What are those silver things on Tandemgeeks Erikson frame?

[becnal]

I was lusting after Tandemgeeks rides when I noticed these silver things on the frame of his Erikson. As I am a total newb to tandems, could someone tell me what they are?

http://www.thetandemlink.com/Images/gallery/02erickson_web.jpg

[djembob02]

They are S&S couplers. They enable the frame to come apart at those joints. This allows for bikes to be packed for traveling or some tandems can even be coverted to triplets, quads, etc. by adding sections. For more info check out http://www.sandsmachine.com/

[TandemGeek]

http://www.co-motion.com/graphics/coupler.gif

From the manufacturer's site: An S&S Coupling™ also known as a Bicycle Torque Coupling™ or BTC™, is a precision lug that is installed in a bicycle frame when it's manufactured to allow it to separate and pack for easy transportation. Some builders will even install or retrofit BTCs™ into an existing frame. With this system, a full size road or mountain bike will fit completely inside a single 26" x 26" x 10" case that travels as regular airline luggage. Some framebuilders manufacture full size tandems that will fit complete, including the wheels, in the same case!

S and S Machine's BTC Website: http://www.sandsmachine.com/

This is a link to a Co-Motion slide-show with some really relaxing music that walks you though how you would disassemble and pack a brand-new tandem fitted with BTC's, including the cutting, fitting and marking of the Velcro frame covers: http://www.co-motion.com/S&StandempackQT.html

Here is more information on how our Erickson tandem is packed into our cases:
http://www.thetandemlink.com/articles/ericksontravel/Ericksonpack.html

[ElRey]

For travel purposes they are great, and they don't seem to negatively impact frame performance. They are expensive...

I have a CO MO S&S.

[becnal]

I ... feel ... lust ... setting ... in !!! Must ..... have !!!

[DBC Steve]

I ... feel ... lust ... setting ... in !!! Must ..... have !!!

Lust comes with a price: a thousand bucks more for a frame with the connectors, and maybe 800 bucks for two cases. I tried to talk my stoker into spending the extra money and it was vetoed. FWIW, the Co-Mo steel frames use a slightly heavier tube set for the "co-pilot" models (the ones with the connectors) than the regular models -- "heavier" being a relative term, with the difference measured in ounces and not pounds (insert your metric equivalents here).

[TandemGeek]

...a thousand bucks more for a frame with the connectors...

Actually, I want to say that it WAS (was being the operative word here) moer like $1,200 for upgrading frames that used 6 Stainless Steel couplers.

As was noted in a few recent threads, S&S Machine recently audited their actual costs to produce their BTCs which have been about the same price since they were introduced in the mid-90s and their findings resulted in a substantial "market adjustment" last month. A quick check of some current (as in March '07) pricing sheets suggests the six coupler configuration is more like a $1,950 option. The price increase on the Titanium BTCs used for Carbon and Ti-framed bikes may have been even a larger jump.