Xtracycle is a company that initially became famous for making an accessory that attaches to the rear of a standard bike frame to make it a longtail cargobike. They still make and sell that part (called the Free-radical), but a while back they began selling a complete longtail frame (called the Radish), which some customers had requested because the solid one-piece frame was stronger and had less flex.The Juiced Rider ODK-II (read our review) and the Madsen cargo bikes both have a smaller 20-inch wheel in the back, and this allows any heavy cargo to sit lower, and that makes the ride much more stable. Many customers mentioned to Xtracycle that a lower rear for cargo would be a great feature for them to consider.
The current sales leader for a factory longtail cargobike is the Yuba Mundo, and its popularity has spurred Xtracycle to widen their frame selection to compete. The latest addition to their lineup is the “Edgerunner”, with all the features of the Radish, but with the smaller 20-inch rear wheel.
Xtracycle worked closely with Grin Technologies (The new name of www.ebikes.ca) for their technical expertise in E-bike systems, since most of Xtracycles cargobike customers ended up adding E-power). Grin Technologies is the most highly regarded E-bike kit supplier in North America headed by Justin Lemire-Elmore who is near the top of our list of most influential people in the ebike revolution. Justin is a fan of cargo bikes and actually rode one clear across Canada in one of the most famous ebike tours ever.
You may not be able to buy a bare frame set for the Extracycle by itself just yet, because demand for complete E-cargo Edgerunners is high right now. Xtracycle and ebikes.ca will be selling the complete bike for $3695 with a 48V / 10-Ah LiMn Samsung battery, and using their proven geared V2-eZee 900W motor. If you are not familiar with E-bike component specs, this bike is a mountain-climbing mule, designed by people who know what they are doing.
The frame is high-grade CroMoly steel. The seat-tube height is low enough to allow the highly regarded Thudbuster suspension seat. The head-tube is 1-1/8th inch, so the buyer has the option of easily upgrading to a wide variety of front suspension forks. The optional rear disc brake allows the buyer to use a heavy-duty moped tire if wanted (which would be too fat for a V-brake).
Like all of their frames, the Edgerunner also uses Xtracycles proven cargo system, with a wide variety of accessories, including child-seats.
The frame is also specifically designed to allow a customer to add a mid-drive motor, such as the Stokemonkey (temporarily unavailable). A variety of mid-drive kits will be available to the public soon. http://clevercycles.com/blog/products/stokemonkey/
Buy the Edgerunner from Ebikes.ca here.
Read our article on the benefits of Cargo Electric Bikes
