I want to throw out four options. They are: S&S, Bike Friday, Brompton and rentals.
I'm a small builder- for about the last 22 years and one of the early installers of S&S couplers starting in 1995 or so. I share that only for the purpose of explaining that I've been though over 100 retro's and learned a bit along the way. I'm a big fan of them FOR the right person. If you are mechanical-it is a breeze. If you are not- it increases the expense and frustration. Can your frame be coupled? Any easy way to check is to cut our two cardboard squares 26"x26" and draw a boarder around the edge 1/2" in. I like to do that to have a margin of error. When I stared I'd put it all in CAD but the cardboard lay-out process is much easier and can be more accurate. It also helps to see if you will have to remove your cranks or not on some bikes or how you will handle the for- many in the 56 and below range can remain installed.. Throw the squares on the floor and arrange them underneath your frame and fork laying on top of them(wheels removed) You will get a quick idea if your even close. Other considerations are actual tube size. I ran into a few metric sized frames where I've had to shim the couplers to fit. Not a huge deal- built an extra step and expense. $450-475 w/o paint is a good deal. If your frame is rough- have them primer the area and ride it that way for a while. If you are traveling much- the bike will get chipped up- why spend $350 or more on new paint-only to be messed up(technical term). I've traveled with a and S&S coupled road bike and front suspended mtb many times over the years. I also have used a Bike Friday tandem and single as well as a Brompton. I like them all for a variety of reason and won' t writ that book today. How long is your trip is a key question followed by what is your intended mileage and course you are covering. I go Arizona a lot for short trips- personal and business. Many times I have a day or two to get some rides in. For that I'll either rent for off-road and check out a new bike I'm interested in- latest and greatest sort of thing. $60-80 for a $3500 -5k bike. That is me- I like my own bikes- also like to check out the new stuff. No hassle at all. For road rides- mostly I'll do a Friday- easy assembly-if I have a voucher for a checked bag. Otherwise the rental again is a cheaper or less hassle. Many cheap model to choose from and many on ebay- under 1k with easy ability to re-sell. Before the bag fee's a Friday or coupled bike was a no brainer- now a rental is a reasonable option as well. If you are doing an extended tour using a train in there- say my trip to Rome- Loved the Friday and the bag was free then. I really only like a Brompton for mixed mode transport (train-bus) or messing around in a city exploring. Not so much for longer rides-for me anyway. I also like to throw in the car for trips. It gives me an activity when I have down time. Again- I'm not road racer X and like to just get out and ride. More than anyone wanted to maybe know. If you have any questions- feel free to email off or on list. Rich -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
