TerraCycle Cargo Monster

The Cargo Monster is new and different, and everyone has lots of questions about it. We'll try and answer most of them here.

1. What is a Cargo Monster? The Cargo Monster is an extension to the frame of your bike/trike. It bolts in place of the rear wheel, and extends the wheelbase back by 18" (46cm). Your rear wheel bolts back into the Cargo Monster. The rear deraileur moves back too, of course. The Cargo Monster has mounts for a 203mm disk brake so you can have lots of braking if you need it. The Cargo Monster has plugins to accept the various pannier and load carrying platforms made by Xtracycle for their popular upright bicycle load carriers.

2. Can I put one on my bike or trike? Almost certainly yes, but... since recumbents are all so different, it takes a few special parts. We have kits for most of the WizWheelz, Catrike, and Greenspeed trikes right now, and are working on the parts required for other bikes and trikes, including things like upright folding bikes. We designed the Cargo Monster to adapted to all sorts of things, so nearly anything is possible.

Basically, the main part of the Cargo Monster attaches to the inside of the dropouts right where the wheel used to go (standard 135mm spacing required). A triangulated beam bolts on to the front of the Cargo Monster frame and goes forward to the main frame of the bike or trike. The length of this forward beam depends on your wheel size. We make 2 sizes: 20inch and 26inch. A clamp on mount goes on the main tube of your bike/trike, and a special adapter plate goes between the end of the beam and the mount. The adapter plates are made for each type of bike or trike. They make sure everything lines up and fits perfectly. We make the mounts in several sizes, and may make a universal adapter kit in the future to enable people to attach Cargo Monsters to things that are uncommon or out of production.

We currently have kits in stock for the Catrikes, all except the 700, Villager, and Dash; all the WizWheelz/Terratrikes except for the tandem, Zoomer, and Edge; most of the Greenspeeds, except the tandem, and the Sun EZ-3 SX. We are working on kits for the Sun tadpole trikes, Actionbent and Performer trikes, and ICE 2008/2009 and 2010 rigid rear section trikes. We will start work on kits for recumbent and upright bikes through the winter and spring.

3. How does it attach? The Cargo Monster attaches in place of your rear wheel, at the dropouts, and to the main tube of your bike/trike. The dropout plates match the 135mm spacing of your rear wheel. The mount on the frame is a clamp that is CNC machined to exactly fit the tube. The rear wheel goes back into the Cargo Monster frame. The height at the dropouts remains the same, so the seat height, etc. remains the same. The rear deraileur moves back. The original cable and housing flips up and plugs into a stop on the Cargo Monster, and a provided extender cable and housing take it back to the deraileur's new location. Installation takes 15 to 20 minutes the first time, and much less after that.

4. What if I want to take it off and put things back the way they were? No problem. In about 5 minutes, you can take the Cargo Monster off and have everything back to original.

5. What is the weight limit? We suggest a load limit of 200lbs (90Kg) if low and evenly centered on the rear axle, and not to exceed 350lbs (160Kg) combined rider+cargo. 200lbs is a lot, and you have to keep in mind that requires careful loading, a strong rear wheel, and a strong bike or trike- as well as a strong rider, no hills, and good brakes. A good amount of judgment and common sense is called for when hauling cargo. How things are loaded, how they are secured, and where you are going may all be more important than the weight limit. You can carry all kinds of things, but you do have to be sensible about it.

6. What can I carry on it? Oh my... almost anything that weighs less than 200lbs. There are several options for things that you plug into the Cargo Monster to hold things. The basic one is the Xtracycle Long Tail kit. It has two aluminum rails that plug into the vertical tubes on the Cargo Monster. A plywood deck snaps onto the top of the rails. The rails have extensible bags that can carry 6 bags of groceries, a couple bags of cement, ladders, touring gear, all kinds of things. Another useful kit Xtracycle makes is a set of rails that carry 4-6 panniers, plenty of room for carrying everything you need while touring cross country. There are also plug in platforms, and you can easily make your own attachments if you like.

7. Can I go touring with one? Definitely! The Cargo Monster is a great way to carry everything you need. For touring, the pannier carrying rails is probably the best way to go. That way, you can use standard panniers.

8. Can I carry my child on the back? We strongly recommend that you do not carry people on your Cargo Monster. There are several good reasons for this. On trikes, since they don't lean, it's precarious to be sitting up high when cornering or off camber. Also, on recumbents, there's nothing for a passenger to hold onto like there is on upright bikes. We also have strong feelings about the safe carrying of children, that they are safer in trailers and other things designed expressly for that purpose. So, we recommend that you do not carry passengers on your Cargo Monster. If you are using your Cargo Monster on an upright bike, and you can use all the Xtracycle passenger carrying accessories, it would be OK, but, ultimately, you have to decide if this would be safe for your bike and riding conditions.

9. Will this damage my bike/trike or void the warranty? The loads on the Cargo Monster are largely carried by the Cargo Monster and the rear wheel. There will be some cargo load forces into the frame of the bike/trike, but it's a small percentage of the overall load. The Cargo Monster does compound the effect of rider weight, so the upper weight limit on riders is lower. We suggest a maximum rider weight 75% of the manufacturer's maximum.

The Cargo Monster attaches to the inside of the dropouts with sturdy steel dropout plates, which spread the load out more than a wheel would, so there is less strain in cornering than you get with a wheel in the dropouts. The Xtracycle system has been used for a while now on upright bikes, and there hasn't been a rash of frame failures, so we are confident people won't be breaking their bikes with their Cargo Monsters. It is possible a bike/trike manufacturer could say that using such a thing is outside the warranty, since it didn't even exist when they designed their frames. We can't say that's unreasonable, but as long as you avoid heavy loads high up on the Cargo Monster, you should not expect problems. As in all things, you should consider whether your bike/trike can handle the load you wish to carry, and regularly check to make sure all bolts/mounts are secure.

10. Since the Cargo Monster can take a 26" wheel, does this mean I can get a 26" rear wheel on my 20" trike? Yes, it does. Keep in mind that if you do this, the rear of the trike will be raised slightly. This may affect the handling a bit. We recommend wide tires in the front if you do this. It works quite well.

11. Does the Cargo Monster affect handling? Yes, but generally in a good way. The wheelbase is extended, which makes the steering more stable, which is good when you're carrying loads. Your turning radius will be larger, but on most trikes, you can still easily turn around in the street. Purists will note that the steering geometry will be altered, but we have found this is generally an improvement. Twitchy trikes will be much improved.

12. I'm not familiar with the Xtracycle. What is it, and how is it different from the Cargo Monster? The Xtracycle cargo extension, officially called the "Free Radical", was developed for upright bikes with 26" or 700c wheels. It is a one piece frame that attaches to the outside of the dropouts. It has a fixed sized forward beam designed to attach to a kickstand plate found behind the bottom bracket of most bikes. It has 4 vertical tubes and 2 double ended horizontal tubes that take plugins to carry various kind of cargo. It's a very clever system, and let's people do all kinds of new things with their bikes. It's not designed to fit any other kind of bike, though, and not designed to take the torsional loads created by trikes. So, we decided to make a more general purpose version, stiffened and strengthened in the ways required by trikes, recumbents, and other unusual bikes.

13. What are the other Xtracycle things I can plug in? The basic Xtracycle load carrying system is the "Long Tail Kit". It has two aluminum rails, a wooden top deck, and two large capacity side bags. There is also the "Pannier Kit", which has two aluminum rails that let you carry 4-6 standard panniers, though there is no provision for the bottom bungy hooks (and yes, we are working on that). There are also horizontal platforms, different types of top decks, kits for carrying long loads, all sorts of things (see the Xtracycle website for more information). The system is designed to be very simple to add to, and we expect to see more third parties to make even more accessories. We may be doing some ourselves.

14. Can I use it on multiple bikes? Yes. It may require a different forward beam, frame clamp, or adapter plate, but that's all.

15. Can I add an electric motor? Yes. The Cargo Monster has tabs for mounting an Ecospeed mid drive system. These could be used to adapt to another system, and you can also use a hub drive. The Cargo Monster dropouts are 1/4" steel and are plenty strong enough to handle the load. There is generally a lot of room above or beside the forward beam on the Cargo Monster to hold the battery.

If you have questions about ordering, click over to our webshop and take a look at the ordering options page.

The basic "Long Tail Kit" Two aluminum rails, a plywood top deck, and two large capacity side bags
The pannier rail kit Takes 4-6 standard panniers
One type of long load Long loads can often extend forward and fit under the seat
Bulky loads The Xtracycle bag/strap system is very extendable
The pannier rail kit with optional top deck Over 52" (132cm) of pannier rail
Another long load The ladder could come further forward, but you might bump the corner with your shoulder, and you want to make sure there's room for you arms to operate the steering.
Adapter Plate and Frame Mount The Frame Mount is made to the exact size of the frame's main tube, and the Adapter Plate connects the forward beam at the proper height.

Cargo Monster FAQ