Travel Frame - S&S Issues

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by RedRider

Are your travel, S&S, bikes your primary ones or do you have others?

For me the travel bike is mainly for traveling, which I don't seem to do much of since getting it. I have a steel Ritchey and it cost about the same as retrofitting the bike I had thought of retrofitting.

[eddief]

I used an Salsa SUL open face stem. Removed the stem from the bars and packed each in the case separately.

Originally Posted by saab2000

How do you do with the bars and stem?

[93legendti]

There is also the issue of fitting a big bike box for a non travel bike in a small travel car, at least when I am overseas. My Bike Friday has been on 9 or 10 trips. I am a fan.

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by RedRider

Are your travel, S&S, bikes your primary ones or do you have others?

My travel bike gets about 40% of my riding. It's a road bike for medium reach calipers so it wears 32s in the summer and fenders in the winter. I've raced crits on it using normal road tires and it actually handles so much better than my other steel roadie that I'm considering having a geometric copy built in aluminum as a dedicated race bike. It will certainly lessen the financial blow of buying a travel bike to have it built with capabilities unique from those of your other bike(s).

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=144655

[bikinchris]

On the other hand, I will soon list a pair of Bike Friday bikes and the larger is a 58cm. Easy to pack and unpack. Rides great and fun.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by 93legendti

There is also the issue of fitting a big bike box for a non travel bike in a small travel car, at least when I am overseas. My Bike Friday has been on 9 or 10 trips. I am a fan.

This does matter. He's right. Full sized boxes and cases are a major PITA in most places, even the US with our Suburbans and minivans. And most places have tiny automobiles relative to the US. My first trip to France involved a ride in a Peugeot with a bike box. It was not pretty.

The S&S case and others which have travel bikes are more or less like regular suitcases.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by saab2000

I've been through this drill.......

You will be able to leave the fork attached but I HIGHLY doubt you'll be able to leave the stem and bars attached. The case leaves very little room.

I recommend the threadless attachment and a threadless stem, which will likely have to be removed from the bars as well as the fork attachment.

The smaller the pieces, the easier it is to pack this thing.

I had my Serotta CIII coupled by Bilenky. They did a superb job. I also bought the pads from them, which was the best money I've spent in a long time. They cut to them to the size of each tube and labeled each one.

As for checking the bike with TSA - When you check in with your airline, they will make you take it to the TSA X-Ray machine. Tell the TSA people what's inside and that you'd like to have them run it through the machine and then you'd like to lock it yourself or have them lock it for you. I've found this works. They did not open my case and allowed me to lock it. But I didn't leave until they were satisfied that they were done with it. Then I locked it up and took the key with me.

Reassembly is a PITA but if you're a good mechanic it's worth it. Having your own bike with you is really nice. But it's not a super quick process.

The simpler you make this, the happier you'll be. I would even think about having down tube shifters. Removing the tires from the wheels makes them much easier to pack.

I've had two S&S bikes. They have been great for me but they're probably not for everyone.

As mentioned, it's an expensive option and a fairly involved process to pack the bike, check it in and reassemble it. But I did it this summer a few times and enjoyed the results.

I could probably write a small book with tips and suggestions for people serious about this.

But yeah, a threadless fork is the way to go. If you have Bilenky convert it, you might think about having them convert the fork to a threadless one. But then things start to get expensive and it's already a $1000 job we're talking about with conversion and pads and case.

Pretty much nails it. +1 for Bilenky, as well. Did my CT1 (may it rest in peace. Couplers survived getting crunched by a Honda. The head tube...not so much). IT's pricey, can be a pain until you get it nailed, but it is worth it to me to have my bike. You also learn not to fuss paint. TSA will look at it & wave you through if you are there with it. Get the net to hold things in. Take off the front tire. Back can stay on. Wrap everything, tape cables to the frame so if it does get opened, they don't get kinked. If you take out the barrel adjusters, get a dummy set to keep the braze-ons safe. Stuff clothes in bags into the case to take up loose space.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by saab2000

This does matter. He's right. Full sized boxes and cases are a major PITA in most places, even the US with our Suburbans and minivans. And most places have tiny automobiles relative to the US. My first trip to France involved a ride in a Peugeot with a bike box. It was not pretty.

The S&S case and others which have travel bikes are more or less like regular suitcases.

The only reason a friend & I made our flight home out of Prague is I had the S&S case. Had we both had full sized bike cases, we would not have been able to get a cab. They sent us the biggest thing they had, and we barely fit as it was.

[enr1co]

Originally Posted by saab2000

This does matter. He's right. Full sized boxes and cases are a major PITA in most places, even the US with our Suburbans and minivans. And most places have tiny automobiles relative to the US. My first trip to France involved a ride in a Peugeot with a bike box. It was not pretty.

The S&S case and others which have travel bikes are more or less like regular suitcases.

I schleped a Ritchey break-away case (28"x26") on planes, trains and cars in EU for the first time- cant imagine having to port around anything larger.

Regardless of the break even cost analysis, # of trips etc., it only takes one trip with a Ritchey case or more compact SS sized case to realize the convenience/portability value.

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by enr1co

I schelped a Ritchey break-away case (28"x26") on planes, trains and cars in EU for the first time- cant imagine having to port around anything larger.

Regardless of the break even cost analysis, # of trips etc., it only takes one trip with a Ritchey case or more compact SS sized case to realize the convenience/portability value.

I agree, don't underestimate the value of convenience.

Last year my wife and I travelled with two full sized cases @ 50lb each from the US to Switzerland to Italy back the Switzerland and the US. Both cases were too heavy and awkward for her to lift so I loading both onto every tram, train and bus.

End result, me with a double hernia (seriously) and, upon my return, a call to my framebuilder to have couplers put on the bike I had in his queue.

[donevwil]

Can anyone compare travel with the Ritchey travel case to that with an S&S ? How about space inside ?

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Can anyone compare travel with the Ritchey travel case to that with an S&S ? How about space inside ?

I have both since the Ritchey case came with the bike but I wanted the S&S for more peace of mind in terms of protection and not paying oversized baggage fees since the Ritchey case is technically oversized and it may be a matter of luck as to whether the airline dings you. The Ritchey case is a little bigger and it certainly seems like it would be a lot easier to get the bike packed into it. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are getting the Ritchey, it comes with the case whereas the S&S case is a couple hundred more.

[Don49]

^^ S&S case is $430.

[93legendti]

I've often wondered about this case:

http://www.amazon.com/Backpack-Trave.../dp/B001PTDQPQ

[93legendti]

This would be easier to deal with than a hard case:
http://pikapackworks.com

I still have a smaller Pika that came with my Slingshot 650c folding road bike. I used it for a trip to Majorca and 2 trips to Colorado...