Project View

Xtracycle Edgerunner w/ All Axle v3 and SuperHarness

Washington, DC

Published: 2024-05-14

Grin All-Axle

Family

Cargo Bike

A converted longtail to adventure with my two kids. The most streamlined kit from Grin - All Axle with torque sensor, baserunner, and SuperHarness.

It's important to have help. — The little helper

All Axle v3 with integrated torque sensor. — Wheelbuild by Grin

Battery Mounting

The Xtracycle Edgerunner was built with electric conversions in mind (and they ONLY make e-bikes now). However, my "Swoop" version (their name for the low stepover height) has significantly less space for a battery than the typical Edgerunner frames. I overestimated the room I had to work with when I ordered the massive 52v 20aH battery. Xtracycle sells little offset adapters to allow the battery to clear the chain in the highest gears, but this caused the battery to sit up too high. The triple bob from Grin conveniently allowed me to rotate the entire battery around the tube to sit at a slight angle, giving enough clearance for the chain. There's just a few millimeters of space to work with when removing/installing the battery from the mount, but it works!

Even in the highest gear the chain clears the battery case with plenty of space. — Chain clearance

The triple bob is rotated around the tube requiring the use of hose clamps even though the Edgerunner has threaded battery mount holes. — Rotated battery mount

The hose clamps feel secure but are oversized and get in the way a bit. I'd like to add some additional frame protection anyways so I'll likely replace them with a smaller diameter band. — Triple bob with hose clamps

Drivetrain and Brake Updates

The Edgerunner was built as an analog bike and came with extremely low gearing for hauling cargo and passengers. A wide range triple crankset and 11-34t 9 speed cassette. Since I was going to have so much torque with the new All Axle I opted to replace my triple crankset with a 1x crankset with a large 50t chainring. I kept the 11-34t 9 speed cassette but upgraded the shifter and derailleur to Microshift's awesome Advent Super Short. This gives plenty of ground clearance on the small 20" wheel. Shifts are great and the new shifter is a minimal impact to handlebar real estate.

Although my Edgerunner already had a nice hydraulic brake system, I replaced the rear brake as the old caliper had a minor leak. The new caliper has the smallest fraction of clearance with the All Axle motor. I replaced the entire front brake with a modified Shimano MT200 that had an integrated e-brake cutoff for regen braking.

This large Shimano Deore 4 piston caliper has the smallest fraction of clearance with the All Axle motor. — New rear brake caliper

Designed with 20 — Microshift Advent Super Shorty

Reused an old set of crank arms and bottom bracket with a new 50t narrow wide chainring for better pedaling at speed. I'd probably go with a 52t or 54t if I were to do it again. — New Crankset

Clean Install

I chose the All Axle, baserunner, and SuperHarness kit because I was hoping for a very clean install. I think I was able to achieve that. The hose clamps on the triple bob are not the neatest, but almost everything else looks good.

The hose clamps are a little oversized and I may replace with something smaller. — Torque arm installation

This light from Grin mounts a little lower than I'd like but it looks good. I may add a second light higher up for added safety. — Tidy rear light

I've simplified my bars as much as possible with the SuperHarness and a simple 1x drivetrain. I consider a bell and my Wahoo GPS computer to be mandatory. The thumb hooks give an extra hand position on long rides. — View from the driver's seat

Wiring looks pretty clean with the Higo connectors and spiral wrap. I soldered several cables myself to improve length and compatibility (headlight wiring and e-brake cutoff). — Front handlebars

General

When doing this e-bike conversion I wanted to keep the natural biking feel of the Xtracycle longtail so I wanted a torque sensor. I chose a Grin system over a mid drive to keep maintenance low and enjoy the benefits of regenerative braking. This bike is a car replacement for daily trips to school and daycare so I needed a high quality and reliable system without too much fussing and troubleshooting. My oldest has been commuting with me by bike for over 2 years and hopefully the youngest will be able to join us later this year!