With all these break-away/coupler bikes I do wonder about the brake lines. For disc brakes, would you rather have hydraulic brakes and connectors or Paul klampers/growtac equal style mechanical brakes with connectors?
I have more than one of both. Haven’t had a problem with either. My preferred fully mechanical disc brake is the dual-piston TRP Spyre - pretty smooth action. The Clampers are nice but quite heavy and only one brake pad moves. Haven’t used the growtac. The hybrid TRP brake, which is a cable-actuated hydraulic brake is just as heavy as the Clampers but you get a dual piston hydraulic caliper that’s almost as nice as a fully hydraulic brake. The first few times traveling with a coupled frame & fully hydraulic disc brakes I was concerned about possible leakage or getting air in the system. Haven’t had either (yet) with any of the various combinations of brake line quick-connects I have. . But I do carry a neutron portable brake bleeding kit just in case.
2 Likes
After years of touring with a Surly LHT, I’ve upscaled to a Ti designed, imagined & created Naked. Built on tiny Quadra Island, British Columbia, I’ve toured Naked across much of Western Europe, Korea, Japan, western US & Canada (home). Next up is Morocco, Spain & Portugal. Built with Z couplers, I can fly with my bike as regular luggage. An exceptional build!
5 Likes
I also carry a Neutron bleed bottle, plus a 10ml syringe with a Luhr lock and small bleed fitting. I’ve also added a 1oz little tiny stainless steel flask that I grabbed off a trade show swag table to fill the syringe. I had to use that setup once, in the middle of a tour one brake suddenly went soft, but since I had that stuff on hand I was back in service in 10 minutes. My suspicion is that the Formula Speedlock DOT hose seals are degrading over time (maybe that’s why they’re no longer on the market), so I have been replacing them with Zeno V2, which seem to be working well. The only issue with them is that they can be difficult to grab them without fingers slipping. Dave’s writeup was spot on.
I’ve used cable-actuated hydraulic brakes, and still have them on my singlespeed and fatbike. I’ve had the best luck with the Yokozuna 4-piston caliper, it feels very close to a full hydraulic when combined with Paul cantilever levers. They were a go-to travel brake before coupled hoses were available.
Fun to read this thread - always makes me happy to see some Naked photos 
Just thought I would share my solution to bike travel, which adds a folding component to a conventional frame. For packing, it requires removing the driveside crank (but not the pedals), then the frame, fork and stem fit into the case as one-piece, so there is less to move around compared to a de-coupled frame. No need to disconnect hoses either, there is enough slack for the bars to tuck in place. The system adds about 150g to the frame, with no change in the riding properties. Here are some photos of the latest Folding Gravel Concept bike, built for Josh Weinberg who is currently riding it in Japan…
12 Likes
Thanks for sharing, Rob. This is somewhat reminiscent of the Bike Friday folding mechanism in as much as it folds near the bottom bracket, with the rear triangle folding under. I thought about incorporating this into my Douglas Adams/Hitchiker’s Guide bike you built for me…but other design aspects took priority. That, and I already had two Bike Friday folders and several other coupled frames….
Can you elaborate on the details of the rotation mechanism? Is there a bushing? Is there a retention tab or clip to keep the rotating part locked onto the BB shell with lateral stress?
What bag are the owners of these bikes packing their bikes in? Do they use the S&S bag? Ritchey? Other?
Scott B
1 Like
Hi Scott,
The rotation mechanism is a simple clamp with pinch bolts on each side. So once the bolts are tightened it is effectively a solid one-piece structure. No bushing needed as once the bolts are loosened the chainstays are free to rotate.
My preferred bag is the Co-Motion Co-Pilot case - the hybrid hard/soft construction makes it the easiest to pack, it provides as good protection as a hard case and has good wheels/handle for transiting the airport.
thanks, Rob.
1 Like
What wheelset is everyone using? I really like the idea of the rear wheel with the tool free cassette removal and I’m thinking of investing in one for my breakaway. From what I can tell, the bike would pack away much better with less bowing out of the sides of the case.
My bike has Campy Bora WTOs and my wife’s has a Fulcrum wheelset. We’ve travelled to Europe twice now from the US with the bikes. Never removed the cassettes. We us the Post Carry Co transfer cases.
I keep my rear cassettes on if I use my Bikebox Alan. If I am using a coupled frame with the S&S case (or equivalent) I do remove the cassette…if only to keep the rear cassette from making contact with the downtube. Of course this interaction does depend on how the bike is packed in the case exactly. To remove and re-install the cassette I carry the Silca 3d-printed ultralight Ti lockring tool and chain whip tool. I don’t have any experience with the no-tool rear cassette hub, but using a lockring tool and chain whip takes very little time.
By “breakaway”, do you mean a Ritchey bike? I have a pair of their WCS Zeta rim brake wheels with tool-less freehub and axle removal. It’s great for saving space.
My only nit is that there’s a sequence of spacers and shims you need to manage. It helps to make a diagram for yourself of how to reassemble it.
Yes, I just got a Ritchey breakaway and packed it for the first time using a regular set of wheels with the cassette attached. It all went in fine but I thought about how much better it could be if the rear wheel would lay flat without a cassette and free hub.
I know about the Ritchey WCS Zeta wheels having that feature. What are other hubs/wheels that do that?
With a DT 350 hub it was depressingly easy to remove the freehub body and cassette; it usually fell off when the wheel was removed, necessitating a search for the springs and star ratchets on the ground - very annoying if it’s grassy. I would have preferred things to remain attached unless some effort was made to remove them. (If I were ever to get another similar hub I’d be inclined to carry spare springs and star ratchets just in case.)