alan s 

I happen to like my coupled bike for travel. Sure, it takes time to set up and breakdown, but traveling with a huge box is a pain and finding one for the return flight also takes time.

Rob_E

I have some adjustable pliers as part of my every day kit. They've always been sufficient to use in conjunction with the Centerlock tool. I kind of agree that less tools are better when it come to travel, but the cassette tool is not a big burden, and it is easier and faster than the multi-bolt method.

However, if someone is really annoyed by their centerbolt, I believe there's a Centerbolt to 6 bolt adapter.

Rob_E

Agreed. I understand international flights or flights wholly outside the US can be more accommodating about bikes, but as someone who primarily flies within the US, the couplers have been useful and, eventually, cost effective. Technically, I think it will be my next flight that puts me in the black, where saved airline fees will surpass the extra cost of the couplers. But it's more than that. Moving a bike when it's luggage-sized is just easier. When my inlaws picked us up at the airport, they were concerned that four people, plus two people's luggage, plus my bike would never fit in their sedan, and, if the bike had been in a bike box, they would have been right.

Yeah, it takes more time to put it together, but it's wort it to me. And it's really not that much more time. An hour at each end, maybe. Although if you're assembling the bike, and loading it up for touring, that can add a little time. Still worth it. I have no regrets about buying an S & S coupler bike, and would like to build one up for my wife, so we can travel together with our bikes.

seeker333

I agree - it's a hassle either way. I am glad you are happy with your choice. In making previous comment, I remembered comments made here by some S&S owners who do not always utilize this capability because of labor/time required. Easier to cram in box and pay the fee, according to them.

Rob_E

I'm currently using TRP Spyke brakes on my S & S coupler bike. I prefer them over the Avid BB7s they replaced, but I don't see any real difference in terms of ease of packing. I use full housing, so to pack up the bike. rear brake handle and the rear shifter controls just come off the handlebar and remain with the rear half of the bike. The front brake, I just disconnect the cable from the lever.

I haven't noticed any issues with Spykes, but then I haven't been running them all that long. It's possible that the last time I flew, I was still using BB7s front and rear. I was at least using one BB7. Either way, though, I've seen nothing in either set that would cause a problem when packing the bike.

fietsbob

I got a Bike Friday travel bike for similar benefits.. though it uses a mix of folding and knock down, to go in a suitcase.


In a place that sees a lot of cycletourists, Ive heard at least 1 story of before getting the boarding pass , opening the S&S case was demanded,
seeing it was a bike, billed the fee anyhow.. good luck may help you there..



..

seeker333

+1

A single airline employee can make the whole folding/coupled argument pointless.

Rob_E

And fietsbob trots out that one example every time this topic comes up. I think that one incident has more mileage on it than any touring bike. ;-)

In recent years, I've found that every airline I've wanted to fly on has amended their baggage policy to explicitly state that a bike that fits in a standard 62-linear-inch case is not subject to any special fees. I have, however, had to explain to people their own baggage policies, but if you have it in print on an official source, I've not had any problem getting them back down.

alan s 

The contents of a suitcase that meets the size and weight requirements is irrelevant. Never had an issue or even a question as to checked baggage. One time my carry on that went through the machine was looked at. Probably not too many people carrying brakes, shifters and other components onto a plane.

fietsbob

some people need reminding, or they just got here.. your money your choice..


I got in my big tours before 'that 911' after which, things got weird.

Rob_E

Same. There has been a lot of concern expressed on that issue here on bikeforums, which had me worried before I tried to fly with my bike, but in recent years it seems most airlines have clarified their policies, and it became clear that the stories I was reading here were older stories, and usually 2nd or 3rd hand.

So far I've taken my folding bike in a suitcase on four flights and my S&S bike in its case on three. No one has ever made an issue of it.

Tourist in MSN

My last plane trip with my 62 inch S&S case, I was wearing the helmet when I got on the plane. It is not like I was hiding the bike. One airline employee told me that the planes have gotten safer these days, but the way he smiled when he said that it was clear that he knew I just did not want to pack the helmet elsewhere. And that flight was on Delta, they are the airline that is usually considered the most hostile to bicyclists.

I am doing another trip in April. After that I will only have to do one half of a round trip with my S&S case to finish covering the cost of the case and couplers.

Yes, it might have taken a couple more hours to deal with packing the bike in the S&S case, but I am retired and I have some spare time. I built up the bike from the frame so I know what I am doing, it goes pretty quick. First two times was slower, but I have figured out exactly what goes where in what order.

The only thing I do not like about using an S&S coupled bike is that my fenders won't fit in the case. Thus, no fenders on the last trip, next trip I will have something to cover part of the back wheel spray but unfortunately not as good as a full coverage fender.

One big advantage to me is that the S&S case fits in a taxi, I can take a taxi to and from the airport instead of having to impose on a friend to haul me around. I rank that advantage almost as high as the cost savings advantage.

alan s 

I went with a soft case and 26” wheels, allowing room for full fenders.

Rob_E

I think that is likely a factor in how comfortable you are with an S&S travel solution: How comfortable you are working on your bike. Like you, since I put everything on my bike the first time around, it's not so intimidating to tear it down a little for packing. And it gets easier every time. I haven't had to assemble/dissassemble it at the airport yet, but I don't feel like it would be a big deal anymore.

I have been thinking about getting a 2nd, soft-sided S&S case and splitting the bike and luggage up between the two. If I check a 2nd bag, I usually put a few bike parts in the 2nd bag to make sure my S&S is underweight, but I still can't use my fatter wheels. I can't seem to squeeze my Troll with 40mm rims into one case. With two it shouldn't be a problem. Also I've never got my rack into the case, but I also didn't try too hard. My one touring trip I did with that bike involved using a bikepacking set up. I also left out the fenders to simplify the packing, but that was probably a mistake, given the weather I saw. I will likely try to squeeze them in next time I'm taking an extended trip.

Tourist in MSN

First photo is most of my bike in the S&S Backpack case. The four plastic side pieces of teh case are held together with velcro at the corners, I found it assembles easier if I leave those velcro pieces a bit loose. And I put a piece of cardboard on the two big sides (or bottom and top, when packing it on its side). I also can't get the rear rack in the case with the bike. The tires have to be deflated to allow everything to pack flat enough to fit in a 10 inch thick case. Every bike is different, I have to pull crank arms off of mine to get it to fit. Not shown in the photo, I also have a DIY center support of a couple pieces of thin plywood and two one inch diameter wooden dowels, and some wood screws, that is not shown in the photo. First trip, I used masonite instead of plywood, it cracked. Also not shown in the photo, some low density stuff like empty water bottles, etc.

Second photo is the luggage I took to Iceland, the olive green bag had my rack in it, plus some other bike parts and most of the camping gear. The yellow Ortlieb duffle was my carry on, the handlebar bag was my on-plane personal item. Wore the helmet onto the plane.

Third photo, everything assembled. But at the time of the photo I was probably down to only 4 or 5 days of food left, thus the bike was packed a bit lighter by then.

My luggage scale said my green bag and my S&S case were each 48 pounds, the airline said 49. A luggage scale is your best friend when traveling.

alan s 

Looks like drop bars take up a lot of space. I use riser bars with bar ends, which fits between the wheels. Same case and wheel/tire size (26x2). I do let out some air, as well, but use plastic corrugated board similar to plastic cardboard for the sides, Velcro pads on all tubes, 4 spacers and a TSA net to hold it all together.

tspoon

It's happened to me also. I think the determining factor in my case is that it was a budget airline (Air Asia). They charge less up front, but in a lot of ways, this is where they make their money. Frustrating when it happens, for myself I just went away from those type of airlines unless absolutely necessary.

Tourist in MSN

Yup. And I run interuptor brake levers too that makes it a bit harder to fit in. Sometimes I have to loosen up a bolt on the interuptor brake lever (or both) to turn them a bit.

The green stuff in the photo was perforated rubber sheeting to put on shelves, bought it at Dollar Tree. Used that between parts to protect the paint, rims, etc., from rubbing on each other. And two sided velcro was used to strap things together. I could lift that entire bundle out of the case, much like you can with the net but because the parts had those velcro straps holding it all together, it should not shift around. It is an expedition bike, a few nicks in the paint are expected so I skip using foam.

DropBarFan

Yes, there's potential pit-falls with a box:

Ideally one would have one reserved at the airport but with overworked employees with limited experience with bikes & the bureaucracy, the box might not show up...panic time.

Getting box from bike shop means at least 1 expensive taxi ride. Bike shops also have little incentive to ensure box is available when promised.

Also IIRC some of the big Euro airlines have increased their bike fees.

fourfa

I've got the 2013 Salsa Vaya Travel, which came with S&S couplers pre-installed. For my two long trips from USA to Europe (2015 and 2017), the oversized luggage fee on my airlines was far less than the cost of shipping a boxed bike to Europe. At home I got a cardboard box from the local bike shop, which still had all the foam and tubes and protective stuff still in it. Packed up, got dropped at the airport, got to the destination, built the bike on the sidewalk being gawked at by Italian taxi drivers, stuffed the box in the trash, and rode out of the airport. At the other end of the tour, found another local bike store for a box and took a taxi to the airport. I never considered some expensive bike luggage as I like to start in one place and finish somewhere else (Palermo to Lisbon most recently). Sending some expensive luggage ahead, when I don't even know for sure where I'll be when I decide I'm done touring, is not worth the hassle.

As for the couplers - I have a big 60cm bike, I'm 6'2". Even in a standard sized box, the couplers make it far simpler to pack with less disassembly of other components like fenders, cranks, forks, rear mech etc. If you get stuck with a smaller box at the end (haven't had luck finding big boxes in Italy, might be different in the Netherlands or Germany), the couplers home in damned handy. Regarding some maximum 62" box standard - I've been able to pack almost all my touring gear in the bike box with the bike and still come under the upper weight limit. So I have one simple carry-on, one oversized box, nothing else and no other bag fees piling up.

As for trains - most countries I've been through have several classes of trains where full-size bikes are welcome with no disassembly. The top couple classes of high-speed trains usually don't, however even the bike-OK trains (for instance Regionale anywhere in Italy) are extremely fast, efficient, and frequent by American standards, and much cheaper than the express trains to boot (the extra ticket if required is trivial - like 3.50eur for 24hr of train travel in Italy). The exception I just experienced was Portugal - I was flying home from Lisbon, and ran out of time in Lagos. The bus company turned me down flat, no discussion (though the bus seemed to be empty). There seemed to be no bike-OK train line at all, but I was directed to take the bike apart and wrap it in plastic. Undid the couplers and cable splitters, turned the handlebars, put the two halves in big trash bags I found and taped together, and I was on my way. There was an empty luggage compartment on the train, where a dozen full-size bikes would have fit comfortably, and no one ever came with a tape measure or anything.

Could I have figured a way around all of those problems without the couplers, of course. They have saved me some hassle though. They also weigh a full pound extra, and looks like people here have mentioned the costs.

As for brakes - again I'm a big guy, 6'2" 200lbs and bike+gear was ~85lbs for much of this last tour. The BB7s the bike came with are garbage, in my experienced opinion. They work OK when set up perfect; the big problem is they don't stay set up and require constant fiddling. Get it a micron off, and they squeal incessantly and more importantly don't stop worth a damn. I found myself having to adjust after every time I had the wheel off for any reason, and riding hundreds of miles wondering exactly how much squealing and headache I would put up with before stopping to adjust yet again. Perhaps a lot of this would go away with a proper modern thru-axle (QR and disc is just an awful combination in my opinion), on the other hand when I trashcanned the BB7s and got Spyres all the squealing and uneven wear and poor contact problems went away. I've had good luck with the Spyres mechanically.

However with my load, after the extremely steep terrain I got up to on my 2017 tour - I've had enough of mechanical discs and don't plan to tour with them ever again. They can develop enough friction eventually, with enough force on the lever; the problem is that sometimes my hands cramp before I can get there (with 105 3x10 STIs, several types of pads, and yes even in the drops). Over a couple years I upsized from the stock 160mm front rotor (this is just a sick joke on a L-XL frame) to 180mm, to 203mm. The 203mm is OK but I have long been spoilt by proper hydro brakes on large diameter rotors on MTBs, and I'm just done putting up with anything below that standard.

I don't know for sure that you're locked to drop bars like I am. If you are: one option is hydro front and rear, and remove the rear brake and clip a couple zipties to undo the couplers; this does currently force a 2x crank but the shift quality on the Ultegra 11 I have on my road bike is shocking, and the gravel bike explosion means there are more and more ways to get the gear range you need with 2x. Personally I can work with 50/34 front and 11-40 rear, which is possible on the stock medium cage Shimano road derailleurs. And there are ever more gravel/trekking crankset options, and wide range derailleur options too. Another is to go moto-style (left brake for rear, right brake for front); this would allow a hydro front brake with 10 or 11-speed rear, and a split-able cable rear brake with a proper triple crank and a closer-ratio cassette. The shifters won't exactly match under your palms though.

nickw

It's a solid system in my experience. It doesn't particularly look it, I'll be honest and had reservations about it, but pulled the trigger and have loved the bike.

I did semi-light tour, probably 20-30 lbs of gear, over unimproved roads, rough jeep trails, long days, big miles and lots of climbing and it held up great. It's my main bike as it stands now for daily riding.