"stock" frames with couplings

[vqdriver]

just trying something out here.
what framesets are out there that are purpose built for travel cases?
i know of the ritchey break-away frame, and that's about it.
i mean the regular type frames that break down for travel, not the mini bikes that fold up.

[dancinkozmo]

http://surlybikes.com/frames/travelers_check_frame/

[Pete Serotta]

Co-Motion makes a nice one... as can Kirk, Bedford, Strong, Wages, Spectrum, Goodrich

[Sparky69]

I have a Moots and I love it

[Smiley]

Co-Motion probably sells more s&s coupler bikes than all others combined including tandems. Search out the Co-Mo website for really nice bikes and custom on Co-Mo's add only $450 or $500 if I recall correctly. I have fitted a few good clients on Co-Mo's including our three tandems the last is the Co-Pilot Torpedo.

[Sheldon4209]

I just read an article that said Co-Motion is the largest customer of S & S Machine Works and is one of the largest manufactures of full size travel bicycles. The article also said that Co-Motion makes forks for several other manufactures which surprised me.

[fogrider]

the thing with high performance folding bikes is that the size of the case was designed around the dimensions allowed for standard luggage. But many domestic airlines have since reduced their dimensions for standard luggage. The minimum size of the case is pretty much based on the 700c wheels. once the frame come apart and the fork comes out, these just don't take up much space.

here is a high performance bike that is designed around a 24" wheel: http://www.airnimal.eu/Reference/FAQCham.php

the thing about a 24" wheel is that your choice of tires are limited.

With that said, many international airlines still accepts the size of the larger cases as standard luggage. the ritchey case measures 26.5x29x9; 64.5, southwest, delta and united allows 62".

other options include bike friday, but other than that, I don't know of any that will ride like a full size bike.

[palincss]

There are a number of high performance bicycles designed around the 20" wheel, including many Bike Friday models and of course the Alex Moulton bikes.

[Ray]

Bilenky has a whole line of spec frames with S&S couplers. They also do a ton of retrofits. I was in a couple of weeks ago and they had a whole line of frames in the queue for retrofitting with couplers. So if you have a frame you like and you're not too squeamish about having it cut up, that's a good deal less expensive than a new frame. Or, if you're ordering a new custom frame, many custom builders will build with couplers up front for an upcharge.

-Ray

[eddief]

but you can be a real rider on even smaller wheels. on my AZ tour two weeks ago, I rode next to a woman on a Speeding Tikit with 16" wheels. in her hands, it seemed to be going 20mph right next to me. the wheels do more rpms, but with the right gearing your legs do the normal rpms.

http://community.bikefriday.com/tikit/robspinkone

[palincss]

but you can be a real rider on even smaller wheels. on my AZ tour two weeks ago, I rode next to a woman on a Speeding Tikit. in her hands, it seemed to going 20mph right next to me. the wheels do more rpms, but with the right gearing your legs do the normal rpms.

http://community.bikefriday.com/tikit/robspinkone

"At the 12th HPV Speed Championship in Vancouver in August 1986, Jim Glover rode a fully faired Moulton to set a new record at 51.29mph (82.53kph), which has yet to be beaten. Nearly 100 HPVs took part, but only a dozen or so were able to exceed 50 mph (80.45 kph)." (And that was on a 17" wheel.)
--http://members.localnet.com/~milliken/liner/

[Kirk007]

the thing with high performance folding bikes is that the size of the case was designed around the dimensions allowed for standard luggage. But many domestic airlines have since reduced their dimensions for standard luggage. The minimum size of the case is pretty much based on the 700c wheels. once the frame come apart and the fork comes out, these just don't take up much space.

here is a high performance bike that is designed around a 24" wheel: http://www.airnimal.eu/Reference/FAQCham.php

the thing about a 24" wheel is that your choice of tires are limited.

With that said, many international airlines still accepts the size of the larger cases as standard luggage. the ritchey case measures 26.5x29x9; 64.5, southwest, delta and united allows 62".

other options include bike friday, but other than that, I don't know of any that will ride like a full size bike.

knock on wood but I haven't been dinged with my full travel case domestically.

[93legendti]

but you can be a real rider on even smaller wheels. on my AZ tour two weeks ago, I rode next to a woman on a Speeding Tikit with 16" wheels. in her hands, it seemed to be going 20mph right next to me. the wheels do more rpms, but with the right gearing your legs do the normal rpms.

http://community.bikefriday.com/tikit/robspinkone
I have a BF Speeding Tikit-I think I am a real rider. :) The breakdown and build are super fast and the fold is unreal. Mine rides great.

As far as stock frames with couplers, Bilenky, Surley and Co-Motion are the 3 that come to mind.
There is also the Ritchey Breakaway and I think Curtlo or Desalvo builds with the Breakaway coupling sytem.

[victoryfactory]

I'm pretty sure Serotta and many other custom builders
will put S&S couplers
on their frames too.

[vqdriver]

thanks for the input.
i don't travel as much as some, at most, once a year.
so i don't want to invest too much into this, hence the attraction of the ready-made ritchey which comes with the case. if at all possible, i'd just rent when i'm away and feel like riding.
really, i just want to be able to ride this summer when i'm in asia for a couple weeks.

as an alternative, are there places to rent these travel bikes?

[bicycletricycle]

Found these a while ago, great super duty big tire type tourer
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/ravennomad.html
pretty good deal, around 1400 dollars for frameset. I have 3 coupler bikes and they all cost a bit more than that, but they were custom.

[BengeBoy]

Davidson puts couplers on lots of their bikes -- steel or Ti, racing bikes or touring bikes, derailleurs or Rohloff --

Link to gallery here:

http://davidsonbicycles.com/sands.html

[John M]

But many domestic airlines have since reduced their dimensions for standard luggage.

What is the evidence that this statement is true? All of the information I can find states that the checked baggage size limit on all major US airlines is 62" (with only AirTran listing a 61" limit).

[torquer]

Dahon used to market a rebadged Ritchey Breakaway, with a few component downgrades, as I recall, but a big price reduction. Looked like a good deal.
(Now that I think about it, I wonder if Dahon was actually the "manufacturer", and it was Ritchey doing the rebadging. Dahon is, after all, a lot closer to the site of the actual manufacturing.)

[jblande]

I have never had anyone measure. When I travel with my ordinary case it is conspicuous as a large bike case and therefore I am charged. When I travel with my S&S case, it looks like a normal suitcase, and therefore I am never charged. In my 30 or so flights with the S&S coupled Serotta in US and Europe, I have only been charged on a flight to Fuerteventura, which charged for all 'sports related items'.

[fogrider]

What is the evidence that this statement is true? All of the information I can find states that the checked baggage size limit on all major US airlines is 62" (with only AirTran listing a 61" limit).
I looked at the ritchey breakaway when they first hit the market and I had checked luggage limits airlines had and the case just cleared the size limits at the time. ritchey designed the break away around the limits the airlines had at the time...now the limits are just smaller than the case. I agree that most will not measure, but a friend went to Hawaii last year with a break away, they hit him up for over size luggage and a charge for a second piece...$30 + $175 one way. at that point he was at the airport with no choice...it was cheaper for him to ship the bike back through fedex.

[fogrider]

Dahon used to market a rebadged Ritchey Breakaway, with a few component downgrades, as I recall, but a big price reduction. Looked like a good deal.
(Now that I think about it, I wonder if Dahon was actually the "manufacturer", and it was Ritchey doing the rebadging. Dahon is, after all, a lot closer to the site of the actual manufacturing.)
if you go to the ritchey website, they list the patents. dahon is a manufacturer, ritchey started as a frame builder and has become a design house for components. manufacturing is done overseas. as many of you have on your bikes ritchey stems, seatpost, handlebars, forks among other parts, all designed at ritchey and manufactured in asia.

[fogrider]

There are a number of high performance bicycles designed around the 20" wheel, including many Bike Friday models and of course the Alex Moulton bikes.
I've ridden a bike friday and I was surprised with how good the ride is, but is it as good as my legend ti with tubular tires, carbon fork, carbon handlebars and campy swag? No! but if you want to ride a folding bike to get on a bus, many of these folding bikes are perfect for that, but I want to ride the 10 miles the bus travels and I want to ride a full size bike that I can sprint up to 30 mph (I've slowed down in the last 20 years from my top speed of 42 mph) and dodge potholes bad drivers.