Over the last couple days, Xtracycle has launched a new page off their main site called the Longtail Technology Wiki.

They’ve put this site up because Xtracycle has decided to make the dimensions of their longtail platform Open Source. As most of you know, I’m a big fan of open source projects. Usually those projects are in the software realm, but I’m tickled pink to see that a bike company, especially one as cool as Xtracycle has decided that open sourcing their design is going to be beneficial to them as a company and to the bike community as a whole.

So, in honor of that, I’ve put together a little question and answer format about why this is such a cool idea.

So what exactly does it mean that Xtracycle has “open sourced” their design?
In it’s most basic form, it means that they’ve made the dimensions and drawings for the longtail standard available on the internet for anyone to use and modify to their liking. It also means that they have agreed to not exercise any patent claims against anyone else for using these drawings to create a bike or accessory based on them.

Why would they do such a thing? Isn’t intellectual property around the longtail what their company is based on?
Well, yes and no. Xtracycle has taken the idea that they have not just come up with a product, but a platform. This means that the more people who have longtail compatible accessories out there, the more people will buy FreeRadicals to use those accessories on. On the flip side of that, if somebody else starts building a longtail compatible bike (like surly did with the Big Dummy), there’s more of a chance that people will want to buy Xtracycle brand accessories with it.

Xtracycle is basically banking on the idea that more longtails out there is better, and that they can stay ahead of the curve on accessories when other people start making longtail compatible accessories. I’d be willing to bet they can, seeing what they’ve come up with already..

So what do you get for “Free” on the site?
For starters, the complete set of dimensions for the longtail adaptors are on the site, so that can get you started. One of the other things you notice, though, is that Xtracycle has decided to release this via a Wiki, which means that anyone can edit it. This means that if it takes off, I’d be willing to be that CAD models of all different types start showing up on the site for use. I would also bet that you’ll start seeing some motivated person bust out some dimensions on clearances for different tire sizes, standards for how to create a longtail with a trailer compatible mount, and even dimensions for other popular accessories and how to adapt them to the longtail standard.

Alright, this sounds like a good idea, but who do you think will be using this?
Honestly, I have no idea who’s watching this announcement, but I hope that a lot of people will jump in on this. But, just to get the juices flowing, here are some ideas off the top of my head:

• We already know that Ortlieb is in tight with Xtracycle, as they’ve had Ortlieb bags on the adventure racks at the Xtracycle booth for 2 years in a row now at interbike. What if Ortlieb were to make a bag that plugs straight into the Longtail ports, no extra rack to clip them to. It could make for a super-lightweight touring system for a longtail.
• I wrote about the Kona Ute a while ago, and my frustration with the fact that they didn’t embrace the Longtail standard for rack mounts. I see an opportunity for somebody to make Ute-Longtail adaptors so you can use Xtracycle’s accessories on the Ute. It could be a cool product since a complete Ute is similar in price to a frame alone from Surly.
• Imagine a trailer that accepted the Xtracycle accessories. I personally like the feel of the longtail as it seems more maneuverable than a trailer, but sometimes a trailer could be the way to go. Just think, if you had a trailer with a 200 lb capacity and the xtracycle accessories, you could carry more people and gear than most 2-seater sports cars out there. Might want to gear down for that setup.
• Finally, the possibilities for application specific accessories are pretty much endless. What about a cooler thats plug straight into the Longtail, or a large bin that could carry grain/dirt/feed, or a toolbox that plugged into the back of the bike for bike-based support at races. Awesome.

Are you convinced yet?