I toyed with this idea a few months ago. Ended up finding an Xtracycle conversion on Craigslist for $300 attached to an old generic MTB-ish thing, very Clem like in geometry without the long chainstays so I'm just using that for the kid taxing and cargo hauling.
Anyway, someone else on here (Hi, Ed!) who had built up a Clem-Xtracycle DM'd the below to me. He had tons of experience with different cargo bikes and his thoughts are below. Short version: It worked brilliantly and he fully recommended it. Long version (quoting from Ed here on out): "I "salvaged" a Leap kit off of a Tern Cargo Node, so it's not quite the retail kit but close enough. I've had a Dummy, a 1st gen Edgerunner, and Tern Cargo Node. I really liked the Dummy (regret selling it to this day...) since it was a solid bike that rode well with or without a load. The Edgerunner was a disappointment: a bit too flexy in the wrong places, and pretty "dead" for a cromoly frame. I could never get the fit of the Tern right with that weird Andros stem and the ride was dead too, though as a cargo bike it was serviceable. The Clem build up wasn't too dramatic. The long chain stays aren't a problem. I wanted to run the "shorter" wheelbase slot on the leap but that didn't work the way the dropouts are on the Clem. The rear dropouts do work with the "long" wheelbase option on the Leap without interference, and I didn't find the bike any more unwieldy than the other longtails I've owned. Having a kickstand plate is an advantage and relieves stress on the top of the chain stay tubes. You're already familiar with the "mullet" wheelset I had built up: front rim hub, rear disc hub, using rim compatible Sun Rhyno XL rims F/R. For brakes, I ran BB7 and stock pads with a 180mm rear disc - with a load, 160mm may be too small - and Shimano V-brakes up front with Kool Stop pads. As with any longtail build, I used a full run housing to the rear derailleur and brake. Compressionless is best but super expensive so I used the pro version of Jagwire housing as an affordable alternative. ( https://jagwire.com/products/housing) The built up bike was brilliant. It had all the characteristics of the Dummy in terms of handling with or without a load, but with a step thru/lower standover frame and a more upright, and comfortable, riding position. (I'd recommend the Clem L over the Cheviot for the lower standover.) The mullet brakes are as weird as you'd expect - different modulations - but easy to get used to and always plenty of stopping power. Eventually, I did take it apart to sell the Cargo Node as a complete bike. I would have opted to get the retail Leap kit and rebuilt the Clem L but I am an old man with twins so opted for a cargo e-bike instead." On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 11:31:28 AM UTC-4, Bones wrote: > > Not sure if this has been discussed here or not, but I'd like to hear > people's thoughts on this. I spent all of last year carrying both of my > kids on my Appaloosa (one in front, one in back). They are getting too big > for that setup now. Though I can still handle the bike with ease, I think > 80lbs is a bit too much for the bike, and it is only going to get worse. So > my options, so far as I can see, are the following: > > 1) Get a bike trailer (Burley or Thule or whatnot) > 2) Big Dummy or Big Fat Dummy. > 3) Add an Xtracycle to my Clem H > > I like the idea of using the Clem the most because I really don't want to > bring another bike or trailer into the house if I can help it, and I really > like the Clem. So far it has been used as a trail bike, and with a few > small children around, that means it doesn't get used that often. And that > is a job my Appaloosa can easily fill. I have no experience with the > Xtracycle leap kit though, so any suggestions here would be greatly > appreciated! > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/92e379cb-5ca3-4746-8efd-c0b5f3ba67ee%40googlegroups.com.
