Touring - LHT Deluxe with S&S couplers

I was cruising around on the Surly website and saw this:

http://surlybikes.com/frames/long_haul_trucker_deluxe_frame/

If I hadn't bought my LHT 8 months ago I would be getting this.

I had a Schwinn Traveler III that had this. I'm sure it wasn't original, but it was neat all the same. It even had cables that could be broken in one spot.

Seems like a lot of extra money for something that's not that convenient....

Did any of you find a price for the frame?

Did any of you find a price for the frame?

I sure didn't.

My guess is $1,000-$1,200.... :)

Seems like a lot of extra money for something that's not that convenient....

More convenient that dealing with a case for a full-sized non-coupled bike... and all of the associated fees for over-sized luggage! If you travel by air with your bike, the extra cost of S&S couplers probably pay for themselves after the first trip...

My guess is $1,000-$1,200.... :)

Agree. The price is probably similar to the old Traveler's Check frame.

Wow. 8.65 lbs. for frame and fork! That's 3 lbs. more than my Ritchey Breakaway cyclocross frame/fork.

If you want a take apart touring bike.......

http://www.yellowjersey.org/posd7.html

Those are pretty sexy bikes if you ask me. Kinda strange to see an expensive lugged retro frame being made with a unicrown fork but hey...

If you travel by air with your bike, the extra cost of S&S couplers probably pay for themselves after the first trip...
Sadly, that's nowhere near the case these days.

The S&S couplers will easily add $600 to the cost of the frame, plus another $150 or so for a case. Now that airlines are charging for checked baggage, you're probably only saving $50 per flight (each way) - perhaps $100 at best. So even in the best case scenario, you need to take the bike on over 7 flights just to break even.

If you're taking an around the world tour, S&S couplers are what you want. The bike will be just as stiff but it will be easier to transport on a train or by air overseas. And its better to buy the bike with them than do an aftermarket conversion later. You come out ahead.

Consider this scenario: I'm going to Japan on Japan Airlines and of course two suitcases are included and my Ritchey bike fits under the size requirements so travels free as one of my bags. However, if I had a fullsize bike case, the charge would be the same as an "excess baggage" fee, currently about 19,000 yen which is $230 - each way! So I save nearly $500 each time I fly to Japan. And that's for direct flights: if i lived in the middle of nowhere and had to connect by an american airline first, I'd have to pay their baggage fees as well!

Yup.

Bottom line: if you are sure you would want to go on a world tour, get S&S and save on the baggage fees.

If its domestic, then a regular touring bike will do the job fine.

As a data point: bicycles on US Airways cost $100 each way domestically or internationally. Internationally on Lufthansa it's something like $250 each way. Doesn't take long to add up.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1246/5165929330_29d2de2027_z.jpg

I love my LHT, but rather than get an S&S coupled version I'd suggest looking at a Bike Friday New World Tourist (http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/tag/new-world-tourist/). You can have a stock model for the same price as a complete LHT or just the frame/fork of a LHT Deluxe and despite the fold and small wheels they ride very similarly. I just did an overnight tour [wet muddy dirt/gravel trail] with a friend who rode his 700c LHT while I rode my Bike Friday. I was at no disadvantage and the NWT handled great. It would have been even better on a paved road tour. It can be folded in a few seconds to fit into a car or closet and can be packed into an airline legal suitcase with a bit more effort.

I owned a S&S coupled touring bike which I sold since I came to the conclusion the Bike Friday fold was so much more convenient I was using it rather than dealing with taking apart my S&S bike.

My ideal would be a mini velo built as a touring bike. A rigid frame would handle even better.

Lots of people do around the worlds without ever setting foot inside an aircraft, let alone break their bikes in half and box them.

Now that airlines are charging for checked baggage, you're probably only saving $50 per flight (each way) - perhaps $100 at best.

If you can find me an airline that charges only $50 to ship a bike in a full-sized hard case, I'm out the door tomorrow...

My buddy wanted to take a bike to Hawaii last year. Rental price for a full-sized Serfas (or Trico?) bike case was $50-100/week depending on which shop you went to. His airline wanted $150 each way in excess baggage fees. So $400 for his 10-day trip, plus the case was so large it wouldn't fit in a standard taxi or rental car.

So yes, you're correct: it would take two trips to pay for the cost of S&S couplers, not one as I originally suggested.