At Cycle 9, we love Surly’s no-nonsense approach to bicycles.  These bikes are not flashy or trendy, but are elegant and refined in their functionality.  Made from CroMoly steel, Surlys are built to last and ride beautifully.

Take the Surly Cross Check, for example.

Surly Cross Check

The versatile Cross Check handles all terrains with ease.  It’s a great commuter bike, offering a fabulously comfortable ride.  After work, go ahead and hit the trails.  You’ll love how this bike handles off-road as well.  Reviewers rave about this bike and for a good reason.  Come on in to see what all the buzz is about!

Another favorite at Cycle 9 is the Big Dummy.  Don’t let the name fool you, this bike isn’t a clunker.  It’s made for hauling a lot of stuff and it does its job gracefully.  Compatible with Xtracycle accessories, the Big Dummy can carry a week’s worth of groceries, an 8 ft ladder, passengers, or almost anything else you can think of – all while riding smoothly.  The options are endless and car-less, which makes this Big Dummy anything but dumb.

Surly Big Dummy

Ok – I quit this gig.  I’m packing up my crap and heading out West.  Peace out amigos!  While you’re watching the evening news, I’ll be riding into the sunset on Surly’s touring bike, the Long Haul Trucker.  Because the Trucker’s frame geometry is designed to carry a lot of stuff, I can make it out to there with everything I need.  The ultra durable components make me confident that my bike won’t let me down on the way.  Once I’ve reached my destination, I’ll still have a great bike to get around town.  Yup, the Long Haul Trucker is my long haul ride.  It can be yours too.  Stop by Cycle 9 to see why it’s one of our best sellers.

Surly Long Haul Trucker

Xtracycle. Your Everyday Adventure

Xtracycle is the original longtail – the company that started it all when surfers wanted to be able to carry their boards to the beach. Designed originally for use in developing countries with paths instead of roads, the Xtracycle add-on Free Radical kit found a home in the US in the 1990s, and the idea has taken off in the last 5 years.

In today’s video I show what an Xtracycle kit is, how it fits with your existing bicycle, and talk about why you would want this great cargo bike solution.

-Elise

Go By Bike is a daily video series that talks about how to be green by riding more and using your car less, including electric bikes, electric kits, cargo bikes, bike safety, and getting motivated to bike.

If you like this video, please  digg it, stumble upon it, tweet about it or post it to delicious or facebook using one of the links below

Up close and personal – the Big Dummy with Stokemonkey

Now together again, two classics of the cargo biking world: Surly’s Big Dummy cargo bike and the Stokemonkey from Clever Chimp. Both of these products first emerged on the cargo biking scene in spring of 2008. Both sold out by mid-summer and were unavailable for awhile, building anticipation. Now both are available in new and improved forms.

Check them out here for an up close and personal view of how the stokemonkey works with it’s friend, the Big Dummy. If you’re in our area, come by the shop for a test ride – we have one set up and all ready to go.

- Elise

Go By Bike is a daily video series that talks about how to be green by riding more and using your car less, including electric bikes, electric kits, cargo bikes, bike safety, and getting motivated to bike

If you like this video, please  digg it, stumble upon it, tweet about it or post it to delicious or facebook using one of the links below

It’s spring, and we’re getting geared up for 2010. We just received our first shipment of Yuba Mundo bikes, Version 3!  Including some component upgrades and minor fixes from version 2, the Mundo still rocks at the world’s most solid utility bike.

Yuba Mundo, Version 3 in Tangerine

Version 3 comes in Tangerine, Black or Carolina Blue (well, they don’t call it Carolina Blue, but we tarheels know better….). Some impressions:

• I love the new kickstand on this bike. The kickstand (or lack thereof) was one of the major drawbacks of the earlier versions of mundos. This one is a single sided kickstand that is heavy duty enough to hold the bike up even when it is loaded. If you’re sticking 400lbs on the back, you might need an alternate plan, but for your average load, this kickstand is going to be great.
• Continuing from earlier versions, the bike has a really nice, upright riding style, but not so upright that you can’t handle a heavy load. The handlebars are a nice cross between straight bars that tend to kill my wrists after while, and cruiser bars with so much reach that they don’t have as much stability. And the seat is actually a comfortable one out of the box – something that I can’t say about most bikes
• The carrier is narrower than on the original mundo, allowing for 2 childseats to be attached to the rear deck. And Yuba has their own childseat that fits great and keeps the kids safe.

2 standard child seats fit on the rear carrier

• The gearing is now 21 speeds with a triple chainring in front. The gearing is quite low, allowing for lots of spinning when moving those loads around town.
• The frame is still rock-solid steel without flex. If your’re looking for a bike that can handle a lot of weight without flex, this one is it. The rear wheel still has the oversize axle and 48 spokes of earlier versions, all designed to hold up to whatever you throw at it.
• A great improvement from the shop perspective and for online customers is a NEW BIGGER BOX, which means much less assembly required for the new Yubas. The version 2 bikes were packed in the box “like a Chinese puzzle” (according to mechanic and expert bike packer, Chris) requiring a 12-page document to assemble it. The new bike actually ships with the fork and rear wheel installed, much like typical bikes do.
• But my FAVORITE part about the new mundo is the great feel of the bike. For a bike that looks heavy and is heavy duty, once you get on it, you hardly even notice that. The ride is easy and enjoyable, and it really is a bike you could use as your everyday vehicle without it feeling clunky.

Of course, electric-assist is always an option for cargo bikes, and the Yuba is no exception. We’ve worked out a couple of good kits for this bike to help save your legs and make your ride more enjoyable. Stay tuned for details.

(p.s. as of March 2010, we still have ONE version 2 6-speed green mundo available at a closeout price)

In addition to a used Big Dummy, we have two Xtracycle equipped bikes for sale. (**11/30/09 – These bikes have been sold. We do sell used cargo and xtracycles occasionally, so stay posted, or join our email list for more info)

First up is a bike that was sold to a customer, used less than 10 times, then returned by the customer because she wasn’t able to use it. This is a Marin San Rafael Euro (now called the EZ Step), wedded to an Xtracycle Freeradical kit. Brand new, this setup retails for about $1,100. We are offering this used for $790 – over $300 off the normal price, for a very lightly used bike. The frame is 17″, designed for someone who is in the low to mid 5′ range, height wise. Please drop us a line if you are interested. Here are some pictures:

Second up is Morgan’s own used Xtracycle. She is building up a new Big Dummy for herself, with a slick continuously variable transmission by Nuvinci. So, sadly, her trusty Xtracycle rig has to go. This is a classic – based on a pink 1992 Stumpjumper frame made with Tange Prestige tubing and matching Specialized rigid fork. The bike has Deore XT components, a really nice Bontrager road triple crankset, platform pedals, and of course, the Xtracycle. Morgan is asking $525 for this, so it is like getting a used Xtracycle kit for $350 and bike for $175. Or something like that. Did I mention that it has the very comfortable Nitto Albatross bars? Or the SweetSkinz nightwing tires?

This bike setup is ideal for a tall(ish) person, 5’11-6’3 or thereabouts. Drop us a line if you’d like to see the bike, or inquire about having it shipped.

Now is a great time to get one of these – last summer, these were sold out nationwide for three months.

Gas will get expensive again….