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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Surly Troll vs. Xtracycle...

So I have finally narrowed down my plan for my new bike between the new Surly Troll frame, and an Xtracycle conversion kit. I have wanted to do an Xtracycle kit for quite some time now, and the Surly Troll is just an awesome frameset, so here is my pros and cons list:

Surly Troll Pros:

-Versatile frame
-Steel
-Racks and fender mounts
-Large tire clearance
-Building this frame would give me a geared MTB to go along with my singlespeed.

Cons:
-Only way to have my daughter on the bike would be a seat mounted over the rear wheel, or pulling a trailer. Both of which I am not fond of.
-Not a true cargo bike

Xtracycle conversion Pros:
-Uses an existing bike
-Large hauling capacity
-Lots of options for hauling my daughter, if I use a seat in the back, she has a better view than a traditional over the rear wheel seat.
-Steel frame
-Would be a good start to swap parts over to an eventual Big Dummy frameset.

Cons:

-No geared bike for MTB riding, this conversion would eliminate my geared MTB.
-Heavy
-Costs a little more than the Troll frame

So as of right now, I am leaning towards the conversion kit. I am really, really intrigued by the Troll frame, but the Xtracycle seems to be a better fit for me. Most of my riding is with my daughter anymore, so this only makes sense. As she gets bigger, the Xtracycle would continue to fit her. Plus, riding a heavy bike around would make me stronger for Singlespeed riding, so maybe the heavy thing is not a con. Now I just need to pull the trigger on this, so I will stop changing my mind!

Here are some links to check out:
Surly Troll
Xtracycle





2 comments:

  1. Hey Cody,

    I've definitely become a faster, stronger rider from the Xtracycle. Not to mention the feeling of a speed boost jumping onto a single speed and how you feel like you're flying. :D

    Good luck on the decision!

    Rick

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Rick,
    If you dont mind me asking, how long have you been using the xtracycle? How does it hold up after some usage?
    Cody

    ReplyDelete