Spotted on Main St.

[Zoot Katz]

I saw a new longtail on Main St.
Justin was riding by but stopped briefly to chat and show me his new bike.

It's TIG Cro-Mo frame branded Xtracycle. I'm not clear on whether this is a finished product ready for production or still developing.

It has a 20" rear E-Zee wheel that lowers the deck for better load carrying. That should help give it enough torque too. The E-Zee battery case locks to the frame. There's a new handy looking rack thingy on the back and a standard Kickback center stand.

It has a torque sensor in the bottom bracket so it will operate like a Bionx with the preselected assist levels or throttle. It's probably the same controller as Grin's E-Zee kits. The newest version of the Cycle Analyst can display human watt hours/calories used.

As I understood it, the design is influenced by Sam Wittingham and Justin in a collaboration with Xtracycle and E-Zee.

I didn't take photos but it's a great looking machine with a waiting market.

 

[richmpdx]

Number of interesting aspects. I look forward to hearing more details and perhaps some pictures.

Rich

 

[dogman dan]

I'd read here in some thread that xtracycle was making a new longtail frame, something else besides the big dummy.

Somebody needs to make a good longtail FS. Small niche, but as yet, completely un filled. Less bent wheels is the reason more than just comfort.

 

[Chalo]

Somebody needs to make a good longtail FS. Small niche, but as yet, completely un filled. Less bent wheels is the reason more than just comfort.

Seems like a longtail that can swallow big fatties like the Surly Black Floyd 26x3.8" tire would be more in keeping with the cargo bike ethos (enough for the job, but not way too much for the job). That way you could have as much or as little suspension as you needed, without the drawbacks.

The long tail adds a trunk to your bike, in effect. Add the weight, cost, and complexity of suspension, then a motor, and some source of energy, and make some more space for the suspension and motor and energy source-- and then where have you gotten to?

It's just a slippery slope of folly and vanity if you don't stick to the basic principles and keep it simple.

Chalo

 

[atom1025]

http://www.xtracycle.com/radish/ ???

 

[Zoot Katz]

http://www.xtracycle.com/radish/ ???

Nope, it's not a Radish. It's an entirely new frame.
I'm not sure if Xtracycle was already developing a bike with a 20" rear wheel or whether it's been developed, from the ground up, as an electric cargo bike.

I'll have to find out more from Justin.

 

[John in CR]

Cargo bikes rock. I'm going to do a version 2.0 of my 3.5 year old faithful Blue. With something close to 20k miles on that hardtail with little complaint, I think the only rear suspension will be for the seat.

 

[dogman dan]

No Chalo, you've gotten to here. As you can see, there is space in the frame for both a battery and a mid drive. My ass is not what the suspension is for. The suspension adds a great deal more controll over the bike when riding at speed on sketchy pavement or washboard dirt roads. It keeps the vibration down on the battery and a charger if you carry one. It greatly diminshes the maintenance needed for the wheels and helps prevent pinch flats. It WILL be packing a load. It's win followed by win followed by win. And the ass does appreciate it as well.



If you rode your bike down a heavily washboarded road near my house, then rode my Bouncing Betty down the same road at 25 mph, you'd get it. A much better traction leading to the brakes and steering actuallly work. Some of the roads you'll ride touring in NM will be dirt national forest roads, unless you want to camp with the motorhomes. City streets in the old sections of Las Cruces are worse than national forest dirt roads.

The name is a nod to Le Bette, btw.

 

[BATFINK]

I find that on some canal paths here in the uk there are certain barriers that you have to lift your bike around, they are there to stop people taking motorbikes on the paths I think, but these long tails would be practically impossible to live with in this case. Why don't people who need to do some cargo just get a trailer?

Sent using Endless-Sphere Mobile app

 

[Zoot Katz]

I find that on some canal paths here in the uk there are certain barriers that you have to lift your bike around, they are there to stop people taking motorbikes on the paths I think, but these long tails would be practically impossible to live with in this case. Why don't people who need to do some cargo just get a trailer?

I rode my Xtracycle for 3 years before electrifying it and loved it.
There's a "gravity advantage juju" built into every Free Radical.
The balance point just moves rearward and lower.
It turns out that an Xtracycle equipped bike is amazingly easy to lift when you grab it in the right spot..

Once any bike is electrified it becomes heavier so more difficult to lift over barriers.
Balancing the battery weight and motor can make it less awkward.

Longtails are better than trailers for pickin' up babes.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Heres what I found about the story:
The EdgeRunner Series: The Future of the Cargo Bike
This blog entry has lots about electric cargo bikes, Justin and Xtracycle's plan to partner with him and E-Zee.
It also mentions their work with Sam Wittingham as the subject of a future article.

 

[dogman dan]

Cool solar bike. 6 miles off the grid is still better than zero miles off the grid. I still don't agree much with carrying the panels, but that's about the best I've seen it done so far. Doing it right gets expensive, two batteries, one always on the solar powered, much larger PV charger at home.

I used to really wonder who needed assist for a mere 6 mile round trip. Then I got west nile virus, and began my trip with cronic fatigue syndrome. I need assist for 6 miles now. That bike would be perfect for my 5 mile round trip to the flea market veggie vendors. About all the riding I can handle these days.

Anybody out there with fatigue, I just started taking quinine, and its helping a lot.

 

[deVries]

I saw a new longtail on Main St.
Justin was riding by but stopped briefly to chat and show me his new bike.

...

It's TIG Cro-Mo frame branded Xtracycle.
Nope, it's not a Radish. It's an entirely new frame.
I'm not sure if Xtracycle was already developing a bike with a 20" rear wheel or whether it's been developed, from the ground up, as an electric cargo bike.

I'll have to find out more from Justin.

Please just beg/borrow take a digital camera & shoot pics and post here. Nice to talk to Justin if he has time, but this bike must be parked somewhere at his store???

We need Cargo Porn Now! Pronto! :lol:

Also, check front/rear tire info... measure wheelbase... measure rear-half wheelbase too.

Break The Story! No Snippets! This is ES.

Definitely Thanks!!!

 

[sk8norcal]

so like this, but with a 26" front wheel?
http://www.juicedriders.com/shop

 

[Chalo]

so like this, but with a 26" front wheel?
http://www.juicedriders.com/shop

If it's like most Xtracycles, it's about a foot longer than that one.

Chalo

 

[WhatcomRider]

Does it look anythink like this? :lol: http://www.ebscycle.com/

 

[WhatcomRider]

Nah, I think more like this! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.406064745165.209008.369553210165

 

[thickhead]

Nah, I think more like this! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.406064745165.209008.369553210165

WhatcomRider nails it. Xtracycle now has made the collaboration with Justin and Sam Whittingham (of Naked Bicycles) official: part 1; part 2. It looks like the production model is going to be called the EdgeRunner--but they're calling it a "series", so maybe more than one model?

Looks like an exciting product. The devil is in the details, but with guys like Justin and Sam involved, the details should get a lot of loving attention. Many here will appreciate the 20" rear wheel. Based what he said during the Ebike Nerdcast interview, Justin is focused on sub-30mph, practical and highly reliable transportation, because that's where the potential for social transformation is. But he's obviously sympathetic to hobbiests and hot-rodders, so this could be a really interesting (that is, hackable) platform. The "mule" prototype frame is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[The fingers]

Does it look anythink like this? :lol: http://www.ebscycle.com/

I would like this if it had supports underneath the front carrier. 8)