The Wobbling Sprocket

This is a good one. In this day and age of airlines looking for every conceivable way to squeeze an additional buck out of you, there is more reason than ever to consider the economics of taking the step of buying a travel bike that can go with you as a standard piece of luggage with little or no additional charge. There are more choices than you might realize. They range from full size road bikes to more compact and innovative ideas incorporating folding frames and smaller wheels.

I may not have all the options listed, so feel free to add to the list.

Let’s start with full size:

1) Ritchey Break-Away: A full size bike that comes in road and touring versions. The latter is nice because it has eyelets for a rack if you want to go solo. They also have steel and titanium versions. The can fit into a case that is equal to the max allowed by the airlines. The beauty of the Ritchey is that you would never know that it is a travel bike. The binders that hold the frame together are pretty much invisible. If you want a bike that can double as your daily rider, this is a good choice.

Dahon also has a version of this bike called the Expresso. Same frame, different paint job.

Ritchey Break Away

2) S&S Couplered Bikes: You can have S&S couplers installed on any bike where the tubing will accept the couplers. This works best with steel or titanium bikes with round tubing, but I have also seen couplers in carbon bikes (Calfee is the only one that does this).

A lot of manufacturers will install couplers as an option. The couplers are visible, but in my opinion, they are somewhat easier to use in terms of assembly and disassembly. They also add a little more weight than the Ritchey solution. I took the route of having couplers installed on what is now a 17 year old Schwinn Paramount. I bought the bike for $100 and then put about $1000 into it including new wheels, a re-paint, some components, a case etc etc. If you go the retro-fit route, you will need to factor in a new paint job. If you do it on a steel road bike, also give some thought to having some eyelets for a rack installed. I didn’t do that and I regret it. If you ever want to use panniers, it will make your life easier…even if it is a road bike.

The couplers are either stainless steel or titanium and are installed in the top tube and the seat tube. A special tool comes with which allows you to assemble/disassemble the frame like so:

Here are just a few companies that can do it for you. Ravello offers both a Ritchey like coupler solution and the S&S couplers.

Ravello
Rodriquez
Bilenky
Co-Motion
Waterford
Powers Design (Chicago)

A more complete list is on the S and S coupler site here.

3) Finally, you have folding bikes which collapse into a small package. These have smaller wheels. The gearing on these bikes is such that you have the same cadence as you would on a full size bike, however the handling typically is quicker given the smaller wheels. This could be a plus or a minus depending on what you like so it is a good idea to trial the bike and see if you like it. Make no mistake about it though, these are high end bikes that pack a lot into a small package. If you do go this route, you need to make sure you have spare tubes for flats as you are unlikely to find spares for these wheels in foreign places.

Here are some of the choices:

Airnimal:

Airnimal

Bike Friday

Bike Friday

Birdy:

Birdy Bike

Here is a picture of Peter G (Scotland) and his Airnimal Travel Bike in Corsica in 2006. Peter and I traveled together in Corsica in 2001, give or take a year. The Airnimal looks like it not only travels well, but it also knows how to climb……

Peter an Airnimal

Here is an Airnimal stowed away:

Airnimal Packed