Just bought a Ritchey Breakaway. Anything I should know/look out for?

[mcfarton]

Thanks for the tips! I have one that I haven’t traveled yet. I am excited not to have a full sized travel box again.


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[Lewis Moon]

I'm thinking this will also fit in the trunk of my Corolla just broken in half. Great for lunch rides at work or a quick dash up out of the valley.

[weisan]

Oh no... Lewis pal, you have mistaken a breakaway from a foldable bike.

[mass_biker]

Agree on the above.

My Bike Friday - can fold in a jif.
My Ritchey - not so (above)

Plan accordingly!

m_B

[Lewis Moon]

I figure if you just pull the front wheel and break it in half, it would go back together pretty quick. No pedals no bars, no front brake. Just the seat and downtube joints and the rear brake cable. I could keep it in the trunk 24/7 ready to go.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

I figure if you just pull the front wheel and break it in half, it would go back together pretty quick. No pedals no bars, no front brake. Just the seat and downtube joints and the rear brake cable. I could keep it in the trunk 24/7 ready to go.

Yes, that's really quick, although all the pieces want to roll away from you if you take it apart with the wheels still on.

[Mike Bryant]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

I like the zip tie idea.

Zip ties okay. Velcro straps are reusable, don’t have to be cut.
My $0.02.


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[Stan Lee]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

I figure if you just pull the front wheel and break it in half, it would go back together pretty quick.

I do this with my travel bike and it works great. It only take a minute or two too put together

[weisan]

This just came up today so I want to make sure Lewis pal is aware of it.

Periodically, like every 4-5 rides, check to make sure the breakaway clamp on the downtube is still tightened down (warning: don't over tighten). Mine came loose and I only found out after the ride when I put it on the stand to do some cleaning.

[fogrider]

I had a Ritchey Breakaway...the cable couplers rattled against the frame, I used velcro tape. Be sure to allow at least 40 minutes when you first reassemble the bike the first time.

[Flying Pigeon]

A while ago I posted about a couple trips on my Breakaway to the Bay Area and the Alps.

Here it is on a cruxy bit of Mauna Kea:
IMG_1037.jpg

It's still going strong, getting daily use -- here are a few thoughts:

-Someone (maybe on PL?) had great advice to make sure there's a busy line at ticketing so they're in a hurry. Once I got dinged at SFO on a domestic flight, when they were all standing around and of course measured it.

-Never carry water bottles. TSA will definitely find it suss & open up the bag.

-28mm Contis on Easton R90SL rims fit fine.

-I don't get any noise from the downtube cable couplings, but the brake coupling drove me nuts. I covered it in inner tube pieces and zipties to make it shut up.

-I've had good luck managing creaks with the official Ritchey protocol of heavily greasing everything at the seat post junction, while clamping the DT together dry.

-It's high trail (slack HTA with low offset fork). I like the ride & handling FWIW.

-What I'd change? I wish there were a carrying case that broke down into a manageable backpack for riding through the city.

-Lately what I love about the design is that it hides away in my rooftop cargo box. Best setup ever for keeping the bike out of the family's hair on trips -- and for sketchy street parking or at trailheads.
IMG_8094.jpg

[Spaghetti Legs]

Last week was my first plane trip with the Breakaway (a couple of car trips since I got it last year) and it has been great. I did a couple of rides along SoCal coast, Carlsbad - LaJolla. Rain has thrown a monkey wrench for my planned last ride day in LA but I might try to tool around Bel Air some tomorrow before packing her back up.

I packed a frame pump instead of bringing my usual pocket mini pump so I could more easily get the tires up to a good pressure. I put a lot of other stuff in the case as well so I could travel with just a carryon but my weight was 51 lbs, so I took out a couple items, including leaving my tube of Bag Balm behind and checked in at 49.5 lbs at the airport. No hassles on size of the case.

I got distracted and didn’t do the zip tie/Velcro secure method mentioned earlier. TSA rooted through the bag on the way out and did not repack properly but fortunately no damage done. I had one water bottle in the case (empty) but maybe I’ll carry it with me on return leg to see if that wards off TSA.

[hobbanero]

that zip tie/velcro tip is a good one.

I haven't ridden my Breakaway in a while, because I found that it hit the trifecta of heavy, noodley and uncomfortable. Instead, I flew Alaska whenever I could and paid $25 for a full-sized bike each way. Of course, that also means renting a larger vehicle to carry the larger case.

My biggest issue with the Breakaway is the fork....so flexy. In the parking lot I can hit the front brake and watch the fork tips move back. That flex made it somewhat terrifying to descend on. A friend had his Ritchey fork snap That, and hitting 50mph down a volcano on a bike that is designed to break in half was not confidence inspiring. I ended up putting on a different fork that was more robust, but I just don't like the way the bike rides. I am 185lbs, so not crazy heavy. My friend that broke the fork was a more ample gentleman.

I would still take it for a short trip rather than rent a shop bike, though.

[tanghy]

what do the tennis balls do?

Originally Posted by weisan

Lewis pal, congrats on getting a travel bike, the world is your oyster.

You have already received a lot of good, practical, real world advice from pals here. The only thing I would add from my own personal experience is:

This is my custom steel bike that comes with the ritchey system.



1) Use zip tie to tie the broken down bike into a bundle. This will keep everything together. I have TSA opened up my suitcase to inspect when I was not present, and having all bundled up into one unit has prevented any screw-ups or having to figure out the jigsaw puzzle. It's a no-brainer - lift up, check, all good? Put it down and close the luggage. Simple, easy.



2) I have both the ritchey softcase as well as the S&S hardcase and I have travelled with both. The ritchey one exceeds the airline requirement slightly but not much, usually they will overlook if you are nice and smile - don't EVER throw your weight around or show any displeasure when you are interacting with airline staff. they are just trying to do their job. The ritchey case works like a backpack with straps that you can carry on your shoulder, it's handy if you are walking a long distance and hands free. But you need to make sure all your tubes are protected with pipe foams (get from Lowes or Home Depot).



3) I like to throw everything bike-related into the case including my helmet, shoes, cycling kits, tools etc. You will be surprised how quickly it adds up and exceeds the 50 pounds limit. So be aware of that, you might need to transfer some stuff over to your carry on.

4) Make sure you cater more time to pack and unpack, don't rush, this is not a race. Always be prepared for the whole process to take longer than expected. Find yourself a nice big area where you can work, have a cup of your favorite beverage at hand, turn on the TV, have Paris Roubaix running in the background...just take your time, have as many breaks as you need, make it as stress-free as possible, be organized so you don't misplace your tools and such. Practice BEFORE the actual day or allow extra time if it's the first time you are doing it.

5) And last thing is...I have found that it's A LOT...and I mean, A LOT easier to pack if I just leave my wheels at home and borrow a set from a friend at the destination. Or at least just bring one and leave the other at home. With the wheels, it really is a tight squeeze and increases your chance of exceeding the weight limit. I understand that not everybody has the luxury of borrowing a wheelset at their destination but for me, the benefit is so worth it that I always try to ask around and see if I can borrow someone else's wheels. So far, I had been pretty lucky and was able to do that in the places I have travelled to. It really saves a lot of hassle, space and weight. And I am not very fussy with the kind of wheels I can borrow. Most folks are happy to loan me their heavier and older alum rim wheels because they have already upgraded to the high zoot carbon wheels and don't really care about their rim-brake, box rims. I will bring my own cassette and tools to swap out when I get there.

Ok...that's all the real world experience I can share.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by tanghy

what do the tennis balls do?

They provide cushion or padding for any "pointed" ends - like dropout, stem, shifters, anything that stick out.