What's so special about my long bike?

I keep posting about this bike because after 7 years of riding with the Xtracycle FreeRacial system attached to my bike I still find it an amazingly versatile and useful machine!

My Xtracycle back in 2008

 
Xtracycle have lead the way in longtail cargo bikes and various other bicycle innovations. The FreeRadical has undergone some changes since I bought mine and now it seems they've discontinued production but... are in the process of developing a new design called The Leap, (It seems MegaRack has been dropped). Check their website for some great videos documenting the history of the Xtracycle. HERE


 Here's Ross Evans CEO and designer of the Xtracycle to talk about production of TheLeap

If you want to see some Xtracycle longtail bikes in action check out Riding The Spine.
There are weaknesses in the design of the original FreeRadical and it does have weak points but I've never had any problems at all. I have carried some seriously heavy loads and have been a bit worried about the strength of the forward mount but it's held out so far.

I believe the main reason my rig has lasted so long is the frame I've attached the kit to. This 1990s steel Raleigh frame is a standard diamond design with the old style bracket across the chain stays which suits the FreeRadical kit design perfectly. I'd love to get into the nitty gritty of the versatility of this bike, how many kms I've done, how effective this bike is at carying loads commuting etc... etc... Maybe some other time...

Long bike rescue. Pt3. Job Done

Back to the bike and the spanners.

Over the past several years I've been doing my best to keep my bikes maintained essentially using bits and pieces scrounged from the tip shop or by cannibalizing my old bikes. Of course there are times when it's not possible to find what I need on the re-cycle heap in the time that I need it (everything turns up eventually) so I am forced to purchase new stuff.

Tip Stockpile: Not much to choose from lately

Thankfully since I've owned the long bike I have managed to keep her rolling on mostly re-cycled parts. However I have had quite a bit of trouble with the second hand bottom brackets. I think I've gone through three of them so far. They're one of those items which are doomed to wear with use. The cheaper bikes come with such poor quality bearings it's not worth using them at all!

As you could see in my recent posts about the long bike, it appeared that the bottom bracket had completely stripped its thread in the frame. I was sure my frame was stuffed and have been searching for months to find a replacement. Nothing I have found has been suitable, so I bit the bullet and went to the bike shop for some advice. They suggested that if the thread was stripped they could install a special bottom bracket which didn't require a threaded frame! Cool!

I stripped the bike down to just the frame and forks and carried it over my shoulder on my commute to work, thinking I'd have to leave it with them for a few days. The master mechanic took one look at the frame and said it'd be fine and a standard sealed bearing bottom bracket could be installed. It turned out that all the pressure I'd applied to the crank (carrying super heavy loads) had cause the cup to split and separate from the thread, or something like that.

Oh to have such a workshop!

He had the thing out in a matter of seconds, cleaned up the thread in the frame and installed a lovely brand spanking new sealed bearing unit! In 20 minutes I was riding to work with my precious frame complete with new bottom bracket slung over my shoulder and a grin on my face!

Sealed Bottom Bracket installed and ready to go

Yesterday I threw a tarp down on the pavers in the back yard and in 34 degree heat and 90% humidity put my bike back together. I sure wish I had a sheltered place to work! By the time I'd finished I had a sunburned neck and my shorts were about 500 grams heavier from the sweat! But the long bike is back on the road!

Bits of bike on my home workshop floor

Coming together

All rigged up and ready to go

Now, sinice the bike is fully functional again I've decided to install my new Xtracycle freeloaders (I'll tell more about them in another post). Looking forward to some dry season riding!

Long bike rescue... pt 2

OK I changed the title, Big deal.

I've decided to post the progress of fixing the long bike here on account of I want the Rickshaw Way blog to be focused more about utility bikes and rickshaws in action... not all being pulled apart. 

(Is blogging about what I'm blogging about just a little too boring? Ha!)

Back to the bike.

Progress so far.

This morning on the way to work I dropped into the bike shop and had a chat with the master mechanic. He reckons it's too much hassle to try and re-cut the thread to suit a french style thread, because it's a bit of a gamble and he doesn't have any bottom brackets to suit anyway. But apparently there's some other bottom bracket thing that slides in and is fixed by external mounts... No idea what it's called or how it's going to work or if it will even fit but it's time to do something and make a decision so I figured I'd strip the bike down and take it to the bike shop to see what they can do.

longbike deconstruction begins

 I started stripping her at dusk but had to help the kids with homework and found myself dropping nuts and bolts in the dark. So I took the whole mess inside. No my wife wasn't home... yes there is now grease on the floor.

I got most of the stuff off it except all the bits that were rusted on.
  

Just an old Raleigh frame with a bung bottom bracket

No turning back now!

Blog post 445

Once again there's so much to blog about and so little time or energy to actually type!

This is my 445th blog post. There's nothing significant about Post 445 except that I just noticed in my stats that my last post was No. 444. Nothing significant about that either I guess. Actually considering the fact that I've been attempting to write something here since 2006 I'd say it's just another example of mediocrity! I'm barely able to write here once or twice a month and am struggling even with that.

They say that having one's train of thought constantly interrupted is a form of torture... But where are you going to find anyone who's so committed to interrupting you 24 hours a day? Who is going to sit around and wait for you to try and do something just so they can disrupt you or distract you, interrupt your conversations or just simply create so much white noise that your brain can't physically process anything? Throw things at you, wreck all your stuff, steal your last $2 and stick their grubby fingers between your guitar strings when you think you've finally found a quiet moment to recommence the lessons you started 8 years ago when a hard day simply meant you had to do some work between the hours of 9am and 5pm? Surely such a person could not exist! Well if you don't have kids you'll always wonder if it could ever be possible for someone to dedicate so much time to such unrelenting harassment. God Love Em!

If you've ever wondered what is the most hideous product ever devised for consumption by human beings let me introduce you to... Smiley Face!

Smiley Face :(

Smiley Face is some kind of over processed meat (and probably soy) product kind of like Devon (I've never tasted that either but it looks kind of the same). Besides being offensive to look at Smiley Face also smells like the refuse pit of a toxic chemical plant! It stinks! It smells so bad that when it's in the fridge it spreads it's stink over everything that is not sealed! It is an abomination and I wonder how it was ever classified as a food!

As with most things in my universe I have absolutely no say in what my kids get to eat! Around here I am the bad guy who is constantly grumbling about all the crap their mother provides them to play with and to eat. My concerns are duly disregarded and I am reminded to stop bringing everyone down and so my kids continue to eat what can generously be called Shit!

I'm bitching about this now because I spent the whole night on spew watch after my boy proceeded to eat 'Smiley Face' after having actually eaten a reasonable dinner... He spent the rest of the night spewing his dinner which was laced with the chemical stench of his favorite snack!

There I go again getting distracted with rambling meaningless nonsense... It was easier to maintain a clear train of thought back when I could get a decent night's sleep and my brain hadn't been turned to moosh by the torture I've just mentioned... supplemented by endless replays of children's videos with the volume on full!

What really drives me crazy about the kids though is just when you think they've been sent by the Devil to destroy your spirit and turn you into a blubbering zombie they come out with the most amazing stuff! In a flash they can switch from a state of absolute self interest to a being that is completely compassionate and loving! Within on short hour I have watched my two kids attack each other with fists and claws, burst into tears, play cooperatively and then fall asleep in each others' arms.

Poem about the Earth that child one whipped out yesterday

What's been happening? OK.

Long bike In Dry Rapid Creek Bed

Rapid Creek: Riding past the stables at Rapid Creek last week I found a Potty calf had escaped so I joined a lady who was walking her dog and we wrangled it back into it's paddock. (quite fun actually)

Taking the long bike for a spin out into the wetlands behind the airport I followed it down to the salt water and found that the fresh water had completely dried up in many areas so I explored along the river bed for a while. The seasons correspond quite nicely here in the Top End, we always seem to get a bit of rain just as the very end of the previous wet season's rain has finished draining from the wetlands. While down there I got a great view of a Pacific Bazar at head level just a few metres away.

Basil babies...

Garden: The basil seeds I planted with the kids have really sprung up and now I'm thinking about mass producing them for friends. The seeds all came from a single plant in our yard that has shriveled to a stick every dry season but miraculously resurrects itself when the humidity returns. (Besides smiley face the boy actually likes to pick the leaves and eat them straight from the bush)

Quilting: My Mum, who's on a quilting tour of the USA, had to spend 3 days in a motel in Boston M.A. as Hurricane Sandy destroyed a huge chunk of New York. There was a chance they would be affected but I don't think anyone was truly worried about their safety up there. Very sad for those who have lost family in the US and Caribbean. It was very unlikely her group would make it to Houston for the show but amazingly they did. I think they still have another week of their tour to go. Visiting quilters and exhibitions from San Francisco to Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Houston and onward! Who'd have thought making quilt would be so exciting? We've received a post card from an Amish village somewhere (Postcard just said Amish Village), where, she said everything smells like horse dung. Actually I've always thought horse shit smells kind of sweet. I asked if they have bicycles but apparently they ride them kind of like scooters, without peddles or chains... I hope she got some photos... Actually how weird... A tour bus full of 70 year old Australian quilters who buy their material new, custom printed arrive in an Amish village with cameras and probably Iphone's snapping away, come to steel their homely secrets. LOL what a circus that must be. Maybe they have to leave their technology at the gate...? That would make for a very quick visit.

Cruelty to the stranger: There's a bunch of other stuff I'd like to chat about like the fascist stunt pulled by the Australian Government to send all Asylum seekers who arrive by boat to inhumane camps in Nauru and Manus Island even if they have actually managed to arrive on our shore. Now that's an amazing act of bureaucratic brutality! Imagine you've successfully fled torture, murder, starvation, drowning and general fleacing by every opportunist from Burma to Australia, you hop on a boat, statistically doomed to sink and use all your resources to get to a country that you hope and pray will treat you like a human being. Get off the boat walk up to the house of parliament, knock on the door and declare yourself as a person seeking asylum from the worst of humanity. They look at you, smirk and have you taken away, lock you up and fly you off to a place where you're shoved into a crowded tent in 45 degree heat and told to wait until... (you're forgotten about!) If I had time I'd say something about that, with all due disrespect to our Elected fascist leaders!

Lazy rider

The Long bike is back on the road again and rolling better than ever!
I thought I'd do a super quick post to say that I've finally got her back on the road.
I wasn't sure if I'd keep using the same bike frame since I haven't been able to find a suitable bottom bracket, but I decided to persist with the old Raleigh frame. It's been reliable and the other frame I've got, which has a decent bottom bracket, has got rust poking through the paint and it's bubbling all over the place.

Last week I stripped the long bike down to basics to see what could be done. Most of the parts were totally worn. Although I'd only recently refurbished the drive train I tried to avoid replacing too many parts and the result was a pretty inferior ride! Besides the exploding chain, which I've used again except this time I've joined it with an appropriate link, I've realized that the bottom bracket had worn out prematurely, there was quite a bit of lateral movement which was wasting energy and causing extra wear on all the other bits. The 'Biopace' chain ring set had worn out sooner than should because I used it for too long with a worn chain and a wonky bottom bracket so I decided to ditch that too!

I knew the bracket I'd recently installed was not so great but I didn't realize how bad it had become. When I went to turn the axle by hand it would barely move! I'd seen a decent one at the tip shop a couple of days before so went back to get it but discovered some other womble had already taken it! Eventually I found one that seemed OK so I pulled it out hoping it would be worth the trouble. Having installed the bearings and packed the lot with some pretty old marine grease I found it much better than the last set but it still has more give in it than I'm happy with. I reckon a decent bottom bracket must be the rarest bike part to find at the tip and too expensive to buy new! I'll keep tightening this one and hope I can find something to replace it with soon. 




Finally, with a few days to play I managed to clean out my bike cupboard/shed and re-discover all the bike parts I'd been hoarding for the past 10 years. Amongst the mess was a decent set of handle bars with gear shifters, brake levers and some nice hand grips so I decided to rip out the old bars, replace the cables and install a whole new handlebar unit... Yeee Haa!



I ended up keeping my simple 6 speed shifter since I'd managed to find a couple of decent rear wheels with 6 speed cogs which meant I didn't need to replace my chain or anything else... besides less gears less worries I reckon! After attaching a brand new, from the shops, gear cable and reconnecting the chain, bottom bracket etc... I took the bike for a bit of a test ride and was in a state of bliss as it shifted gears effortlessly! (Of course this time I made sure the chain was attached properly and the derailleur was tuned perfectly!)

It seemed to take no time at all to attach the other cables and have everything tuned nicely and ready to roll. I was so glad to get the panniers back on and to actually start riding again. For a final touch I cut the pink hand grips off the kids bars and put on a $5 set of blue foam ones. The blue matches other bits of colour on the bike... Not that I've ever cared about the way it looks but now that I'm so happy with it I'm starting to think about adding some more blue. ;) Its the colour of our school team Gudbilling ( the snake) so the kids are keen to turn the bike into a mascot!



 All this fiddling with decrepit bikes might seem like a waste of time to some people but who cares what they think! I know there's plenty of people who could easily have told me about all my mistakes before I made them but, how would I really know? (well there's some mistakes I'm happy to learn about from others). I have been on the edge of tossing this old bike out so many times, but once again I have played around with it for a while and learned a bunch of new stuff about how it all goes together. Maybe next time I'll chuck it out but right now I'm in love with my old heap of junk bike again!



On Wednesday I took the bike for a ride and discovered to my disgust that I've already become unfit and out of shape. Sweat pouring off me. It seems more effort to peddle now than it did when the bike broke down, even though the rear wheel and bottom bracket are smoother than ever and the old bearings had virtually seized! Too bad so sad. At least I'm back in the saddle.