Meet the Chicken Avenger (and Full Moon Vista Review) (Comments: 8)

My Xtracycle has been a long time coming, the result of over a year of scrimping and saving (the car-free lifestyle has helped with that a lot). It was further delayed when the Xtracycle kits remained sold out, so the morning they went back on sale I purchased one and had it shipped straight to local upscale bike shop Full Moon Vista (which had previously put together Jason’s Packet Boat).

An hour after it arrived at Full Moon Vista, I received e-mail confirmation, and gave them a call. I found myself in an awkward conversation, trying to assure the fellow at FMV that I had called ahead to make sure shipping the Xtracycle kit directly to the bike shop was OK. I think he just wanted to know on principle, but I imagine they’d still be willing to do the work if I hadn’t called ahead. And then I scheduled an appointment for this past Monday. This is the first time I’ve had any work done at Full Moon Vista.

If you haven’t been to Full Moon Vista yet, you should check it out. 

Today, I got the call: the Xtracycle was complete. I headed on in and they brought her out. It was love at first sight.

I’ve named her “The Chicken Avenger,” because that’s the name Jason gave me for all the work I do to help chickens. They’re the most abused animal on the face of the planet, and my Xtracycle will help me stand up for them in a lot of ways! Plus, it makes a cool bike name.

So I paid for the work, hopped on my bike, and I was off.

Ah, entering the world of long bikes. 

But, after heading a few blocks on the bike, I realized there was a problem with the chain slipping. So I turned her around and headed back to the shop. Dave, the mechanic who had worked on the Avenger, rode her around and diagnosed it as a worn out cassette.

I hope his name is Dave. It would be a jerk thing to get his name wrong. 

You see, I’ve traveled many thousands of miles on this bike over the past year, which had done a number on my chain. A worn out chain has a way of wearing out the cassette. The new long chain on my bike simply didn’t jive with the old cassette, so $26.99 later and I was back on the road without a slip to speak of.

With a drivetrain that is half-new and wheels that I learned how to true myself, my bike feels almost new again! I remember what I love about her now and see so much more to love, so I think we’re going to be spending a lot more quality time together going forward.

It’s like the pickup truck version of a bike. 

The first thing I did with the Avenger was ride to Abundance Coop and stock up on massive quantities of delicious vegan foods. I was nervous about fitting everything in, but once I started playing around with the well-designed system of straps I realized that it’s hard to imagine a limit to what the Xtracycle can carry.

The straps on either side can actually reach over the back deck, fastening pretty much anything in place. 

Team RocBikers or other good friends/trustworthy acquaintances in the area are more than welcome to take the Avenger for a spin. Just let me know. And I’ll let you know how life with her goes.

And, in regards to Full Moon Vista, I’ll definitely be headed back. Dave was the best thing about FMV; I’ve been insulted or seriously let down by bike mechanics before (want me to go into that?), but Dave was patient, honest, and very friendly.

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