LuckySailor

So I added couplers to my Trek 520 with this romantic idea that I was gonna take my bike with me when i travel. Problem. I've taken tires off rims. I have wide handle bars with a shallow drop, and an uncut steering tube. Any advice as to pack? Pictures? Link to a video?

Doug64

My wife's 700c bike has S&S couplers, and I have not found them to be all that useful. When the bike has a rack and fenders installed, there is not anyway to get it in a box that meets airline baggage size criteria. It would require an extra box for gear and bike parts. The pictures I've seen show a bare road bike with the tires removed, and a lot of disassembly.

Where it does help is shipping the bike UPS or FedX. It can fit in a box that is about $100 less to ship than a standard size bike box.

I had the couplers installed when the frame was being built, a Co-Motion. In retropect, I'm not sure it was worth the expense.

pdlamb

The bike presumably got to you, so it will fit. That's the good news.

Have you checked out the S&S site for packing instructions? Packing sequence for a 63cm road bike with ergo style shifters and https://www.sandsmachine.com/p_i_seq.htm

One good piece of advice is to take pictures as you pack your own bike. Obviously, you don't keep the pictures of the packing configurations that don't work! I put them into an electronic document with directions, printed it out, and keep it in plastic see-through sleeves with the bike case.

As to the 700C wheels, I have to deflate them completely. The top wheel can be packed with the tire on (28), but TSA pulls the tops of the compression struts off when they open the case (and never replace them). I've found I can pull the tire + tube off most of the wheel, leaving the stem in place at the back of the case, and stuff the tire up into the top of the case. That keeps everything together, and the wheel drops down (leaving compression struts intact) when the case is opened.

escii_35

Fly Southwest or cough up the dough and split the bike between two bags.

Take the stem off.

Trying to fit it into one airline legal case is rough. Four your next magic trick try and fit it into one case -and- under 40lbs. Allegiant let's you use 80in case but limits to 40lbs.

Unless I have two 80km+ plus rides scheduled I just find bringing the bike too much of a hassle.

Edit: TSA will open your box ~50% of the time. My last trip it was inspected on every leg.

andr0id

It definitely can be done.

I have a 59cm Waterford with a horizontal top tube that I can stuff into the 26x26x10" box. I basically use the process on the S&S site.

You shouldn't have to remove tires, just deflate them.
I have to remove stem & bars and my crankset because of the frame size along with disconnecting the rear derailleur and the other standard take down.

Smaller frame sizes shouldn't have to remove the crankset.

Disassembly and packing takes about 30 minutes, putting it pack together takes about 45 minutes because I'm checking torques and adjustments.

I use a KMC Missing Link on the chain so I can easily remove it and bag it.

indyfabz

Help me out here. Is there something about a standard size bike box that drives up the UPS/FedEx charge that much? Back in June I shipped my 60cm, 700c LHT in a CrateWorks plastic box along with racks (not installed), a stove and empty fuel bottle from Philadelphia to Missoula using Bikeflights.com The CrateWorks box measures 11"x30"x45.5". Because I didn't have a scale, I wildly overestimated the total weight at 90 lbs. FedEx shipping with 4-day delivery was $73, which included a $5 charge for pickup at a LBS.

LuckySailor

Thanks for the encouragement. I will continue this endeavour again tonight. I wondered about having a breakable link, and I sort of figured that I might have to remove my crank. It's openly another 2 minutes to put tires and tube back on, not a game changer really.
You wouldn't have pictures of your package (haha, that's funny. I couldn't resist saying it that way) I'll try again…..

Do you have pictures of how you pack your bike? Thanks.

John

pdlamb-This bike has never been packed before. It's my first time!

Doug64

There is an arbitrary size break at UPS where the cost jumps significantly. They use the lenght+width+depth to calculate size.

My wife's uncoupled bike fit in a box similar to the size of the box you used. My bike, a 58 cm LHT, would only fit into a large size manufacturer's bike box that was a few inches larger than UPS' s arbitrary size break. Mine cost $168 to ship from Oregon to Michigan, and my wife's bike costed $68.

Rob_E

Even with a 20"-wheeled, separable bike, I needed two bags. One held the bike and maybe a couple of tools. The other held the remaining tools and all my other gear that didn't fit in my carry on. I could have squeezed more into the case with the bike, but not everything. I pulled some stuff out of the bike box just to keep it under the weight limit.

I know it can be done by people who pack less, use lighter luggage, etc., but for me to bring what I wanted, I had to check two bags. I didn't mind. Two checked bags were still much cheaper than shipping a bike.

andr0id

Sorry, no photos of it in the box.

I will show you what I had to change to get my front end in without taking the fork out.

This was my bike new. It had a lot of spacers under the stem and the stem in the normal angled down orientation. That would not quite fit. So I cut down the steering tube and flipped the stem. The bars end up at the same place, but I saved about an inch that I needed to make it fit. I now have one 6mm below and a 3mm above.

BigAura

Beautiful bicycle, BUT it's not for loaded touring and you still had trouble making it work.

LuckySailor

Take the stem off.

Trying to fit it into one airline legal case is rough. Four your next magic trick try and fit it into one case -and- under 40lbs. Allegiant let's you use 80in case but limits to 40lbs.

yep! Call me Houdini! Except tires, tubes and fenders it's all in a self constructed coroplast box. And, drum roll please........since we fly Allegiant out of Fargo, it's under 40 pounds. 32.6 to be exact. 3 bottle cages, son28 Dynamo, headlight, second flat handlebar with mounts for handlebar bag is all in the box! WooHoo!

Tourist in MSN

When I bought my S&S bike frame (not a 520 like yours) I was warned by the dealer that it would not fit in the S&S sized box because of the fork length. I went ahead and bought it knowing that I would have to put my fork in a duffel with my other camping gear.

anotherbrian

I see you've made progress ... consider getting the S&S "compression members" as they'll give your case much more strength across the face. Even with the best padding (I see you have little), expect your paint will get chipped, and potentially that you may get some dings/dents when a hard part gets pressed against a frame tube.



I have a 29er MTB with S&S couplers and a 58cm Ritchey Break-Away CX bike that I use the S&S hard case with. Both require different techniques to pack, and in prior years when I was able to check two bags for free, I wasn't too careful about doing it, and would pack the S&S case with the frame/fork/wheels, and whatever was left over I'd toss in a second checked back (seat+post, handlebars). Now that I can only check one bag for free I'm spending much more time to get everything into the case ... you'll be surprised how you can thread handlebars through two sets of wheels to get them to fit though (take a picture when you find the ultimate packing, it makes it far easier to replicate later).

I have to remove my cranks on both bikes ... Shimano Hollowtech/external BB cranks are blessing for that. If you don't have the Ritchey cable separators, those are also very nice to have since you can handle the frame pieces + bars separately. If your bike has disc brakes, Shimano's Centerlock also makes it super easy to remove those. I've heard some people pull the entire cassette/freehub mechanism off their rear wheel to provide additional space which seems like a great idea if you can keep it clean/grease off everything.

My trips are usually business trips 2-3 nights long, so I'm looking to minimize the time unpacking/packing the bike, and maximize time riding. While I think I could find room for a rack/fenders in the case, I don't think it's reasonable to expect you could fit them installed into a 26"x26" space.

Anyone interested in trying a travel bike, I saw Bikewagon has a Dahon touring bike with Break-Away couplers (which for me are superior to the S&S) for $599, fork included, but no travel case. That's an awesome deal, considering to retrofit a bike with S&S couplers costs almost the same.

indyfabz

Now that you mention it, I remember gettng charged a good deal more than my GF to ship my bike UPS from PHL to MSO back in 2011. Her bike is the smallter LHT made and fit into a small bike box. While it wasn't $100 more, it was more than a few dollars.

At the risk of shounding like a shill, you might want to play around with bikefligts.com. Using their site you can plug in a few numbers (weight and box dimensions) desired shipping date and the origin and destination zip codes and get an instant quote for shipping. If you purchase, they email you a FedEx label 10 days before the shipping date. If your ship date is fewer than 10 days before purchase, the label is emailed to you in about 20-30 min. The only leg work you have to do is to get those clear, plastic label holders from a FedEx/Kinko's location. That's only extra work if you are not dropping the bike off at such a location for shipping but rather having it puicked up from somewhere like a LBS or home. Their customer service was very responsive to a few questions I had before purchasing and evenything went smoothly. They even email you a tracking link.

raybo

This thread has photos of my Waterford S&S coupled touring bike with 700cc wheels assembled and disassembled and put in it's travel case.

It also contains a link to a step-by-step guide that I follow to put the bike in the case.

I take about 90 minutes for assembly and disassembly, cleaning and lubing things as I go.

I have flown with my bike in its box every year for the past 10 years. I am currently traveling with my bike that I used on a tour in New York and then one in Wales. While there are many other ways to travel with/ship a bicycle, I find the combination of S&S couplers and the hard shell case to be a great method of insuring the bike arrives undamaged. It also saves airline bicycle fees.

I haven't tried keeping the tires on my rims when I Pack the bike. Instead, I take them off and put them in the case loose.

I carry a second bag to hold everything except the bike--racks, panniers, handlebar bag, clothes, tent, etc.

escii_35

Sigh, yet another Canadian on Allegiant.

Sometimes I think Bellingham is just some odd stopover where they pick up extra passengers for the YVR to Las Vegas run. I have a 72 in soft sided piece of luggage which I use specifically on Allegiant. The chain, tubes, light, wrench and one tire had to be placed in the carry-on to make weight. The reaction of small regional airport TSA folks at the carry-on screening area ... priceless.

One kudo to the Ryan Air clone. They sponsor a semi-pro bike team based out of Las Vegas. On a ride I saw one of their riders scouting for the Mt. Charleston Hill climb (~25 miles with a 5500 elevation gain.)

LuckySailor

Thank you for the link. I have seen it before actually, a couple times but it didn't come up on my radar screen when I was having trouble. I will consider trying it the way you did it as you didn't remove the crank. Mine is a Hollowtech2, so it's a piece of cake to remove and install.

LuckySailor

I will construct my own compression members, I feel that they are a necessity. This was a practice run, as I am heading to Florida in December. Why do you feel that the Break a ways are superior? I don't have any experience/opinion so I am just interested in your perspective. Thank you for your contributions!

anotherbrian

In a reasonable order of importance for me:

1. It's just simpler
2. No special spanner to tighten/loosen the coupler
3. Not necessary to protect the couplers/threads from dirt (note my S&S is an MTB)
4. Never had BreakAway loosen in the field, though its happened twice with S&S
5. Easier to assemble quickly / doesn't require a lot of torque to tighten / don't tear up your hand if spanner slips
6. Lighter; top junction uses existing seatpost as part of coupling

I'd like to have a travel fixie/singlespeed to simplify things even further. Ritchey used to sell one but it is no longer made and I've never seen one in my size on ebay or craigslist. I've decided I'll try a White Industries Eno Eccentric hub on the CX and if that works consider getting a custom (there are a number of builders who use Ritchey couplers now) made.

mrveloman

I have a58 cm frame which fits fine in the 26x26x10 case. Once I get everything in I zip tie it all into a bundle so when TSA opens the case they can just remove the whole thing and look all they want. I do remove the cranks (I have the older Octolink type which are easy to remove and replace). I also remove the brakes that way I don't have to hassle with the cables. I leave my tires on and let out some air and also use a removable link in my chain

mrveloman

rest of my photos

LuckySailor

Thanks MrVeloman!

For anotherbrian- I edited my comment above but it ended up in you quote, sorry. I will be sewing my own sleeves to cover the tubes. This was a practice run, and it ends up that the foam I was going to use is too thick to be able to pack it all in the appropriate box, and I want to do it a few times before I leave for Florida in December. Also, I may consider constructing a larger box, one that is closer to the 80" limit set by Allegiant. I am under the 40 limit so if I can take less apart, quicker to get on the road in Florida. Although it creates a problem with transport at the other end. Always a trade off isn't there?!

anotherbrian

Wow, 80"?!? That alone is reason enough to make your own box (US carriers are 62", and that's what the S&S case is designed to meet). I'd keep as close to 26x26 as you can (maybe 27x27 so you don't need to deflate your tires) cause everything should otherwise fit in that space, but stacking the layers is always a hassle at 10".

S&S sold rolls of nylon covered foam (I think in two sizes) with Velcro that let you make custom lengths of tube padding. I don't recall how expensive it was, but it was easy to use. The Ritchey included pads for most of the tubes and it was never size (perfect fit), so making your own is probably the best.

Philly Tandem

FWIW, here's a pic of my 26" (not 700c) wheeled Co-Motion touring bike packed to take on AMTRAK (I carried it on). It was well over 50#, I'm sure, but in the S&S backpack case I fit the bike, front and rear racks, tent, tools, lock, sandals, and a few other things. 26" wheels made it a bit easier, but 700c would have worked as well.



This summer I took my 700c 52cm Co-Motion Nor'wester S&S from Philadelphia to San Francisco in one standard S&S bag. It fit, no problem. I did have to deflate, but not remove, the tires. I didn't have racks with me on this trip, nor fenders, but I think both would have fit (albeit tightly). My helmet and handlebar bag fit in the case with the bike. I prefer the S&S backpack cases, as I find them to be more flexible and easier to pack. We've used them successfully for dozens of flight legs, mainly with our S&S tandem and triplet, in addition to our S&S singles. Usually I'll pull the drive-side crank just to make things faster to pack. One-key release makes it easy (square taper cranks).



BTW, a really useful little gizmo is the Problem Solvers Locking Headset Spacer (https://www.jensonusa.com/Problem-Sol...Headset-Spacer). You install it as part of your threadless headstack stack, below the stem. It allows you to remove the stem/handlebars while still keeping your headset adjustment locked in. Really useful for travel bikes!