# New Xtracycle Flightdeck and Yepp Maxi



## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Ok, so I was looking on the Xtracycle blog and the new 2014 Flightdecks negates the need for the Yepp seat adapter. They have a pre-cut mounting points for the Yepp Maxi's.

My question is, I happen to have a 2013. Now, I am not in any way interested in causing harm to my kids. But from the looks of it, it's just a square hole cut out. If that's all it is, I have the equipment to cut out a square hole. Does anyone have a 2014 Flightdeck that they can post pictures of? Especially the underside? I would like to compare the two. If you can post the dimensions of the hole, that would be great as well.

I am getting ready to pull the trigger, and will either get a Yepp seat and retrofit, or buy the new Flightdeck as well. I like the idea of the seat sitting lower than with that adapter piece.

Here is the blog:
Blog - FlightDeck Two | Xtracycle, Inc.

Yepp Maxi on Amazon:
Amazon.com: Yepp Maxi Easyfit, Silver: Sports & Outdoors


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Tagging for subscription...

I had a welder friend of mine help modify a Tubus Cargo rack with an EasyFit window; it works just fine. I think that the FlightDeck hole might be a little more complicated, though... the fore and aft lips need to be about 10mm thick to fit into the grooves on the Yepp. If you have a router and can thin out the material at the front and back of the hole, I suspect you could manage something...

Personally, I like the handles on the rear of my current deck. If the new one came solid at the front (for sitting), and with the handle at the back, that would be perfect. I still need to get around to making a padded seat for the front position on my rack.


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

I wonder why they did away with the handles. I use mine all the time. 

Sounds like the retrofit is at least a possibility. Hope someone is able to post exact measurements. Maybe I'll email Xtracycle to see if they will divulge such info. I won't mention the retrofitting part, as I'm sure that gets into liability issues on their part.


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

phsycle said:


> Hope someone is able to post exact measurements


I want to say the window was 82mm x 33mm interior dimension, but I'll have to head out with my calipers to double check. I'm sure there is a little bit of leeway there. What you really need is width to fit the block on your Yepp seat, and length to go diagnonally from the front rest to the bottom corner so you can rotate the seat in.


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, they (Xtracycle) didn't have the dimensions. They said approximately 11mm thickness. *evandy*, if you're able to get me exact dimensions for the hole itself, I would appreciate it. Also, I am assuming the Yepp seat linked above from Amazon is the same as the one they sell on the Xtracycle website. I have some Amazon bucks I need to spend.

EDIT: They got back to me. For those curious, the dimensions are:

65mm (W) x 95mm (L)
12.7mm thick

I actually ended up getting a new Xtracycle kit for an old MTB, so now I'll have two long bikes.


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Interesting. My flightdeck adapter (and my welded rack) both measure 88mm x 62mm. Sorry for the late reply.


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Hmm, now I'm confused. Maybe I'll have the hole cut with your dimensions since they're smaller. Thanks for the reply.


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Having seen the seat get mounted and unmounted several times, I will note that there is definitely some play available in the fore/aft dimension... the 7mm is probably reasonable, but you should be able to get away with less. The left-right stability comes partly from the grippy rubber at the fore/aft mountpoints, but the bars do probably have an impact. The two measurements are pretty close there (3mm). This may just be an issue of manufacturing tolerances.


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## Butchcantswim (Oct 6, 2013)

We just purchased the yepp easyfit adapter for $30 and mounted it up. I have a time lapse video we need to post with additional details. 

If you need specific pics or measurements, let me know.


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## Butchcantswim (Oct 6, 2013)

Lots of options for mounting these seats, this is how we did it.


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for the video. I've thought about the adapter, but I like the lower position without the adapter better, granted it's just a couple of inches. I think the cut out method will work fine. I am going to order that seat on Amazon and try it out.


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## Butchcantswim (Oct 6, 2013)

phsycle said:


> Thanks for the video. I've thought about the adapter, but I like the lower position without the adapter better, granted it's just a couple of inches. I think the cut out method will work fine. I am going to order that seat on Amazon and try it out.


I agree, don't think you will have any problem with that setup. Seat is really cool.


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Did you ever get your flightdeck cut? I've thought about doing mine and ditching the adapter... wondering how it went!


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Hey, I haven't been able to yet. Life is a bit hectic right now, but it's getting much warmer, so I do need to get it done. I'll post up when I get around to it.


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## bobbydale (Sep 1, 2014)

What about cutting those holes out of the Dummy Deck? Is there enough space between the lashing holes that it would still be sturdy? I have a friend with a lazer cutter - to it could be precise - and we could also add some reinforcement to the spot where the material is removed.


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## syncro87 (Oct 7, 2013)

One of the nice things about the Yepp adapters is that you can put them on multiple bikes, and just leave them on whether the Yepp is on there or not. Then, swapping the Yepp between bikes becomes like a 30 second process.

If I had no interest in swapping the Yepp, and was going to leave it on the same bike 100% of the time, it would be nice to have a mount sans adapter.

I'm of the school of thought that you can never be visibile enough on a bike. I like that you can get the Yepp seat in Lime or Orange, both of which stand out pretty well.


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

I'd also be interested in cutting a hole in a new Dummy deck.

Alternatively, has anyone installed the new Flight deck on dummy rails? Did you need to supplement with super hooks?


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## justmar (Oct 17, 2014)

*also wondering about cutting the Yepp Maxi mounting hole in original Flight deck*



phsycle said:


> Hey, I haven't been able to yet. Life is a bit hectic right now, but it's getting much warmer, so I do need to get it done. I'll post up when I get around to it.


Hey, did you ever try cutting out the hole in your Flight Deck? Seems like the length and width dimensions are outlined above and should work, but I'm curious about the thickness... seems like that is pretty critical in both strength of the deck and fit of the mounting bracket. It looks like the bottom of the Flight Deck 2 is very uniform in thickness, and perhaps thicker than the original Flight Deck. I don't have both to compare, but there are some decent side by side photos here: 
http://static.squarespace.com/stati...5e/1394600989156/xc-fd2-2013-instructions.pdf

Thanks for any feedback, anyone who has tried this!

For us, it would be nice to have the option to remove the Yepp seat and use that space occasionally for a bigger passenger who didn't need the seat. The adapter would be in the way and would take a lot more time to remove. Could just buy the newer Flight Deck, but just wondering if this is possible without spending the extra $75.


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## PScal (Apr 29, 2010)

I installed an old flight deck onto the dummy rails using 4 super hooks. You have to be mindful of the spacers on the dummy rails when installing the flight deck. For best results, wait to tighten the super hooks until all 4 hooks are engaged. I assume it would be similar for a new v2 flight deck.

I also saw where someone drilled holes in a flight deck (not sure if it was v1 or v2) and bolted it directly to the dummy rails using the supplied bolts from Surly - but I think the flight deck is a little bit too narrow for that to work perfectly.



stevelim said:


> I'd also be interested in cutting a hole in a new Dummy deck.
> 
> Alternatively, has anyone installed the new Flight deck on dummy rails? Did you need to supplement with super hooks?


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## aremarmelade (Jan 10, 2015)

Hey!

Im in the same situation now a year later  did any of you make the hole yet?

it should be doable i think.. =)

Are

Edit:
I think its not doable anymore, after suddenly realising the decrease in thickness of the flightdeck where you are to make the window.. it will loose grip compared to the version II

I could be wrong but then again, this is the difference that one ends up with =)


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## adinpapa (Dec 4, 2007)

subscribed. BD on order soon and want to mount the Yepp Maxi on the Dummy Deck... pics would be great.


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## aremarmelade (Jan 10, 2015)

*flightdeck II is the way to go..*



adinpapa said:


> subscribed. BD on order soon and want to mount the Yepp Maxi on the Dummy Deck... pics would be great.


ive now tried with flightdeck with easyfit adapter (worked great but heavy and moved pivot point a little high) flight deck II lowered the yepp and worked great, leaving a hole that i think my kids can sit on with a mini magic carpet.. this has not been tested yet, but they are positive =)

no images yet but ill try to grab one, but short version:
get a flightdeck II drop the adapter and pop on the seat!

best,
Are, Oslo


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## adinpapa (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks aremarmelad ! The $75 for the new flightdeck seems well worth it to not have to fuss with the adapter.


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## adinpapa (Dec 4, 2007)

Today a cargo bike dealer told me there are issues with fastening the Flightdeck2 to the Dummy rails... even with Super hooks. Anyone get this to work?


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## aremarmelade (Jan 10, 2015)

I did this without any hassle at all, i even felt it fit better than the Flightdeck I, but that can just be me...

there seem to be some xtracycle vs surly beef going on, but im not sure why/what etc.. more on the i love my big dummy group on FB

but short version,

i run this FD II with cut out Easyfit windows with Yepp Maxi on the rear.. no sweat but i think im looking for racklock options.. =)


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## adinpapa (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks for the good word. I'll give it a shot. The guy I spoke with went on about a xtracycle/surly beef . I'm new to all this but it sounded a little dramatic. It would be cool if Surly had more human carrying specific kit though. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cargobob (Oct 6, 2015)

A Yuba Boda Boda owner here. I have been thinking along similar lines to create board/rack to drop one or two Yepp Junior seats in. To keep it cheap I am thinking about using an old snowboard to cut to size. My question is however how far down the seat drops onto hole, as I need to offset the board above the existing welded rack?


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## stremf (Dec 7, 2012)

I'd have reservations about using a snowboard. Hopefully that wood core is still in good shape and not rotted. Also, snowboards are flexy. Not a great thing when it's the only thing holding your kids on the bike. I don't know--is $79 too much to spend for something with proper fit and safety tests?


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