Photo by faster panda kill kill
The Xtracycle is something that you have to spend some time with. When you first start riding around town with it on your bike, it can sometimes seem like the thing is a bit of a nuisance, that it is in the way of your fast-paced-cool-biker-life. It seems as if you are always riding around with the extra weight of the Xtracycle on your bike but you never have anything to put in it.
But of course you do begin to use it. Mostly to pick up groceries at first. You learn how to strap a bunch of grocery bags in the Xtracycle Freeloader Saddlebags. You learn how to park it so it stays upright when you are loading it up with groceries. You begin to learn the nuances of riding with a long bike, taking turns a little bit wider and going over curbs a bit more gently.
Once you learn the basics of the Xtracycle, you start thinking of more ways to use it. If you have a bike delivery to take to UPS, you might realize you can do it with your Xtracycle. If you have a job where you have to carry around tools or a change of clothes or a bunch of whatever, you start stuffing it in those big freeloader saddlebags. Then you start really getting into it. You get some Xtracycle WideLoaders, or you set up your own side runners.
You start to ride effortlessly with your long bike. You get used to the grins and waves as you ride by. You carve turns, ride down trails, hop up curbs with grace and confidence. And everywhere you go you’ve got all the things you need tucked away in the saddlebags. You learn clever ways to strap big boxes on the Xtracycle Snapdeck. You set up your rig with extra lights, put a repair kit and a lock in the saddlebags, get new big cushy tires, and keep a stock of extra straps for odd loads. You get a set of footsies for picking up your friends.
The Xtracycle is integrated into your life once all your travel is efficiently timed within the potentials and limitations of doing it all by cargo bike. Sometimes that’ll mean taking your other bike when you don’t have any loads, but more often than not you’ll find your trips have some use for carrying an extra load or two along the way.
Ride On Xtracyclists.