Xtracycle decks, and how to figure out which deck you have

The rear deck on an Xtracycle cargo bike is key to its passenger carrying ability. It's the back seat that most vehicles have, but that your bike has been lacking. Most rear decks made by Xtracycle are strong enough for carrying a full size adult without a problem. However, not all decks are compatible with kid carrying accessories like the Hooptie and Yepp child seat. Here's how to identify which deck you have and what you can do with it.

Types of decks

There are two different styles of Xtracycle decks: integrated decks and removable decks.

Integrated decks are the newer deck style that are welded to the upright support rails. These decks are metal and non-removable.

Removable decks were used on older model bikes and they clamps onto the upright supports. They are made of wood or plastic.

Types of integrated decks

• Material: Metal
• Attachment to vertical rails and bike frame: The deck is welded onto the vertical rails. The EdgeRunner All-In-One Rack slides into the bike frame and secures with RackLocks. The RFA racks bolt directly to the frame.
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose, no holes, horizontal gap between deck and rails for child seat and accessory installation
• Found on: All RFAs, Shimano Swoop, Shimano Stoker
• Accessory compatibility: Hooptie / HalfHooptie / SnackBars (be sure to confirm compatibility on product page), MagicCarpet, Yepp Nexxt Maxi (rack mounted), CarryHandle
• Not compatible with: Old MagicCarpet seat pad, Yepp Maxi EasyFit
• Availability: Comes on All RFAs, Shimano Swoop and Shimano Stoker. The All-in-one Rack is available separately and fits over any 20" or 24" wheel on an Xtracycle longtail bike.

Types of removable decks

SnapDeck

• Material: Wood
• Attachment to V-Racks: 4 Nylon SnapHooks
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose, half-moon cutout at rear, no holes except those for mounting SnapHooks
• Commonly found on: Pre-2014 FreeRadical, Radish
• Accessory compatibility: Old MagicCarpet seat pad (Not current MagicCarpet)
• Not compatible with: Any Hooptie, SnackBars, Yepp Maxi EasyFit, Yepp Nexxt Maxi, MagicCarpet, CarryHandle
• Availability: No longer available

The SnapDeck was the original Xtracycle deck that came with our early bolt-on kits and complete bikes. Clean and simple, it was easy to attach and used natural materials. However, when we started carrying kids on our bikes, we needed something more solid. If you have a SnapDeck equipped bike and would like to mount a Yepp Maxi EasyFit kids seat (for carrying passengers 1-4) to your bike, you'll need to replace it with a FlightDeck LT1 v 2 and Superhooks.

EcoDeck

• Material: thick black plastic
• Attachment to V-Racks: 4 Metal SuperHooks
• Shape/Holes: Slightly tapered, rounded front with no "handle". Rounded rear with "handle" cut-outs. 6 countersunk holes for mounting SuperHooks, and two parallel sets of holes for accessory mounting.
• Commonly found on: FreeRadical, Radish.
• Accessory compatibility: Hooptie LT2 (with Hooptie Retrofit Kit), Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit (with Yepp EasyFit Adapter which has been discontinued and is no longer available), Mini MagicCarpet, MagicCarpet, PeaPod LT, CarryHandle
• Not compatible with: Yepp Nexxt Maxi, old MagicCarpet seat pad, LT2 Seat Adapter Front+Rear
• Availability: No longer available 

FlightDeck LT1, Version 1 (originally known as "FlightDeck")

• Material: 1" thick Black HDPE Plastic
• Attachment to V-Racks: 4 Metal SuperHooks
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose and rear, "handle" cut-outs front and rear, 4 countersunk holes for mounting SuperHooks, and two parallel sets of holes for accessory mounting.
• Commonly found on: FreeRadical, Radish, Pre-2014 Edgerunner, Pre-2014 Cargo Joe, Pre-2013 Surly Big Dummy*
• Accessory compatibility: Hooptie LT2 (with Hooptie Retrofit Kit), Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit (with Yepp EasyFit Adapter which has been discontinued and is no longer available), Mini MagicCarpet, MagicCarpet, PeaPod LT, CarryHandle
• Not compatible with: Yepp Nexxt Maxi, old MagicCarpet seat pad, LT2 Seat Adapter Front+Rear, Longtail Hooptie
• Availability: No longer available 

The FlightDeck LT1 was our original kid carrying deck, and is still a well-built and versatile system for mounting many of our accessories, old and new. You can mount a Hooptie LT2 with our Hooptie Retrofit Kit, although you will need to drill new holes and find longer bolts than those that come with the Retrofit Kit. While it is not set up for direct mounting of the Yepp Maxi EasyFit kid seat like our later FlightDecks, you can bolt on a Yepp-made EasyFit adapter and mount the seat that way.

Note: Even though we cut handles into it, it's not recommended that you use the FlightDeck handles for lifting the bicycle.

FlightDeck LT1, Version 2 (originally known as "FlightDeck 2.0")

• Material: 1/2" thick Black HDPE Plastic, 100% post-consumer recycled
• Attachment to V-Racks: 4-8 Metal SuperHooks
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose, half-moon cutout at rear, 8 countersunk holes for SuperHook mounting, two parallel sets of holes for accessory mounting, and 2 pre-formed cut out windows for Yepp Maxi EasyFit direct moutng
• Commonly found on: 2014 Edgerunners, 2014 FreeRadicals, 2014 Cargo Joe
• Accessory compatibility: Hooptie LT2 (with Hooptie Retrofit Kit), Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit (rack mounted), Mini MagicCarpet, MagicCarpet, CarryHandle
• Not compatible with: Yepp Nexxt Maxi, old MagicCarpet seat pad, LT2 Seat Adapter Front+Rear, Longtail Hooptie
• Availability: No longer available 

The second-generation FlightDeck LT1 is an improvement on the original, offering the same strength and accessory compatibility in a lighter, thinner package. It also allows for the direct mounting of Yepp Maxi EasyFit kid seats (installation instructions here) once you cut out the pre-formed windows at the seat mounting points. Aside from saving the weight of the adapter, this allows the seat to be mounted lower, for a lower center of gravity, and thus better handling with a load.

FlightDeck LT2

• Material: 1/4" thick Black HDPE Plastic
• Attachment to V-Racks: attaches directly to LT2 V-Racks only with 8 bolts
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose and rear, 8 V-rack attachment holes, 2 pre-formed cut out windows for Yepp Maxi EasyFit mounting
• Commonly found on: non-electric Swoop, 2015-2016 EdgeRunners, Leap, Cargo Node, Bosch Swoop, Bosch Classic and Bosch Stoker
• Accessory compatibility: Hooptie LT2, Yepp Maxi EasyFit (rack mounted, with Xtracycle Front and/or Rear Seat Adapters), MagicCarpet, Mini MagicCarpet, CarryHandle
• Not Compatible with: Longtail Hooptie, Longtail HalfHooptie, Yepp Nexxt Maxi, Hooptie LT1, old MagicCarpet.

The LT2 builds on the improvements of the FlightDeck LT1 v.2 and achieves even lighter weight, lower center of gravity, and more secure attachment through integration with our new LT2 system. It does away with the SuperHooks and mounts directly to the LT2 V-Racks; for this reason it is only compatible with model year 2015 and newer bikes, and should not be retrofitted to older bikes. In order to mount the Yepp Maxi EasyFit kid seat, cut out the pre-formed window and mount front, rear, or both Xtracycle-made Seat Adapters. 

Other decks

The decks listed above are by far the most common types of deck, and only the decks listed above should be considered appropriate for carrying passengers. However, there are other decks that have been made by Xtracycle and other companies, and that you may have. Here are a couple:

TekDeck and TekDeck2.0

• Material: thin 7000-series Aluminum
• Attachment to V-Racks: snaps on with Hooks integrated into deck shape and 4 velcro safety straps
• Shape: Rectangular with integrated hooks and downturned front end for splash protection
• Commonly found on: Not that common
• Accessory Compatibility: None
• Not compatible with: Hooptie LT2, Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit, MagicCarpet LT2, Mini MagicCarpet, old MagicCarpet

This was our most minimalist deck ever, intended mainly for those wanting light weight and mainly using their Xtracycle for cargo carrying, not passengers. 

Hoodie

• Material: Red polyester nylon
• Attachment to V-Racks: Slip-on
• Shape: One piece bag and rack cover that slipped over V-racks.
• Commonly found on: FreeRadical, Radish
• Accessory compatibility: None
• Not compatible with: Hooptie LT2, Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit, MagicCarpet, Mini MagicCarpet, old MagicCarpet

Not even a deck, the Hoodie was a one-piece bag system that slipped over the top of the V-Racks in place of the normal deck and bags, only intended for cargo carrying.

Surly Big Dummy Deck

Please note: The Big Dummy deck is a Surly product and not made by Xtracycle.

• Material: 1/4" Aluminum, Grey or Green
• Attachment to V-Racks: attaches directly to Big Dummy Racks only with 8 bolts.
• Shape/Holes: Rounded nose and rear, two parallel sets of square holes for strapping cargo, two parallel sets of bolt holes.
• Commonly found on: 2013 and later Surly Big Dummies
• Accessory compatibility: None
• Not compatible with: Hooptie LT2, Hooptie LT1, Yepp Maxi EasyFit, MagicCarpet, Mini MagicCarpet, old MagicCarpet

Surly now makes their own rack for the Big Dummy, and it is great for strapping on big cargo loads. However, it is not compatible with any of our kid carrying accessories unless you replace the deck with an Xtracycle deck at Surly's recommendation.

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Still have questions about what deck you might have or what you need to get set up to ride? Drop us an email at support@xtracycle.com and we'll make sure you're all set!