xtracycle and similar longbikes is to provide support for a larger stronger cargo rack. Without such a rack, what's the point? You've added weight and complexity to the bike, reduced its handling and weakened the bike, all without any meaningful gain in cargo-hauling capacity.
A seat tube rack could be fitted without any further modification of the bike, and such racks aren't really strong enough to be worth the trouble in the first place. Fabbing a heavy-duty version of a common frame-mounted cargo rack would allow at least as much cargo capacity, as well as eliminating the groceries-in-the-wheel issue, and wouldn't require any mods to the bike. Something like the heavy-duty built-on rack of the Peter White Cycles "Silk Road" bike maybe? http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tout-terrain.asp
Also, why the rod from the top of the donor rear triangle to the bottom bracket shell on the bike, as opposed to running it to the top of the seat tube?
Going to the top of the seat tube would have required welding or some goofy fasteners. Going down just behind the BB - there happens to be a mounting point to bolt to :) In this configuration, I can convert back to a normal road bike, on the side of the road (as long as I carry a chain tool with me).
...all without any meaningful gain in cargo-hauling capacity.
As seen in the photos, perhaps - but I will disagree solely based on experience. As seen in the photos, I can sling my laptop over the seat and have it rest directly behind the seat tube - without interference with the rear wheel. The same goes for grocery bags and my cooler :)
I've used a seat tube rack that I found on a derelict bike. It works much better when it's over nothing compared to over a wheel (bags of groceries don't get entangled). I have, rather precariously due to the small size, towed people on that bar too.
More recently, I've been working on a rear triangle add on rack - as posted by TimAnderson - and not too dissimilar than what's in that link you posted (thanks, there's some nice stuff in there). When it's done, to my satisfaction, that will be posted - but it isn't a priority given school work and such.
I have also discovered that riding in wet conditions, without fenders, is much better :) Water and grit doesn't fling up on my backside :) Especially nice when caught by a storm without wearing any foul weather gear.
Things have changed in the 8+ months since I've posted this ;) And always keep in mind that, in situations like this, all or nothing perspective typically results in the latter ;)
And again, there's no contest with the Xtracycle - it wasn't meant to ;)
I added one more stay, to reduce the stress on the chainstays on the frontframe. And than I mounted two regular racks.
Change the chain on a regular basis and your sprockets will last forever.
Trail is not an angle, it's a distance. If you draw an imaginary down the steering axis and another imaginary line perpendicular to the ground and through the axle - the distance between these two lines where they intersect the ground is called the trail.
Trail can be changed by making the head angle angle (steering axis) more acute with respect to the ground. But, this can make the steering "floppy" - the wheel wants to turn rather than a tendency to point straight.
The bike in this project has some offset. Which is where I disagree with your statement:
A bike with good trail angle has straight front forks.
No, a bike with offset forks just has less trail compared to a straight fork with the same head angle ;) Generally speaking, less trail results in a more responsive ride. That bike started service as a road bike ;)
Furthermore, when talking about bicycles, the term "Rake" is not used. Rake is the counter clockwise measurement from the vertical used for motorcycles. The "head angle" is the clockwise measurement from the horizontal used on bicycles. While this may be a nit picky point - the language and definitions have been set such that everyone can communicate effectively. If you paid attention in geometry, you'll notice that none of this corresponds with "standard" angle measurements counterclockwise from the horizontal :p
For example, saying the back of the bike was facing the right of the screen, forks like so- / would have fairly bad trail angle, and forks like these- | would be great, but not so easy to turn.
No, the fork that looks like this | would have absolutely no trail whatsoever. The fork that looks like / would have trail. Weather or not it is "bad" depends on the situation. Bike steering geometry is a very complex system, how much trail, head angle, offset, fork length etc. depends on a lot of other variables such as wheel diameter, center of mass, etc.
Being able to ride without hands doesn't mean "good" steering. On my bikes, I'd call that a pretty crappy setup. I prefer a more "jet fighter" responsive feel while riding compared to a more lethargic "bus" like feel. Except when riding my beach cruiser :D
Image for your viewing pleasure
I made it outta an old huffy, full suspension bike and an old speed bike.
The tanks on the side are old petrol cans for a boat, with the tops cut off
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennyraceboy-bikelord/