Travel bike dreaming

[NHAero]

I should have made it clearer that I was thinking air travel. Angry's suggestion to ground ship the bike within the US is exactly what I'd do. I've been intrigued by Adam Paiva's write-ups, and reading about the Euro Velo routes, etc.

Lots of good thoughts to chew on here, keep it coming! I'm thinking next season some short trips around New England/eastern Canada will be in my plans. I now work 3 days/week so not hard to put some 4 day trips together.

Thanks all!

[572cv]

We've done a bike trip or two involving air travel every year for a little more than two decades. In the first few years, bike packing options were bulky and ponderous(think big Thule boxes), and airports were way short on useful luggage carts. The S&S couplers and hard shell case were a revelation when I had bikes retrofitted ten years ago, a vast improvement on travel at the time. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that setup. But there has been considerable development in cases over recent years, particularly Orucase and Pika cases, which has narrowed the gap. I now use an Orucase with my Eriksen and it is easy, light enough and works fine, no couplers on the Eriksen. The airport carts even make dealing without wheels not-an-issue.
So, it all depends on the kind of traveling you want to do. And if this is a few years off, well, it might be better to just save up, and make the investment when you are ready to take advantage of it. There might be better options. In any event, it is a fun prospect to contemplate!

[jpang922]

From a packability perspective, perhaps titanium S&S with uber sloping top tube, eTap, and 650b rim brakes? Perhaps throw in a bespoke traveling bag while we are at it?

Handling characteristics aside, my biggest concern would be limited rim, tire, and fork options. Any thoughts?

[NHAero]

Thanks, Rob, I knew you'd have good beta. Are these new cases under the 62" limit, or is there some other aspect to them that makes that inapplicable?
I imagine they are lighter too, keeping under the weight limit.

Originally Posted by 572cv

We've done a bike trip or two involving air travel every year for a little more than two decades. In the first few years, bike packing options were bulky and ponderous(think big Thule boxes), and airports were way short on useful luggage carts. The S&S couplers and hard shell case were a revelation when I had bikes retrofitted ten years ago, a vast improvement on travel at the time. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that setup. But there has been considerable development in cases over recent years, particularly Orucase and Pika cases, which has narrowed the gap. I now use an Orucase with my Eriksen and it is easy, light enough and works fine, no couplers on the Eriksen. The airport carts even make dealing without wheels not-an-issue.
So, it all depends on the kind of traveling you want to do. And if this is a few years off, well, it might be better to just save up, and make the investment when you are ready to take advantage of it. There might be better options. In any event, it is a fun prospect to contemplate!

[NHAero]

I haven't gone electronic and my gut says cables are OK, bring a spare or two, maybe need to fool a bit to get the shifting right when assembling...

I'd sure like to get discs if possible, but thinking mechanical. Dunno which brand today is best...

Originally Posted by jpang922

From a packability perspective, perhaps titanium S&S with uber sloping top tube, eTap, and 650b rim brakes? Perhaps throw in a bespoke traveling bag while we are at it?

Handling characteristics aside, my biggest concern would be limited rim, tire, and fork options. Any thoughts?

[Clancy]

Originally Posted by 572cv

We've done a bike trip or two involving air travel every year for a little more than two decades. In the first few years, bike packing options were bulky and ponderous(think big Thule boxes), and airports were way short on useful luggage carts. The S&S couplers and hard shell case were a revelation when I had bikes retrofitted ten years ago, a vast improvement on travel at the time. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that setup. But there has been considerable development in cases over recent years, particularly Orucase and Pika cases, which has narrowed the gap. I now use an Orucase with my Eriksen and it is easy, light enough and works fine, no couplers on the Eriksen. The airport carts even make dealing without wheels not-an-issue.
So, it all depends on the kind of traveling you want to do. And if this is a few years off, well, it might be better to just save up, and make the investment when you are ready to take advantage of it. There might be better options. In any event, it is a fun prospect to contemplate!

What size is your Eriksen? I tried packing my 54cm custom Ti bike into an Orucase and it was more than a tight fit - a trial run. It does have a long headtube.

I also wonder if some kind of wheels, skate wheels maybe, could be attached. I can’t imagine hauling that thing along city streets. Although it can be used as a backpack it’s one big backpack.

Issue with traveling with a bike is it’s not a bike to pack but also the normal stuff, street clothes and what not.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to travel overseas with a bike and assorted gear in a way that I can travel somewhat easily and independently. A carry-on along with a bike case might be doable, just can’t zero in on the best way to pack and carry a bike. Following this thread with great interest

[572cv]

Originally Posted by Clancy

What size is your Eriksen? I tried packing my 54cm custom Ti bike into an Orucase and it was more than a tight fit - a trial run. It does have a long headtube.

I also wonder if some kind of wheels, skate wheels maybe, could be attached. I can’t imagine hauling that thing along city streets. Although it can be used as a backpack it’s one big backpack.

Issue with traveling with a bike is it’s not a bike to pack but also the normal stuff, street clothes and what not.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to travel overseas with a bike and assorted gear in a way that I can travel somewhat easily and independently. A carry-on along with a bike case might be doable, just can’t zero in on the best way to pack and carry a bike. Following this thread with great interest

The Eriksen has an effective top tube of 550mm, and a headtube of 169mm. O was worried about the fit into the Orucase, so I got in touch with the guys there and sent them my bike geo. They provided a case that they judged would fit, and it has. It is supposed to be a tight fit. They now have a case on the market with wheels, but I haven't seen one in real life.
The Orucase works ok sitting on top of my four wheel medium suitcase, at least for modest distances, because it is really light and I can lean it against the pull out handle, using one of the shouider straps to secure it a little better. But I wouldn't want to go a really long way with that set up. One other nice thing about a soft case is that it collapses pretty well and gets out of the way when not in use. On the other hand, the Orucase isn't meant for getting a lot of other stuff packed in with the bike.
I think everyone fine tunes for the kind of travel she/he/they want to do. Our (talking about my wife and me) approach is sometimes called thumbprint traveling, and it has mostly been in France with the bikes. I highly recommend doing it this way. We find a great place to be, with lots of biking all around, and go there for the trip. Its our base, and so we only have to lug all our stuff at the beginning of the trip and the end. That maximizes the available time for riding and relaxing, and we get to know an area fairly well. Conversely, if you are going from point A to point B over some period, you have to figure out how to get bike bags and suitcases from one place to the next. Some people fly in and out of one place, and store the cases in a locker at the airport or something. The logistics of your travel plans would seem to me to guide your choice of bags and what you bring rather a lot.

I've been more than satisfied with our approach and its evolution over time. My main suggestion is to have a good picture of the how and where you want to ride before you focus on the packing, if you haven't already.

[572cv]

Originally Posted by NHAero

Thanks, Rob, I knew you'd have good beta. Are these new cases under the 62" limit, or is there some other aspect to them that makes that inapplicable?
I imagine they are lighter too, keeping under the weight limit.

Hi Marc, whether the cases are actually under the 62" limit depends on the size of your bike. The Orucase guys make their cases in different sizes. My daughter's and wife's cases: Yes. Mine: Not quite. But they are black and look smaller than they are, the edges are rounded up, and mine has traveled as regular size, though on one occasion a very stern check in person with a tight sph*ncter made a show of getting out a large tape measure and declaring it too big. The good news is that some airlines do not have high fees for bikes any more, esp. some of the european ones. We fly Air Transat out of YUL often, and the add on for a bike there is $30 CAD. I don't know about the Pika, but there are a few paceliners who use these and speak highly of them. They look sharp. And yes, the Oru at least is way lighter than anything else I've used before, which makes the whole package more manageable.

[NHAero]

I think you should just send that bike and the Orucase to me.
My Firefly's numbers are 549 and 161...

Originally Posted by 572cv

The Eriksen has an effective top tube of 550mm, and a headtube of 169mm.

[572cv]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I think you should just send that bike and the Orucase to me.
My Firefly's numbers are 549 and 161...

Hah. Way off on the head tube.... you'd have to add at least one spacer

[Doug Fattic]

I've traveled overseas many times with some kind of bicycle including regular ones and a frame I made with titanium/steel tubes that could come apart with 20' wheels. My favorite is a steel frame I made with S&S couplers with 24" wheels. To me the conveniences related to package the bicycle in a small box that is easy to carry beats any other inconveniences. The bicycle rides and handles like a normal bike and the small wheels make for a zippy feel. Of course I package an extra tire and a couple of tubes.

[prototoast]

If it's possible to meet your needs with rim brake instead of disc, I would highly recommend for a travel bike. I have both, and the disc bike is a major PITA compared to the rim brake. There are extra steps involved (disconnecting the rear brake, removing rotors from the wheels) that are annoying, but the biggest this is just that a disc bike ends up being a lot harder to fit in an airline legal travel case than a rim frame. The rear dropouts end up being about an inch wider (outside to outside) on a disc frame than a rim frame, and the rear wheel axle is about half an inch wider. In a case where things barely fit when everything goes right, 10% wider is about 300% more difficult to pack.

[tv_vt]

Here you go, Marc: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=244586

Or get a custom ti frame w/S&S couplers and midreach rim brakes (Firefly, Seven, Hampsten, etc). Discs on a travel bike seems like a nightmare to pack to me.

[Hakkalugi]

For what its worth, I’ve had zero issues packing disc brakes in S&S cases. I use centerlock hubs and the rotors come off in seconds. My Yokozuna/Juin Tech cable-actuated hydraulics are easy to use because I put cable couplers on them, and my pure hydraulics are also pretty easy to work with, even though the front hose is internally routed in the fork. The additional width of the rear triangle has never been an issue. ETap is awesome for travel, because I remove the entire rear derailleur and hanger. That said, my wife’s cables easily disconnect as well and I’d bet that the difference between a cabled and wireless drivetrain is at most a minute.

It comes down to practice, practice, practice when assembling and disassembling the bike. Don’t try to pack it for the first time the night before you leave, and take pictures.

I take my bike(s) to Europe 4 or 5 times a year, always in Co-Motion S&S cases (good but not perfect). I have had zero damage to my bikes, and the cases have suffered only the expected abrasions common to airport conveyors.

I also have experience with larger cases, such as SciCon/Evoc/Serfas/Orucase/cardboard etc as a baggage handler for an airline, and am familiar with how all bikes go in and out of airplanes. My personal bikes(s) travel in the smallest cases available and are always well packed and padded. Smaller cases are much easier to move in train stations, rental cars, hotel rooms, home storage etc.

[NHAero]

Alas I'd need to grow for that frame

Not giving up on discs yet, I could go centerlock. The suggestion in this thread to go Chinese custom Ti (Waltly, Habanero) hadn't occurred to me. I'm not sure I'd want a really nice bike like my Firefly as a travel bike, I might be too worried about it. In any case, it's all a mental exercise at the moment. I'd love to talk with you about your trips one of these days.

Originally Posted by tv_vt

Here you go, Marc: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=244586

Or get a custom ti frame w/S&S couplers and midreach rim brakes (Firefly, Seven, Hampsten, etc). Discs on a travel bike seems like a nightmare to pack to me.