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I did, but it involved a massive detour to the other side of the New Forest down south. It was in very bad used condition and the ebay photos were terrible. I got lucky.
There had been one of the conversion XC’s on ebay a month or so prior that was relisted a couple times.
If you were in Swindon any time you’d be welcome to try out my parts-bin build. No motor but slightly different form to the Surly.
The guy I bought the frame off had bought it from someone else (probably it’s had multiple owners before that too). He’d used a Bafang mid motor on it.
If you have something like a Big Dummy and it fits but it’s tiring, just invest the ~£700 in the mid motor kit and see how you get on first. You can always strip it off again and swap to another bike in the future.
pdlouche-
The conversions come up every now and then on ebay, and Big Dummys come up every now and then second hand. But full xtracycles don't really, which is a shame, as they have some brilliant thinking.
Thanks for the offer, sadly you're quite far from me!
I've thought about a Bafang mid-drive motor conversion but then got scared off when I saw how many then require extra TLC in keeping them running. Still fancy a doing a conversion at some point, just need to find the time to do it. I'm also not sure i'll ride the bike any more, unless I commute to work on it!
So far I'm a big fan of the Big Dummy, has saved a good few local car journeys and has made those quick trips easier as I can park right outside the shop/place
benp1
Did you pick yours up in the UK? They're like hens teeth!
I've had both kids on the back of my Big Dummy and that pedals just fine, can't really do much of a hill with them on there though
Electrifying it is definitely a consideration, would make local errands a less sweaty affair! But I also have my eye vaguely on a Tern GSD. They seem to be almost as practical but with a smaller form factor