Touring - Packing big frame for air

Hi,

I'm a few days from ordering a new tourer, and I'm at wit's end. I've looked at Bruce Gordon R-n-R, (seems like a great guy) Riv Atlantis and Co-Motion Americano. I'd dismissed Co-mo because I like the quill stems that are part of the kit on the other bikes. It's also a bit pricier. The dilemma: I ride a 63 cm road racing frame (Litespeed Classic), and Peterson says I need a 66 (!!) cm tourer. That frame feels comfortable when I'm on it, but it initially feels a little intimidating when I straddle it. It contacts what the Riv guys delicately refer to as "soft tissue" when I stand astride the bike. Gordon would solve the problem with a more aggressively sloped top tube.

In any case, we're looking at one big bike. I'm 6-4, long legs, 210 pounds. My question: we'd like to consider some foreign or out-of-area tours. Should couplers be a deal-breaker? At Co-Mo, they carry a $700 tarriff. The Co-Mo's are beautifully welded -- best I've ever seen. Lots of the parts spec isn't to my preference, but that's easy to fix. So it comes down to couplers. If I'm going to fly and ride perhaps three times during the time the bike and I are married, should I bother?

Thanks in advance.

My body proportions are similar to yours, my road bike is a 63cm Litespeed Ultimate. My touring bike is a Cannondale T2000 in their jumbo size frame which fits me great, I highly recommend it. I personally think a 66cm frame is way too much, all you need is a long seat post and possibly an extended handlebar stem. I make no attempt to fly with my bike, I just ship it as needed. Fedex is still the cheapest.

210 lbs plus a touring load? Take a good look at the wheels. Here is an Alaska-Tierra del Fuego trip done on a Co-Mo Americano, took four rims to do the job. Once you leave the US and Europe, roads can be in bad shape or unpaved which compromise the rims.

http://ribbonofroad.com/index.html

I think 26" wheels are a better option, inherently stronger, and wider availabilty of wide tires. We ride a Co-Mo Mocha Co-Pilot tandem, 26" 40 h wheels. Beautiful bike, have not taken it on an extended tour yet.

Our tandem has couplers. I have taken single bikes on airplanes several times in cardboard boxes, never paid excess. You can reduce the size of a box significantly by just taking cranks and fork off, not sure how much smalller you are really going to get with a coupled sinlge bike. Generally a coupled bike you take in a case, and then you are left to worry about the case at the start of your tour, cardborad you can discard and replace at the end.

Just as a frame of reference... Riv would fit me with 3 sizes larger frame than I prefer. While there are a lot of factors and we all have different preferences, I would definitely take their recommendation with a grain of salt.

I"m 6'4", 206 lbs. with a 35" pants inseam. I have a 62cm LHT. It fits great. I have a steeply rising stem because I wanted my bars close to level with my saddle. 66cm seems excessive to me too, as someone who is close to your dimensions, but I guess frame geometry can make a big difference. It's not just about seat tube height anymore.

Thanks all,

That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm inclined to box and fly or to ship an uncoupled bike. Big Blue, we appear to be a near match. I've got to drop a few winter pounds -- I like to be around 200. Dunno why the decision has me suffering from paralysis.

It all depends on how it's being measured. What's the ctc measurements of your road bike's ST and TT? Would you want a more relaxed position for a touring bike?

For three times, I really wouldn't bother since it wouldn't pay for itself. The couplers plus the case can push $700-800 if not more. My experience regarding couplers:

I had a 62cm LHT which I loved but sold it mostly because it was a bear to pack. I had to put two large bike boxes together to make it work. I then purchased a Thorn Nomad (very compact frame) w/ BTCs. When I was trying to pack it last year for air travel, I learned that I had to remove the fork because the front half would not fit in the 26x26x10 box due to the long steerer tube. I didn't want to mess with taking the fork off so ended up packing it in a standard box assembled. At least, with the compact design I can now get my bike in a regular bike box. I will probably never take it apart again but the couplers look nice!

I would recommend a compact frame without couplers considering you don't plan on flying very often. If you get a frame with a horizontal top tube in the sizes you are talking about, you probably would need couplers just to get it into a regular bike box. I know the S and S site shows a large merlin being packed into a case but I am still skeptical. I have also heard about people having to take their tires off of their 700c rims to make it fit which is one of the reasons I wanted 26" wheels. If I start flying a lot more, I will be getting a Bike Friday.

For three times, I really wouldn't bother since it wouldn't pay for itself. The couplers plus the case can push $700-800 if not more...

Just got S&S couplers put into my Gunnar Sport as it was being built and it was a $750US upgrade...As much as the frame itself! NOT including suitcase, etc.

May be I'm weird but at the price of the bikes you have mentioned why not go full custom. A good cutom builder will fit you to a "T". For inspiration check out True North http://www.truenorthcycles.com/ Hugh builds many bikes with couplers. He built me a bike to fit my very unique body (really tall with really short legs) and I love it. Good luck.

Just got S&S couplers put into my Gunnar Sport as it was being built and it was a $750US upgrade...As much as the frame itself! NOT including suitcase, etc.

Yikes. I guess the price has been going up. When I checked into it 2-3 years ago, the price from Thorn and Bilenky was about $400.