Just Riding Along... Revisiting the Haro V3.

Now that the Xtracycle has been disassembled, I am back to square one with my old friend, the Haro V3. This bike was my very first "real" mountain bike, from 2003 I believe. This bike has gone through some changes over the years.

For a while it was my MTB, geared with a Manitou suspension fork, and V brakes. That phase traveled from Ohio to Southern California and continued on for a bit. Then, after the Gary Fisher Rig showed up, it turned into a geared commuter with 1.5 inch slicks, then switching back to trail duty as a second single speed. Moved back East, and it found it's way back to the streets, as a single speed commuter, this time with a Salsa steel rigid fork and disc brakes. It hung on the wall of the garage for a time, patiently waiting for parts once again. Finally came the cargo bike phase, via Xtracycle. Now, we are here:

Back to just a frame. What form should it take now?

I have to say, this bike has lasted far longer than I ever would have guessed. I couldn't even begin to estimate how many miles it has logged over the 9 years or so that I have owned it. I am thinking I could piece together a cheap single speed again, but this time run some Schwalbe Big Apples just for fun. Anyway, whatever form this bike takes on, it has been the best $400 that I have ever spent. Thanks Haro!

Xtracycle review, one year later...

This month marks a full year on the Xtracycle conversion. I have ridden the crap out of this bike, and now I feel like I can make an honest comment on what I like/dislike about it. So that said:

Maiden voyage.

The Xtracycle Freeradical kit is a well packaged, all in one "hitch-less trailer" than makes any bicycle a useful tool for carrying stuff. And by stuff I mean a lot of stuff. The kit is rated for 200lbs or so of cargo, which I did not get up to that weight, but if you can pedal it, it will probably work. Weight is balanced nicely, say for example, if you load a six pack on one side and a load of firewood on the other. Getting started pedaling is a little awkward, but once you are moving you do not notice the vast difference in weight for the left and right side freeloaders(bags). If the weight is balanced somewhat evenly between the two sides, you do not notice the weight at all for the most part. Let's be honest though, with around 75lbs on the back, you can tell there is some weight, but mostly only on climbs. With all of the extra weight, once you are moving, momentum is your friend.

I used the HaroX for commuting to work, going to the grocery, riding with my daughter, bike camping, road riding, and just about everything else you can think of. Only a little bit of off roading, but with it's extended wheel base, what little bit that I did was quite fun. Not a fast off road machine, but a nice and slow, easy pace to enjoy being in the woods. I would say in total, I have around 1000 miles on the Xtracycle. It rode smoothly with a set of 1.5 slicks, but also very comfortably with a knobby set of 2.1s. I did enjoy it a little more with the larger tires, just because it gave you the option to hit the dirt if the occasion arose.

Riding loaded.

So with all of the good things said, here is what I was not so fond of:

Right out of the box, it is implied that the Freeradical kit includes everything that you need to get the bike rolling. That is true, but only if you are planning on using rim brakes, and an 8 speed drive train. Since I was using disc brakes, and a 9 speed system, I needed to buy extra cables and two new chains. It would have been helpful to know that from the start. Also, the disc mount of the Freeradical requires a 203mm disc brake rotor, something that I did not think of, since I was planning on using a normal 160mm rotor. All of these were a minor, but more pricey inconveniences that I did not expect. Once that was all taken care of though, it was mostly smooth sailing.

The only other downside for me with this project was the weight. The all steel frame of the Xtracycle adds quite a bit of weight to your bike. Weight that is needed, of course, when you are planning on hauling things. But still, it is damn heavy. Once you are moving it is not as noticeable, but if you need to lift the bike for any reason, or stopping and starting, wow, is it heavy. Honestly though, this is a downside that is also a positive, because it makes your legs strong. But on some rides, I was wishing for a lighter ride.

Add that weight to anything that you might be carrying, and you start to get the commonly observed, "Xtracycle shimmy." Just a slight, annoying wobble that happens from time to time when carrying weight. I have read that using Xtracycle's Whatcamacollars helps fix that a bit, but that adds another expense to an already expensive package.

So, would I buy the kit again? You bet. It has been a game changer. Cycling has gone from a sport, to more of a way of living. The bicycle has become a practical tool to use for day to day things. This has probably been one of the best cycling moves that I have made in my cycling life. Very cool product.

That said, I am disassembling the bike, and planning on selling the Xtracycle. I know, lots of praise, then sell it? What the hell? Yeah, a little contradictory. But, I am planning on building a new bike, more of a "do-it-all" bicycle. I love the Xtracycle, but for mountain biking on it, that is not going to happen. My cycling life is needing a lighter, more versatile bike, so the plan is to pull all of the parts, place on a new frame, and sell the Xtracycle and Haro frame as one. Someday, I will build another one...

As for the next bike, I am really excited for it, but I will wait before I let the cat out of the bag...

Just riding along... Groceries...

It's funny how things change a bit once you start getting older. Granted, I am no old man by any means, but things are WAY different now at thirty than when I was twenty. My life has made a complete 180 degrees in those ten years. But I am starting to get off track, that is a totally different topic altogether.

Let's just think about bicycle time at thirty rather than twenty. Gone are the days of thirty mile epic mountain bike rides that last all afternoon. Gone are the road rides that last all morning from coffee shop to coffee shop. But in their place are new rides, that for me are just as exciting. Rides with my daughter to the playground, or just around the block are a couple new rides that I find absolutely amazing. Another interesting ride that I have been doing more and more of is the grocery ride:

Thanks to the Xtracycle, I am able to squeeze in a ride to our local grocery to pickup a weeks worth of "life supplies." Tonight was one of those nights, a nice little jaunt to pick up a few of the daily essentials that we so desperately needed. Not a long ride by any means, but fulfilling nonetheless. These are the types of rides that I am starting to enjoy more and more as I get older.

By doing this type of cycling though, you are spending more time on the bike, and that is what it is all about.

Every now and again I get to fit into my schedule an epic ride, but the grocery run has become a staple in our household.

Just some thoughts, just riding along...

Surly Moonlander...

So fresh out of the rumor mill is that Surly has a few tricks up it's sleeve that will be coming out in the next couple of months. There is lots of speculation from lots of folks like myself, but the consensus seems that Surly will be releasing a larger version of their Larry tire, at a whopping 26x4.5. Yes, I said 4.5. As in four and a half inches! That is crazy. And supposedly there will be a frame to handle such a beast. That frame will be called the Moonlander so they say. Now I would like to believe that it will just be a larger version of their famous Pugsley, but Surly likes to be a little different with things. So after looking at a few pictures of some lunar rovers throughout history, it got me wondering if they are going to throw out something completely unexpected. Lets look at some photos:


Lunar rover from Apollo 15.

This picture got me thinking of a four wheel bicycle that I saw not too long ago, can't remember the name of it, but it basically was a four wheeled mountain bike. Independent suspension all around, disc brakes all around, a very interesting dual rear derailleur gear setup, and shod all around in Surly's Larry 26x3.8" tires. It was quite an interesting setup, and I feel like that could be a possibility for the Moonlander. One can dream right? Anyway, I wish I could remember the name of that company, I would like to check out their website again and give them the proper credit...



Soviet Lunokhod moonlander.

This picture is of the Soviet unmanned moon lander. I am not sure how Surly feels about communist Russia, but you never know, this could very well be the inspiration for their new bike. What would that bike be? Possibly an off road, fat tired recumbent? My only reasoning for that is due to the weird frame shapes of recumbents, compare that to some of the weird shapes of different moonlanders out there, and there you have it. I am sure I am way off base with that one, but that would definitely be unexpected.

Another guess that I would love to see, is a fat tired cargo bike, based off of the Big Dummy. That would be amazing, and if you look at the first picture in this post, it might make some sense, then again, it might not.

So what is Surly going to do? Probably just make us wait. I will definitely be watching though, because I am sure it will be an amazing bicycle. And probably a little off of the "norm." Rock on Surly...

Commute...

Nice commute today on the HaroX. I will be the first to admit, that it is WAY overkill for my daily commute. All I ever really carry is one of my SealLine dry bags loaded with my clothes, toiletries, phone charger, and lunch. I could easily fit one of those bags on the rear rack of a "normal" bike. But seriously, what fun would that be? It is pretty amazing how nice it is to know that I am ready for whatever. Find something cool being thrown out? Strap it down to the back of the bike. Need to stop for groceries? Roll on in. Give a lift to a homeless person? No problem. It is an amazing setup, and I really wish that I would have done it sooner. Just an example of how it is ready for whatever: I get home from my 15.5 mile (one way) commute, and my wife needs some things from the grocery. So, I unload my dry bag, and head on over to the grocer. Good stuff. Thank you Xtracycle!

If you haven't checked out their site,check it!

Taking time off...

So I have kinda neglected my blogs for the time being. I basically had no motivation to do anything with them for the last couple months. Also work was being a little bit of a hassle. On the brighter side though, the XtraHaro has been performing beautifully! I have had quite a few rides on it. Basically, it is the only bike that I am riding now. I am riding it with my daughter, riding it to work, doing road rides on it, running errands, and hauling things. It is an amazing bike, and I wish that I would have converted my bike earlier. It has really made me realize some things though. It has made me aware that I should sell my mountain bike. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE mountain biking. But in this stage of life, it is very inconvenient. To get to any trail in the area, I am looking at a 30 minute drive. Gas is now $4 a gallon, and that is just not worth it to me. Especially when I can leave directly from my house on the XtraHaro, and get an awesome mixed surface ride, and spend zero cash on getting to the ride. Maybe I am getting older, but I feel it is streamlining my life a little bit. Just rambling...

By the way, shoot me an email if anyone is interested in a 29er SS...

Finished...

So, I have had some time to put in a few miles, what can I say. It's pretty awesome. Yesterday did around 10 miles before the newest snowstorm hit the Cincinnati area, and everything feels really good. Maybe its the fact that the bike is long, or that I have more gears than I have ever had, but this bike climbs really well. I am also surprised how well the Maxxis Crossmark tires roll on pavement. These tires will give me some options when the nicer weather rolls around. Here are some pictures of the complete bike as it sits...