vXhanz

I would think rather than modifying your wide loaders I would make the running boards and use them for all the other times you need something narrower. Once you cut those wide loaders down you're stuck.

AdamDZ

I'll remove them for now and see how the bags work without them. Maybe I'm wrong, perhaps they can hold their weight without the bottom support. Those four webbing straps they hang on are sewn onto another strap running across the top of the bag, that looks sturdy. Although that doesn't make a huge difference since the bags have hard, stiff reinforced bottoms and stick out anyway, although not as much as with the wideloaders.

I need to find a way to mod the rack so I can remove the bags easily and switch to Freeloaders quickly if needed.

vik 

If the bags can support a moderate load without the WLs than you have a narrow convenient setup for those lightly loaded times and just carry the WLs with you in your bags so you can deploy them when you need to carry something heavy and/or bulky. I ride with my WLs & straps actually and Footsies & Long loader in my Xtracycle bags 24/7 so I can tackle whatever cargo I come across. That gives total flexibility with the ease of riding similar to a single bike when unloaded. Which sums up why I love my BD...

Have a ton of fun with yours...

AdamDZ

Thanks Vik for the suggestions. I will certainly experiment until I arrive at a configuration that works for me. That's part of the fun!

jdswitters

so how is the bike treating you after having it set up for a few days?

AdamDZ

I didn't ride it since the weekend. I still feel a little sick, I only commuted by bike twice this week, breathing cold air isn't pleasant, and I don't plan to commute on the BD yet. I hope to ride it on the weekend if the weather gets warmer.

AdamDZ

We've had a few hours of nice warm weather before crazy chilly winds came in and spoiled it. I also feel stronger today. So I went for a ride for a couple of hours around the neighborhood, hit a local park, pizzeria and Italian pastry shop. If it was warmer I would be riding it till sunset, I'm sure. But the wind got me tired and I've gone back to the base.

This thing just wants you to ride it. People weren't kidding that you can't resists riding it and that it puts a big smile on your face. I don't know what it is, it rides mostly like a normal bike, I wasn't hauling anything today, but it's just so much fun to ride. Maybe it's the attention it gets? Mostly positive. It turns heads. I was sitting in the pizzeria looking at through the window and every few minutes someone stopped and looked at it. Some people, judging by their gestures, were amazed by its length

Some people looked between the bags to see the frame. Some were really amazed, it seems.

I made countless adjustments to the saddle and handlebar position. It's very comfortable now. Possible most comfy bike I ever owned. I might give a brooks B17 Imperial (with cutout) a shot. It looks like the touring bars are staying too.

Here are few shots. A few more stickers appeared on it Also, the yellow hazard tape made its way to few more parts as well


Click here for a large image


Click here for a large image


Click here for a large image


Click here for a large image

AdamDZ

All pictures so far on Flickr. I'll be adding as I go.

skijor

That bumble bee means business! Will you use something more than just the cable lock?

vXhanz

Lookin' good! I finally managed to locate that hazard tape at HF today.

AdamDZ

LOL! You might have just found a name for my BD! Although I usually don't name bikes.

I have two thick, contractor grade security cables. But I might also start carrying a U-lock that I may use depending on the location. However, the bike is so big and wide with the bags that locking it with a U-lock might turn out to be very difficult.

UPDATE ON YUBA BAGS

So it seems, unfortunately, that wideloaders should be used all the time with those bags. Those bags are really big and in empty state they sag so low that the left one gets so close to the disc rotor that the rotor starts rubbing against it, and the right one leans on the rear derailleur. The Yuba Mundo must have really massive rear, and more tubing in the rear, much bigger than the Xtracycle. Furthermore, even with the wideloaders in place the bags are not secure enough since the fabric on the wideloaders doesn't reach all the way to the frame. It leaves an opening through which the bags can still protrude. Although, I found that it's possible to secure both bottom straps to the frame. I'm actually thinking about making hard running boards to use instead of the fabric that comes with the wideloaders. This is actually how the Yuba Mundo is set up.

So this may not work for everyone. Right now I don't think it'll be a problem for me. I always though I'd have the wideloaders mounted all the time.

AdamDZ

How many rolls did you order, LOL ?

vXhanz

I actually just bought one roll. The HF store is about 25 minutes from my house. I want to start using it on the utility trailer I'm eventually going to build (still looking for a trailer to hack). From there I'm probably going to use it on the Instigator frame I'm building up. I'll have to take some pictures once I get it up and running. I'm already trying to find other uses for the tape, so I may have to go back and get more. But at $10 a roll... it's pretty expensive stuff

AdamDZ

Oh, cool!

The DOT grade reflective tape used on trucks and buses, the one that has little "crystals" in it that make it incredibly reflective is like $10 per 3 feet However, that tape is also thicker and very stiff and kinda brittle, hard to use on a bike frame.

vXhanz

Yeah, I saw that stuff hanging on the rack and seriously gave it some thought, until I looked at how thick that stuff is! I tell you, if that roll is the smallest it can get, I can see why it won't work well on a bike. You would almost have to cut it into thin strips and line then parallel with the tubes you're putting it down on.

Did you notice that they also have a red/silver reflective tape as well in a roll, similar to the black/yellow? I almost got that, but figured I like the black and yellow much better.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-...pes-66068.html

AdamDZ

Yeah, I liked that yellow/black tape better too That red/white thick tape might be good on the back of a trailer box.

PS. I found Harbor Freight store in Long Island, near the Mazda shop I take my car to for periodic maintenance! When I go there I usually take my bike with me and ride around while they work on the car but I haven't gone in that direction.

skijor

Is the wheelie bar on back-order?

antonyfhilliard

OMG wheelie bars!

AdamDZ

LOL

FunkyStickman

Dude, if you could that front end off the ground, I'd be impressed!

Adam, simply fantastic job with the bike. It looks awesome. I'm officially jealous... that is, until I build my own! Doing negotiations with the wife now... one of these days, I will have a cargo bike!

AdamDZ

Thank you!

I don't think it's possible to do wheelies on a longtail, IMHO it would require so much force that the chain or the frame would probably break or the cogs/chainwheel would shatter.

Looks like the upcoming weekend will be sunny and warm-ish, so I hope to do more riding. I made a few minor changes. I put my Axiom touring panniers on the front rack and I've secured the saddle with a thin security cable that is bolted to the frame.

I hope you will get your longtail soon. I know, you've wanted one for a while too.

Adam

FunkyStickman

Uhh... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BktHUg_8uMY

Thanks, I do, and I will! I'll name it after you. Okay, maybe not. But it will definitely need to be as cool as yours.

Mr. Jim

Very nice ride, congrats.

I want to thank you for an offhand comment you made that solved one of my own problems. I bought a new rack for my touring bike with a wood deck and my touring panniers don't fit it. The deck doesn't allow me to attach them at all, with the deck on it is too tight for the hooks. I had resigned myself to selling the rack and buying yet another. Your comment on "raising the deck" solved that, that had not occurred to me and is as easy as some strap metal strips and longer mounting bolts. Thanks.

AdamDZ

That makes me very happy! It happened to me many times: someone's unrelated or offhand comment suddenly made the bulb in my head go off. That's why I read many threads that might seem unrelated to my bikes or my riding, because I never know what will trigger my imagination.

I also started a forum for bicycle DIY'ers, link in the signature, because I love seeing how creative people can be, often in wonderfully goofy ways or absolutely brilliant ways and how solutions to your problems can appear in the most unexpected ways. It sometimes takes just a little spark to trigger that bulb

You're very welcome indeed and your comment really made my day!

Cheers!

Adam

PS. Speaking of my deck: it's long and I'm concerned with flexing under load, but frankly I haven't looked into it yet.

AdamDZ

I underestimated the size of this beast. It has become a problem and a subject of some heated discussions between me and my wife. The bike is huge and it's really hard to get in and out of the apartment. I found myself using the trailer more often than the Big Dummy. I've scratched walls and furniture already. With wideloaders attached it's wider than my trailer.

It's too heavy for touring, period. And too long. I even had hard time putting it inside my minivan (I moved 7' bookcases in this van). My latest attempt to tour was a flop (I wasn't feeling well though), and I finally realized that I need to learn to tour light and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Anyway...

Also, this may come as a surprise to many, but I don't like the way BD rides loaded. I actually prefer to haul a trailer behind my MTB.

The final nail in the BD's coffin was the fact that I eventually came to terms with my crusade to become car-free... meaning, I gave up. This is just not going to happen. The car stays, it won't be used a lot, I'll remain car-lite but as long as I have a car I really don't need a dedicated cargo bike. My cargo trailer will be enough for my occasional light hauling needs and the car will do the heavy hauling.

So, all things considered the bike turned out to be a mistake (but I enjoyed building it) and it needs to go

If I can't sell it as it is I will part it up and just sell the frame and the xtracycle goodies and use the parts for something else. Probably a Troll, I still need a touring/weekend bike by the end of May. I only have one bike right now, the Kommuter built around the cheap Nashbar MTB frame.

When I come to think of it, the Kommuter is my favorite bike so far and I really like the way it handles. I might just get another Nashbar frame and build another bike around it for weekend rides and touring. I really don't think anymore that a fancy steel frame is required for the kind of riding that I do. The Nashbar frame is cheap but has braze-ons and mount points for everything and has strong rear dropout plates with holes for the rear rack, rather than brazed-on eyelets. It took a lot of beating while serving as a commuter for over a year now, including hitting some major potholes while loaded with groceries, and I came to trust this frame. Anyway, that's beyond the scope of this forum I need to think about that.

Yay... this one went faster than The Goat