[Groop] [rootsradicals] Re: Yakima Blockhead on a Free Radical

[Tone]

	As someone pointed out a fork mount, like that on a car’s roof rack or
truck’s bed rack, does not allow for vertical rotation. Even on no-hill
roads if you hit a pot hole or speed bump then the trailed bike would not
be able to roll freely over the non-level surface.
	I had a front fork mounted on my Xtracycle’s rear step, and I only used
it occasionally to tow my girlfriend’s bike to the local bike shop to get
my long-tail bike serviced. That way I could ride back home on her bike
and do the reverse when I needed to pick up my bike after repairs were
made. Luckily for me at the time the streets between my place and the
bike shop were relatively smooth. I still noticed handling problems, and
eventually I decided to remove the fork mount though because I was
worried about wearing down the fork ends where the quick release skewer
clamps onto. My decision was also sparked by a fellow Xtracyclist’s
elegant solution of simply mounting a slightly modified front quick
release hub using hose-clamps and the like to the rear step instead of a
non-pivoting fork mount. Obviously the hub itself allowed the mounted
bike to rotate so it could freely overcome un-level or bumpy road/surface
conditions. At the time of hearing of that towing solution I did not have
a spare front hub in my stock of parts, so I never got around to setting
up a towing rig again.

	Someone also provided the suggestion of using such a set up to trail not
only a bicycle, but also potentially a person riding on the towed bike,
like a tag-along or whatever they are called. This is NOT a good idea. I
distinctly recall a specification for the rear of the Xtracycle, which is
limited to a maximum of 60 pounds. Therefore, a towed bike should be fine
by itself, but combined with even a small child the weight limit on the
rear step would be surpassed. I never towed anyone like that with my set
up, but I definitely know first hand about the Xtracycle’s rear weight
limitations. I went through two or three before I got my Big Dummy, and
every Xtracycle I had developed a crack or complete break right behind
the rear axle where the FreeRadical frame is weakest. Luckily for me no
injuries or other damage was caused, but I would hate to think of someone
going up a hill with their little one tagging along when there is a
structural failure caused by too much rear weight. Just make you child
ride with you until they get tired, then tow their bike while they sit on
the snap deck.
	There was someone or a couple of folks, who came up with a tag-along
adaptation. I recall them building something mounted through the snap
deck, which used some kind of extension clamp to grab the head tube of
the trailing bike or something like that. Of course you could also attach
a front quick release hub to the deck instead of to the rear step as
another way of towing a bike without a more complex clamp extension, but
the angle of the trailed bike would force whoever is on it to ride like
they are doing a constant wheelie.

	Ride safe,
_TONE_