Ritchey Breakaway vs S&S couplers

[clarendon]

Hi all -

Seeking advice on the pros/cons of each system. Looking to get a frame with one of these systems to improve ease of travel.

Grateful if anyone has experience to share regarding their build quality and longevity, as well as ease of use (or any compromises).

Thanks!

[Peter B]

I have an S&S frame built by Steve Rex and that is my only experiential point of reference. It has been bulletproof after numerous domestic and international trips. The couplers are machined such that there simply cannot be any movement at the joint once properly tightened. I see this solution as "lifetime". Carry a wrench, lube the threads and check the tightness periodically. Otherwise it is set and forget. The only downside is approx 8oz added weight.

The Ritchey system is simple and elegant and has been around long enough that I suspect it is proven reliable enough. I do worry a bit about the DT connection as failure of the bolt or pivot on the retention clamp would render the bike unrideable. For that reason I'd always carry a spare clamp if traveling. Beyond that I've never heard of problems. Still, that DT connection is flange-to-flange and retention relies on friction fit so again, the integrity of the clamp and its installation is critical.

One other consideration is how often you plan to travel. The Breakaway relies on threaded bosses at the ST joint and at the DT clamp. While the latter can easily be replaced, the former does see more use cycles the more you travel and would require brazing or oversize tapping to repair if stripped. It also relies on the seatpost as a structural element so not sure if a weight weenie carbon post would be the best choice? Just may require a bit more care with frequent use.

The Ritchey system adds less weight if that's important to you. The S&S has the weight 'penalty' and an aesthetic element to consider, depending on your personal preferences.

WRT robustness and longevity over frequent and repeated use I'd give the nod to S&S. For infrequent to moderate use the Breakaway design saves a few grams and is less noticeable visually.

[clarendon]

Thanks Peter - that's a really helpful analysis. I hadn't factored on the frequency of travel or weight points.

[zennmotion]

I have both a factory Ritchey Breakaway steel cross bike and a tandem with 6(!) S&S couplers so I can sort of talk about both. As mentioned, the Ritchey system is elegant (in a different way) and light(er) than S&S. If you're looking for a custom frame, you'll find a few builders who have built with the Ritchey system/lugset, and many more who have worked with S&S. Here are a few considerations

Longevity- I don't think it makes a difference, I carry an extra coupler with my Ritchey that has seen dozens of trips and is a regularly used gravel bike, but I use a (5NM) Ritchey torque wrench on the coupler as recommended and I still have the original, no problems- I couldn't tell the diff with a non-coupled steel frame. S&S look and feel more robust, but in theory the threads could get banged up in transit and the manufacturer is very strident that you must (very occasionally) use an expensive fluoro lubricant- the grease in your tool box could damage the threads- caveat emptor I guess. I think the longevity argument is a moot point- both systems are solid if you RTFM.

Setup/pack up- it's a draw, both are pretty easy, but maybe a nudge to the Ritchey for user-friendly as it doesn't require a special S&S wrench (although a BB tool will work in a pinch if you lost it and you find a nearby shop). On the tandem, I always stop and check the couplers after a few minutes of riding post-setup as I find a couple of them loosen a bit- this may be less of an issue with a single bike though as the tandem torques a lot more. The Ritchey only requires a hex key that's on every multi-tool. The Ritchey case is easier to pack than an S&S case but it's just out of compliance (64 inches total dimensions) with many airline rules (62 inch max, officially although I've never had a problem getting it checked as a normal bag- well, once someone pulled out a tape measure but I politely prevailed at check in)

Bang for the buck- Ritchey by a longshot if you just buy one of their bikes, you have several models to choose from and it comes with the case- fraction of the cost of a custom S&S+travel case- apples and oranges though. If a stock 54-56-58 frame works for you, then a factory-built off the rack Ritchey is a good (relatively) budget-friendly option. People like how they ride, including me.

Custom option- Ritchey (seat) lugs are at set angles so it constrains a custom builder, you're probably better off with S&S unless coincidentally your builder is using a (73?) ST angle. I think this is not much of an issue though, except it may become a constraint if you're outside the bell curve for sizing and/or dimensions and geometry. If you need a small or very large frame or you're built like a preying mantis/T-rex S&S doesn't constrain a builder to design something special for you. Likewise for non-steel options, you're more realistically looking at S&S, not many builders doing Ritchey systems in Ti, AFAIK

FWIW, my Ritchey cross is a great inexpensive all-rounder for (my kind of )travel, I like to keep it simple and cheap with older components, bike travel for me is about the trip and not the bike, no matter how careful you pack a travel bike is gonna get banged up, so function over form. But I travel to explore, not racing or aspirational timed events etc where I would want something "faster". Instead, light touring, mixed terrain when I'm traveling and I use it for gravel and sloppy wet rides when I'm home.

[R3awak3n]

Maybe not what you want to hear but I had S S bike. It was fine but I bought a post carry bike and I am so much happier than with SS. Sure the case is a bit bigger so you might get nabbed with fees (I did not and more and more airlines are starting to only charge normal bag fees). That said, it is SO MUCH easier to pack than my S S was. Taking out the fork takes 2 seconds and with my Etap bike I can get the whole thing in there in like 30 minutes. I also don't worry that TSA will destroy the bike because there is plenty of space to put the bike back in. With S S it was so tight in there that I know if TSA took it out, there was no way they were going to be able to put it back in. Also I can take ANY of my bikes with me, so I can choose the bike depending on where I am going. $400 bag, very well designed and it has just been great.

[weisan]

I will combine my response to both your threads on this one and "SS vs Steel".

Most of it is covered by Peter pal In his very comprehensive post so I won't repeat.

I have a couple of S&S bikes, a Ti and a steel and a custom steel frame built with the ritchey breakaway system. I have traveled with both.

At the end of the day what I found is : all the concerns we have - weight, durability, the kind of material (Ti or steel or carbon) ease of break down etc is truly overblown and inconsequential compared to the need to ride them more often and use them to travel more often - instead of letting them sit around in the garage doing nothing, or worrying about rust, whether they are heavier by a few grams, and things of that nature.

These coupled bikes are NO different from our normal bikes other than the couplers that were installed on them and until we need to de-couple them, they need to be ridden and treated as such, heaped on with a million miles, thrown in the back of your truck, ridden to the ground, exposed to bad weather, subjected to abuse if possible.

Ride the heck out of em'...I guess that's what I am saying.

[clarendon]

Hi all - thank you to zennmotion, r3awak3n and weisan for your detailed comments.

I must say I am leaning towards the Breakaway for the lower cost and arguably more elegant/less visible implementation.

I am intrigued by the Post Carry Co case though. This doesn't look a lot larger than a Breakaway case and would be suitable for any bike. Anyone else with experience of this? Would you put a $8-10k bike in here?

Thanks

[R3awak3n]

Hi all - thank you to zennmotion, r3awak3n and weisan for your detailed comments.

I must say I am leaning towards the Breakaway for the lower cost and arguably more elegant/less visible implementation.

I am intrigued by the Post Carry Co case though. This doesn't look a lot larger than a Breakaway case and would be suitable for any bike. Anyone else with experience of this? Would you put a $8-10k bike in here?

Thanks

I have a thread about it somewhere, let me dig it. Some people that have experience with it commented and are also very happy. I would totally put any of my bikes in it without reservation (my Cielo is usually my choice because its Etap and just makes everything so easy. But would not hesitate in putting my OPEN in there either). If your bike is a 56 and smaller then the case is even smaller (I have the bigger case). I also had a ritchey breakaway case with my S&S (to note that the ritchey case is also bigger than airline dimensions, its 62 cubic in and airlines max is 60, that said it almost always goes un-noticed). Reason I had chosen a ritchey is because its so MUCH easier to put a bike in than a proper S S case where literally if you put something wrong it will not fit, the ritchey case is way more forgiving (also soft case vs hard case).

The post case flew for free 2 out of 2 times so far for me but the way I see it when I chose it was that I am fine paying the fee if need be/I will always try to fly an airline that charges you a normal bag fee for a bike (I don't travel that much though so I can see how S S might be more convinient since you can always sneak it through. Dont forget that if they ask you if its a bike and you say yes, it could fit in your pocket but they will still charge you the fee so you will still be lying with a S S. The post (at least the bigger version), will not fit on the bag belt so someone either comes and takes it to oversize or you do. Not a big deal to me but does raise more eyebrows (I am not sure if the smaller one does this or not, that one might actually just go through... the ritchey just goes right through the belt). As far as protection, not even close, I would 100% rather use the post, the ritchey case is literally some cloth with some hard plastic on the edges, the post has padding all over the place.

[R3awak3n]

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=238803&highlight=post+carry

my thread on bags. Also there was a code floating around that took $15 off so the bag would come to $400 shipped.

I am not sponsored by post, but really I should be lol I really like that bag, just got their handlebar bag, again, very nicely designed as well

[mass_biker]

Love my breakaway. I have the cross (canti) version.
It is currently set up with eTap which makes traveling very easy. But I'd rather use the eTap on another bike that gets more use. As such, I will convert this to 1x11 "adventure" gearing for my travels (I also have a SciCon case which I use when I am traveling with the road bike to events etc. - that thing is bulletproof, but will draw "bicycle" charges).

If you go down the path of Ritchey, consider the Zeta wheelset. It has a nifty freehub set up that allows the whole cassette/freehub to slide ride off (no tools needed) enabling very low-profile packing.

As it relates to the coupling - I have had no troubles/do not feel that it rides any "differently". It's neat how the seatpost acts as a structural component between the two frame "pieces".

[donevwil]

One not so small difference between the two systems comes into play on large (long TT) frames. The S&S couplers are often positioned solely to fit both triangles of a large frame in the 26 x 26 box, not possible with the Breakaway hardware.

[old fat man]

One not so small difference between the two systems comes into play on large (long TT) frames. The S&S couplers are often positioned solely to fit both triangles of a large frame in the 26 x 26 box, not possible with the Breakaway hardware.

I have a 60cm Ritchey CX breakaway. It's not simple to pack, but I've never been charged for the slightly larger than legal dimensions of the Ritchey bag. If I traveled with it more, I'd go etap or di2. Biggest nuisance to me is that the bag doesn't fit through TSA x-ray so they always manually inspect which means ****ty repacking job by then.

[Octave]

I have a 60cm Ritchey CX breakaway. It's not simple to pack, but I've never been charged for the slightly larger than legal dimensions of the Ritchey bag. If I traveled with it more, I'd go etap or di2. Biggest nuisance to me is that the bag doesn't fit through TSA x-ray so they always manually inspect which means ****ty repacking job by then.
Honestly the cabling takes a couple of seconds to put together. Do you really think etap would make travel that much easier? I tossed the idea around before I broke my S&S frame and never landed on an answer. As long as you're not dealing with hydro cables, I feel like the hardest part of the travel is getting the fork/handlebars/headset back into a perfect configuration, which wouldn't be helped much by etap.

[R3awak3n]

I think yes etap makes things that much easier. Also removing RD, anothr one without any cables to move around.

[Hakkalugi]

ETap is fantastic for travel bikes. I remove the hanger and derailleur together so there’s no chance of damage. My Waltly Titanium frames use as S&S coupler on the down tube and Ritchey-style seat tube connection, and they’ve been rock-solid. Having eTap makes assembling and disassembling super easy and fast, about 20 minutes. All the stuff fits into a 4” deep top tube bag, which then goes into my case easily and nothing gets lost.

[clarendon]

Thanks all.

Anybody else with experience to share on the Post Carry Co case getting past airlines without bike charges?