Colin; I realized that you might be able to carry your bike AND aux tank, if
you have the weight capacity. I have cut and converted five or so bikes to
folders, one a tandem, and the last one just for this trip to France.(I left
the bike there for friends to enjoy) The process is simple, measure your frame
to find a cut line that will create two equal halves - in your case 26" max.
dimension because the wheels don't fold. Cut the tubes cleanly in front of the
bottom bracket and the top tube in front of the seat post. Two ways of joining
them work well, external or internal sleeve.
A. External sleeve joints require welding three nuts onto each side of a 4130
slit tube with the i.d. a loose fit on the bike tube o.d. The nuts on one side
are drilled out to receive the bolt loosely, and the bolt threads into the
other, clamping the sleeve tightly onto the cut frame.
B. Internal sleeves are a simple loose fitting length of 4130 tubing that fits
the i.d. of the bike tubing. With the bike assembled and three inches of tubing
centered inside the joint, drill a hole through the bike tubing and sleeve to
fit an AN bolt of your choice, one on each side of the frame cut. Dynamic loads
on a bike are lateral, so the bolts are horizontally oriented. Four holes
fitted with four bolts and your bike is stiffer and stronger than before. I
speak from many miles of experience. I rode the tandem for years in the back of
rented C150's with my wife and rode it in Malaysia on holiday. Pictures upon
request. Peter
