Now I’m a Cargo Bike Nerd
About 5 months ago, I finally met one of my post-college goals: become car-free. To be fair, some big life changes gave me a huge kick-start, but I’d been hoping to make the change anyway. I count it as a win.
Packing up the old office. One of my civic's last hauls.
The transition wasn’t too difficult since I’d been riding bikes or trains for most trips anyway, but the car was always there for big loads. Consequently, post-car, I found myself on www.xtracycle.com oggling bolt-on cargo bike parts. A good friend and postmundane contributor has been riding an xtracycle kit in one form or another for a couple of years now and it’s always seemed like a simple and elegant solution to hauling lots of stuff on a bike. It just so happened that he’d recently purchased Surly bikes’ dedicated xtracycle rig, the Big Dummy, recently and had a spare bolt-on kit sitting around. Like the good bike nerds we are, Matt and I started figuring out a way to get his kit on one of my frames. Long story short, we couldn’t find a simple way around some compatibility issues and I ended up springing for a Big Dummy frameset at a closeout price.
Here’s the final build serving as a workbench while Matt fixes a flat.
"It's a FLAT!"
I’ve been riding my Big Dummy for a few months now and I have to say, it’s really quite wonderful. The short review is that the ride is surprisingly responsive and stiff despite the rig’s extra length. As for hauling, the xtracycle system is pretty top-notch. It’s easy to use, big enough for pretty much any load and there are tons of pre-fab and DIY ways to slap neat little add-ons onto the frame. It’s clear that Surly and xtracycle put a ton of time and though into the Big Dummy system. The frame is so solid, I’d be confident taking it out on a (non-twisty) single track. I certainly wouldn’t be the first to put it through such a rigorous test. That being said, there are a couple of minor drawbacks. It’s tricky getting the thing in and out of my second-floor apartment, the rear end can get kind of noodly depending on how you load it (see details after the fold), and there are a couple of special needs when it comes to building such a big rig. None of the downsides were really unexpected, nor are they notable enough to diminish the Dummy’s value, but still some things to keep in mind.
The rest of this post is a more detailed review and some build notes (read: unbridled nerding-out), so make the jump if you’re into that kind of thing. I’m looking forward to putting in a lot more miles and, let’s face it, fiddling with the componentry, as soon as Chicago hits spring.
I have to say, the day I took delivery of the massive box was one of the best days ever. The thing took up half of our living room and it was just the frameset. Surly does a nice job packing the thing and there was absolutely no damage from UPS manhandling.
Nice packaging job.
Owning a big cargo bike has its pluses and minuses. A big minus is the fact that it’s, well, big. Applying Frame Saver to this thing was a huge undertaking compared to simpler, smaller frames. All of the different supports and such made the job a big pain, but luckily those cans of Frame Saver come with the little red squirty straw.
A couple of notes on the build…
1. The headtube and bottom bracket shell definitely needed to be faced. All kinds of paint gunk on those surfaces. The bottom bracket threads, however, were totally clean.
Gunky BB shell needs facing.
2. I’ve seen other accounts of this online, but my rear disc brake braze-on seemed to be a little bit out of spec. Not sure if the paint back there is extra thick or if there was a QA/QC issue, but it was impossible to get my Avid BB7 brake caliper lined up properly. That’s fine because having a V-brake in back is actually a little simpler. The cable routing is a little easier and I’ve heard of some folks’ discs rubbing through their freeloader bags.
3. You need a ton of cable and housing. A TON. The whole frame uses hydraulic brake-style cable saddles instead of stops so you really need to stock up on housing. As with every cabling endeavor, but especially with this beast, “measure twice, cut once” is truth. You can always trim cable, but you can’t add any after the fact. And you really don’t want to screw up that extra long derailleur cable. I’d suggest grabbing a couple of Jagwire’s nifty housing couplers just in case. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t need one on mine.
4. I’ve noticed this on other people’s Dummies too, but I needed to leave a lot of steerer tube and a high-rising stem to get my bars as high as I wanted.
Other than those notes, the whole thing came together very smoothly, even the fender installation, which i expected to be a huge chore due to all the extra bits.
The first shot at cabling.
Build
My build is kind of an unholy mix of parts. The drivetrain is all new-ish Shimano LX with the exception of my Paul Thumbie shifters. I use an Avid BB7 disc brake in the front, some crummy old V-brake on the back and your basic garden-variety Avid levers. For wheels, I’ve got a Mavic XC717/XT in the front and some old 8-speed wheel in the back. Salsa stem and seatpost, Titec H-Bars with Oury gips and an old Terry MTB sattle round out the cockpit. I’m using conti sport contact tires now but I’d like to get some Schwalbe Big Apples in the near future. Other updates will likely include a honey B17 and some Ergon grips.
Ride
There are plenty of ride reviews out there and I agree with most of them. The Big Dummy basically rides like any other bike, except it’s longer. You have to be a little more tentative around corners and the rear wheel hits bumps a little later than you might expect. Predictably, it’s a little harder to get ‘er going, but once you’re up to speed the Big Dummy really cruises. I’ve taken it out on a couple 15-mile rides and found the ride quite enjoyable. The frame, thanks to the extra gussets and ovalized support tube, is exceptionally stiff and it’s easy to forget you’ve got an extra foot-and-a-half of bike trailing behind you.
It handles lots of weight with aplomb, including human passengers. My only complaint so far is that some really large loads really require the wideloader accessory. I recently strapped a couple huge laundry bags (at least 50 lbs apiece) to each side and noticed they were pulling the V-Racks apart a bit. I’m sure it’s fine, but I’d feel a little more comfortable with the extra support of the wideloaders. That being said, I’ve carried an entire grocery cart-load AND a passenger with no issues whatsoever. It all really depends on how you orient the stuff you’re carrying.
This is what a completely full grocery cart's-worth looks like. I carried this + a passenger without issue.
I Like It
Four months in, I’d absolutely recommend the Big Dummy to anyone looking to transition away from car ownership without losing any stuff-hauling capability. That being said, I personally find the Big Dummy an exceptionally enjoyable ride and plan on logging lots of bike camping and touring miles in addition to the regular utilitarian hauling and passenger-toting.
