Kipchoge and Cyndra Ninja testin’ out the new ride.
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this is my phatty new rig. it’s a lovely union of 3-speed electra rockabilly boogie and xtracycle freeradical. it took a bit of tweeking to make the 3 speed work with the xtracycle (because of the narrower than usual wheel), but so so worth it! givin new meaning to cruisy cruise.
No, they won’t let me use the footage, which is kindof a bummer since they captured about 55 hours of bicycle lifestyle shaenanigans. But you may still be able to see it on their site, if you use Windows and Explorer. http://www.mtv.com/onair/dyn/reality_show/series.jhtml
Here’s how to do the mod on any narrow-rear-wheel bike:
1. Spread the rear triangles of the bike until the dropouts are just wide enough to fit inside the FreeRadical’s Boss Hogs. You can have your bike shop do this with their frame spreading tool, or you can do it yourself. Get two 2×4s about 30″ long. Put their flat sides together and insert them parallel to your chainstays inside your dropouts. When they are as far forward as they’ll go, pry apart their ends to spread the dropouts. Spread and check, spread and check. You don’t want to spread to far and then squeeze back cuz this will overly tax the frame.
2. Squeeze the FreeRadical frame. (The alternative is to just get a longer axle and some spacers, but as long as you’re going to always have the FreeRadical on this bike I think it’s better to squeeze the frame. All other things equal, a shorter axle is stronger.) Get a bar clamp. Pad the FreeRadical Long Stays right above the dropouts with some small scraps of wood. Turn the screw until the frame done been squoze to just the right width. Again, squeeze and check, squeeze and check.
3. Chop the FreeRadical’s brake posts off with a hack saw. File rough edges and paint. Make sure you just cut the brake posts, not any of the Long Stay!!
4. You’ll either need to shave some corner rubber off the tire or indent the Long Stay just a bit to make clearance for the tire. I padded the frame and put the Stay in a vice just to make a little indentation. It’s barely noticeable. You could also use a bar clamp to do this part. Make sure you put a really stout pad on the outboard side of the stay and a small one on the inboard side. That way, the inside will dent but the outside won’t.
5. Tensioning the chain, I found it very useful to have one of these half-chain-link pieces to get the chain to just the right length. Instead of being an inch long like most links, it’s only a half inch and was just what I needed for optimal tightness.
I’ll try to post some pix in the next few days. If this tweaking sounds like more than you want to take on, we can do it for you and sell you the complete bike.
One more thing. Like I said in the recent post , I think the Rockabilly Xtracycle is patently unsafe without a front brake, and I’m planning on getting a drum brake hub built into my front wheel.
September 13th, 2005 at 5:08 pm
sweet ride!
September 13th, 2005 at 6:04 pm
this is my phatty new rig. it’s a lovely union of 3-speed electra rockabilly boogie and xtracycle freeradical. it took a bit of tweeking to make the 3 speed work with the xtracycle (because of the narrower than usual wheel), but so so worth it! givin new meaning to cruisy cruise.
September 17th, 2005 at 4:08 am
callipygious!
October 4th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Saw your film on MTV. Who is the awsome athletic chick with the muscles on the bike? Very funny film. Can you put it on your website?
February 15th, 2006 at 9:02 am
No, they won’t let me use the footage, which is kindof a bummer since they captured about 55 hours of bicycle lifestyle shaenanigans. But you may still be able to see it on their site, if you use Windows and Explorer. http://www.mtv.com/onair/dyn/reality_show/series.jhtml
April 20th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
When you say tweeking, what do you mean? I’m dying to follow your lead and pick up a straight 8 and sub-it.
Was it hard to do. You’re ride is inspirational.
April 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Hey Jesse,
Here’s how to do the mod on any narrow-rear-wheel bike:
1. Spread the rear triangles of the bike until the dropouts are just wide enough to fit inside the FreeRadical’s Boss Hogs. You can have your bike shop do this with their frame spreading tool, or you can do it yourself. Get two 2×4s about 30″ long. Put their flat sides together and insert them parallel to your chainstays inside your dropouts. When they are as far forward as they’ll go, pry apart their ends to spread the dropouts. Spread and check, spread and check. You don’t want to spread to far and then squeeze back cuz this will overly tax the frame.
2. Squeeze the FreeRadical frame. (The alternative is to just get a longer axle and some spacers, but as long as you’re going to always have the FreeRadical on this bike I think it’s better to squeeze the frame. All other things equal, a shorter axle is stronger.) Get a bar clamp. Pad the FreeRadical Long Stays right above the dropouts with some small scraps of wood. Turn the screw until the frame done been squoze to just the right width. Again, squeeze and check, squeeze and check.
3. Chop the FreeRadical’s brake posts off with a hack saw. File rough edges and paint. Make sure you just cut the brake posts, not any of the Long Stay!!
4. You’ll either need to shave some corner rubber off the tire or indent the Long Stay just a bit to make clearance for the tire. I padded the frame and put the Stay in a vice just to make a little indentation. It’s barely noticeable. You could also use a bar clamp to do this part. Make sure you put a really stout pad on the outboard side of the stay and a small one on the inboard side. That way, the inside will dent but the outside won’t.
5. Tensioning the chain, I found it very useful to have one of these half-chain-link pieces to get the chain to just the right length. Instead of being an inch long like most links, it’s only a half inch and was just what I needed for optimal tightness.
I’ll try to post some pix in the next few days. If this tweaking sounds like more than you want to take on, we can do it for you and sell you the complete bike.
One more thing. Like I said in the recent post