Xtracycle

Helping to improve everyday voyages is Xtracycle’s “EdgeRunner,” a “long-tail” cargo bicycle that can fit 2-3 kids, groceries, camping gear, and a guitar; fusing the bike bag, baby seat, passenger seat and bike rack into a single sport-utility vehicle.

With the goal of creating a bicycle to replace a pickup truck, founder Ross Evans also discovered his niche while traveling. It was while working in Nicaragua with the nonprofit Bikes Not Bombs that he began to develop a bike that worked for the rural poor with a purpose of carrying large loads on a cheap means of transportation. Originally looping 2 bikes together and existing parts to make a long-tail, the goal was to do more with less. After tearing through a number of prototypes, he came across the extended-front, Dutch-style Long John, and reversed it.

Following 15 years of tests in developing countries such as Nicaragua and Kenya, and the proverbial Stanford University engineering labs, the EdgeRunner was born. Available in 3 models, 2 sizes and 4 frame colors, the bike also features a modest bike weight, starting at 40 lbs. With a low load platform and sturdy 20” rear wheel, the bike is optimal for carrying the day’s necessities.

Seeking to revolutionize culture, Xtracycle is bringing together a unit of unwavering dreamers determined to make a difference. With a creator that grew up with a bicycle as his only means of transportation, he believed the world needed to share his experience. It’s not such a radical idea. As a kid, a bicycle meant independence, freedom, and salvation. As an adult it can stand for the same principles: to make your own rules, escape the confines of an accepted existence, and push for health in body, mind and the environment. Or, for an even more sweeping concept, if not to push for transformation, to just go out for a ride.