Ritchey Break-Away
 

Any of you guys ever considered getting a Ritchey Break-Away frame? I'm trying to convince myself that it would pay for itself in the long run.

The frame, fork, headset, and case can be had for ~$1,200. I'm not particularly picky about my components (my "good" bike is still running 9-speed 105), so I could realistically build up a bike for $2,000. It wouldn't even need its own set of wheels.

If I were to travel by air with my bike, I would most likely choose to ship my bike to my destination via FedEx or UPS. $40 seems like a nice, conservative shipping estimate, so a round trip would cost $80. That means that the bike would pay for itself after 25 flights. Factor in a couple overseas flights and the cost of convenience, and maybe 20 flights is a fair estimate. How long would it take me to take 20 flights with my bike? That's tough to say. My plans are bigger than my bank account, that's for sure. ;)

1 a year is a given. A good steel frame never goes out of style and I wouldn't be riding it very often, so the bike should be perfectly fine to ride 20 years from now. Will I want to ride a 20-year-old bike 20 years from now? That's another question. The logical solution is to take as many trips as possible so it will pay for itself faster, right? ;)

I would think that you could have your current frame converted, if it is steel. Frankly I would rather have a folding bike.

Dahon has licensed this technology as well and sells a model called Tournado with long-reach calipers to fit 40mm tires.
I noticed that the Traveler's Check by Surly lists for $1075 while the Ritchey road version lists for $1025 with case carbon fork, headset, and case.

Sorry for the double post

I just bought a 60 cc Break-Away frame to build a hopefully comfortable long distance travelfriendly bike. (I am 184 cm). Did not get a Campy wheelset before I went to Spain to test the bike (do not try to get 9 speed Shimano to mix with 9 speed Campy). Aside from bad shifting the bike is just great. I am a bit sceptical about the Ritchey Bike case though, and think the "stiffeners" that are sold with the S&S case could be a better idea.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...k/P1000054.jpg

There's some kind of widget that'll make Campy Ergo work with Shimano derailleurs. I'm sure it's described on the Sheldon Brown site.


The Dahon Tournado that someone mentioned looks like a really well-thought-out bike. I did talk with someone for awhile in the PBP startup line and he really liked his Ritchey Breakaway. (Meanwhile, I had bought an S&S-coupled Gunnar Sport frame, which I also really like.) I don't think there'd be any significant difference in packing ease between S&S coupled and Breakaway. If a person wanted to get an inexpensive S&S-coupled frame, Bilenky Cycleworks can order Salsa or Surly or Soma or Bleriot frames and put in S&S couplers.

My GF and I each have Breakaway Cross bikes. For us, they were a good choice vs. the B/A road bike since we have a stable with many road bikes as it is, and the B/A cross bikes offer some true versatility. Braze ons allow you to put racks on front and back (despite carbon, that front fork is super beefy and takes a moderate load very well). And naturally, since it's a CX bike, you can slap knobbies on them for the occasional dirt ride and cross race.

Ours have been on out of town double centuries, short loaded tours, and the dirt. In just the first year that we've owned the bikes, we've probably saved $500+ in airline fees as we've managed to not get hit with the ridiculous airline bike fee. The only time thus far that we've been hit with it was by the JetBlue staff in OAK.

Shifting does get sloppy after build-up, but proper cable/derailleur adjustments fix that reliably. If I did this bike build over, I'd probably opt for barcon friction shifters to make it less of a hassle.

If you do end up getting one, make a point of always having spare cables and cable splitters in your case.

http://www.sonofabike.com/albums/Bre...0026.sized.jpg

Call me confused, but why would you invest in a Break-Away and then ship it? I always thought the whole point was so you can take it on the plane without paying the oversized fees.

-D

JTEK shiftmate...

Or buy a SRAM red derailer and just shift... on your SRAM or Shimano cassettes! - according to Mr. Zinn.

Hrm, last I checked it was over $1200 just for the frame.

$80 - $100 each way is a more likely cost, either if you ship or take it on the plane. Airlines are almost all charging that, each way, to take a bike on a plane; international shipping is insanely expensive, so probably not an option. Even at a higher cost for the frame, I think you'd break even in a few years.

One thing to keep in mind is that with a separatable bike (or a folding bike), you are basically limited to loops, since you have to leave your case somewhere and pick it up again at the end.

By the way, similar options include the Surly Traveler's Check frame and folding bikes, notably Bike Friday. The Tournado looks OK, could use lower gearing.

the package (frame, fork, headset, case, tube covers, cable splitters, extra downtube clamp) can be had for $1400 or less. I've had a 'cross b/a for 6-7 months. it has definitely paid for itself since i travel a lot for business.

i don't understand how having the case limits you to loops only? if you are traveling with your bike, you probably plan on going home at some point anyway, right? worst case scenerio you could store the case at an airport locker if you have the need to ride directly off the runway.

technically the ritchey case is larger than the airline maximum measurements. as long as i keep it under 50 lbs (easy to do despite storing riding clothes and shoes in the with the bike) the airlines never say anything about the dimensions.

in summary, if anyone plans on traveling 2-3 times a year and would like to bring their bike without having to ship it ahead or pay hefty airline luggage fees, i think the ritchey b/a is the best bang for your buck and a great solution. pm if you want more details about my experiences.

Not daily loops, but the trip as a whole has to be a loop. I.e. if I start in Edinborough and ride to London, I'll have to get back to Edinborough to pick up the case. Not a big deal, still a limitation though. Seems pretty straight-forward to me....