How to Find the Right Travel Bike

I grew tired of the high costs of bicycle transportation. At first, I would ship my bike in one of those over-sized hard cases. I tried packing it myself but always struggled to make it all fit. After one or two tries, I decided to work with my local bike shop at home and one at my destination. The idea is that they dissemble, pack, ship, etc. The down side is that I had to plan ahead and I had to pay not only shipping costs but also the (dis)assembly of the bike.

In 2007, I started doing online research for a travel bike that I could take with me as luggage. There were a few requirements that the bike needed to meet:

1. Durable. What I really wanted was a full-carbon travel bike, but I didn't know if such a beast existed. That being said, the bike had to be able to withstand multiple (un)packing and, since I am a heavy sweater, it needed to resist corrosion. 
2. Standard Fit. It had to look, feel and ride like a road bike. There are many travel bike options in the folding bike market, but none of them looked good to me. I wanted a normal road frame that I could ride at home as well as when I am on the road.
3. Inexpensive to Ship. My criteria was that it had to be able to be shipped as airline baggage without any excess baggage charges.

Following some online searching, I came across two reasonable alternatives, one from Ritchey Design, the Ritchey Break-Away line and a myriad of travel bikes based on the S and S Machine Bicycle Torque Coupling™.

Since then, I have come across an alternative that claims to cut packing and unpacking time to about 15 minutes! The KGS-Zinn travel bike resolved the key issues that add the most amount of time and risk to packing my bike. Here is a link to photos of the bike.

A note on price: I estimated that each time I took my bike on a trip with me, I was out of pocket by about $500, assuming about $100 handling on each side plus about $150 each way for shipping. Additionally, I had to drop off and pick up the bike plus the box, so this added to the inconvenience and burden of travel. Though price was not unimportant, the potential savings would quickly add up.

How the Travel Bike Options Compare

1. Durability. Advantage to S and S Machine. Though both Ritchey and S and S Machine Bicycle Coupling™ systems seem to work well, I felt that the S and S solution was more durable even though it is somewhat more prominent when installed. I liked having the titanium option because of its strength and resistance to corrosion. 
   
   Ritchey has steel and titanium-carbon frames. S and S Machine provided a list of manufacturers who used their couplings on steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon. The list of builders is long. Only Calfee Design offered a full-carbon travel versions on their Tetra and Luna models.
   
   
   
   Ritchey Design coupling for the seat post.
   
   
   Ritchey Design coupling for the down tube.
   
   
   
   
   Ritchey Design coupling close-up.
   
   
   
   
   S and S Machine Bicycle Torque Coupling™.
   
   
   
2. Standard Fit. Advantage to none. Both solutions provide a standard road fit.
3. Inexpensive to Ship. Advantage to S and S Machine. As of the time of this writing, the maximum size of a checked piece of luggage for most airlines is 62 linear inches. Ritchey Design's packing case measures 8.5" x 26.5" x 31" or 66 linear inches (4 linear inches too much). For all but the largest sizes, frame builders using S and S Machine couplings could fit their bikes into a case that measures 10" x 26" x 26" or 62 linear inches.
   
   
   S and S Machine Travel Case 26" x 26" x 10"
   
   Ritchey Design Travel Case 8.5" x 26.5" x 31"
   (Exceeds Airline Size Limits)

Decision

Once I discovered the Calfee Design frame, my decision was made: I ordered a Tetra Pro. I had a travel bike that met all of my requirements. An added advantage was the incredible reputation that follows Craig Calfee and his bikes. Ritchey offers a great product and many of you may choose it over my decision, but for me, the full-carbon frame clinched the deal.

Lead Time and Costs

It took about 12 weeks to deliver my frame. I ordered my bike through Andy Jordan's Bicycle Warehouse in Augusta, GA because I lived in the area at the time. Andy Jordan did an incredible job in setting me up within one week of the frame's arrival. If you are ever in the area, stop by and take a look at their shop.

Satisfaction

I have been riding my Calfee Tetra Pro for about 10 months at the time of this writing. Though I didn't build it out with the lightest components, it still comes in at about 18.5 pounds. The S and S Machine Couplings™ make no difference in the ride at all. I've taken the bike to Georgia, California and to Hawaii without any issues yet.

The only drawback is that packing and unpacking take up more time that I expected. Even though I am able to pack it in about 60 minutes, it can sometimes take longer. One of the drawbacks of a compact break-down is that I really want the bike to be clean before I pack it. If I used one of those larger boxes, I probably wouldn't be so fastidious. As it is, I spend about 30 minutes just cleaning up my bike before packing.

If anyone wants more information on my experience, please feel free to contact me.

My Calfee Designs Tetra Pro Travel Bicycle

Side View of Travel Case (10")

Front View of My Travel Case with 700c Wheel to Show Perspective