Planning a bike tour far from home? It’s likely at least one leg of your trip will involve a flight, and using an S&S coupler or break-away bike for your next tour can make the travel process much more convenient and flexible.
Traditionally, flying with a bike meant packing your bike in a large bag that would incur hefty oversized baggage fees at the airport. And although airlines have become more lenient with checking bicycles in recent years, you’ll still pay a hefty oversized baggage fee depending on the airline you fly.
With a travel bike, though, you can break down your bike frame into smaller pieces, allowing you to travel by air, train, bus, and car with your bike more easily.
Let’s jump in and discuss the main travel bike options to consider for your bike tour, the pros and cons of travel bikes, and whether you should retrofit your current bike or purchase a new bike for your tour.
What is a travel bike?
Travel bikes are regular-sized bicycles with a frame that can be separated into two parts. This allows the bike to be packed into smaller cases and more easily transported on airplanes, trains, and other methods of transportation.
There are two main types of travel bikes: S&S coupler bikes and break-away bikes. Both have a system in which the frame can be separated, allowing for greater flexibility when setting up a bike adventure.
Because S&S coupler and break-away bikes fit into a smaller bike case, this means no oversized baggage or bike fees when traveling by air. Over time, this can save you hundreds of dollars if you frequently fly on airlines charging hefty baggage fees.
For this reason, S&S coupler bikes are popular for bicycle tourists who frequently fly from destination to destination.
Let’s take a closer look at these two types of travel bikes to see how they compare.
What is an S&S Coupler Bike?
An S&S coupler is a connector that is installed on both the top tube and bottom tube of a bicycle, which allows the bike to separate into two pieces. The coupler device has a strong, interlocking design that can be opened by a lightweight S&S coupler wrench.
S&S couplers can be added to any steel or titanium bike frame by having a frame precisely cut and retrofitted with the couplers. Despite cutting the frame, S&S couplers do not affect the structural integrity of the bicycle.
What is a Break-Away bike?
A Break-Away bike is another type of travel bike, and like an S&S coupler bike, break-away frames also separate into two pieces.
The two frame segments connect together by a downtube coupler and double seat post clamp. Break-away bikes are slightly lighter than S&S coupler bikes (only adding 100 grams to the standard frame) and they don’t require the special S&S wrench to break apart.
Break-away bikes most commonly refer to Ritchey Break-Away bike frames, although a few other bicycle brands use the break-away method as well.
Pros and Cons of S&S Coupler and Break-Away Bikes
Now that you have an idea of what S&S coupler and break-away bikes are, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of these travel bikes.
Pro: No oversized baggage or bike fees
Traveling on airplanes with a regular bicycle (i.e. one that does not split in two pieces) may mean spending much more money than you’d prefer on oversized baggage fees.
While airlines have become more lenient with fees for checking bicycles—with some dropping fees altogether—others still charge oversized fees for bicycles, and those $50-250 fees can add up.
Checking-in your travel bike at the airport does not require paying extra fees aside from the airline’s standard checked baggage fee. If you fly multiple times on airlines with hefty bicycle or overweight baggage fees, the cost of a new travel bike (or retrofitting your current bike) will pay for itself.
Pro: Easier to manage when traveling
No one enjoys lugging around a gigantic bike box when traveling from place to place; it’s cumbersome and inconvenient.
Having an S&S coupler or break-away bike bag can make the travel process so much easier. These bags are smaller, allowing for easier travel on public transportation and private vehicles.
You’ll struggle to fit 3 regular-sized bike bags in an Uber, for example, but there’s no issue fitting a few travel bike cases inside.
Plus, some bike bags even have shoulder straps which turn the bike bag into a backpack! Although not the most comfortable backpack in the world, being able to carry a bike on your back can be pretty convenient when traveling.
Con: Leaving the case somewhere
One con of bike touring with a travel bike is finding a place to store your bike bag when touring. Most bike bags are bulky and heavy, meaning you cannot attach them to your bike when riding.
Because of this, you’ll have to find somewhere to store your bike bag during the tour. We’ve had luck with the app Bounce, which lists local businesses that can store private baggage for a certain length of time.
You can also contact your hostel or hotel about long-term storage options, or leave the bags with a friend if you know someone who lives near your touring destination.
Of course, you’ll also have to find a place to store a bike case even when traveling with a regular bike. However, you always have the option of using a cardboard bike box which you can recycle upon arrival.
Con: Putting together and taking apart travel bikes
Putting together and taking apart your S&S coupler or break-away bike can be time consuming, especially the first few times before you get the hang of the assembly process.
It requires several steps:
- Separating the frame
- Removing breaks
- Removing derailleur
- Removing tires
- Separating the fork
- Protecting frame with styrofoam or protective wrap
Plus, once you get to the destination, you’ll have to put everything back together… and take it apart again when it’s time to return home.
And while you’ll still have to partially disassemble a non-travel bike to fit in a bike box, the process isn’t as complex.
Plus, after a few times breaking down and putting together your S&S coupler or break-away bike, the process should become quicker.
How do I get a travel bike?
Option 1: Retrofit your current steel or titanium frame bike with couplers
Do you own a bike you love above all others? If so, you can send your bike to a frame builder and have it retrofitted with couplers. This option is possible with steel and titanium frames, and costs between $700-1000 for a steel frame and around $1200 for a titanium frame.
The exact cost of retrofitting a bike with couplers varies based on the price of service, distance to the frame builder (i.e. shipping), and your bike’s frame material.
If interested in retrofitting your bike with S&S couplers, consult an expert frame builder to see if coupling is the best option for you. Keep in mind you’ll also have to purchase a bike case or box in addition to the S&S coupler installation fee.
Option 2: Purchase a break-away bike new or a used S&S coupler bike
If you’d prefer to not retrofit you current steel or titanium bike, you can purchase a coupler or break-away bike online. We recommend checking buy and sell websites like Craigslist, Pinkbike, and Facebook Marketplace to see if there are any deals available.
We found a $450 S&S coupler bike on Pinkbike before our tour to Portugal, as an example, and that was much cheaper than buying a new break-away bike or retrofitting another road bike.
The caveat is that you won’t find bicycle manufacturers selling new S&S coupler bikes outright. If you can’t find an S&S coupler bike on a buy and sell site, you’ll have to either retrofit a current bike or buy a bike with the break-away system.
If you plan to purchase a new touring bike to have retrofitted with S&S couplers, here are our top recommendations:
- Surly Cross Check ($1099 USD)
- Surly Disc Trucker ($2049 USD)
- Kona Sutra ($2099 USD)
- Fuji Touring Disc ($1499 USD)
Best Break-Away bike: the Ritchey Break-Away Outback
The Ritchey Break-Away system allows you to split your bicycle frame into two parts. Buying a Ritchey Break-Away Outback outright can be easier for many cyclists as opposed to adding S&S couplers to an existing bike frame.
The Ritchey Break-Away Outback has both rack and fender mounts along with clearance for 700c x 48mm or 650b x 2.0 inch tires. This makes the bike an excellent choice for tourers planning to cycle in a variety of terrains and have plenty of pannier options on their bike.
Shop the Ritchey Break-Away Outback here.
The Bottom Line: Are S&S coupler and Break-Away bikes worth it for a bike tour?
If you plan to travel with a bike several times on airplanes, trains, or other methods of transportation, an S&S coupler bike or break-away bike will be beneficial in the long run.
While flying with a regular bicycle will work just fine, it can be a hassle to transport a large bicycle bag from place to place (not to mention the oversized bag fees).
Showing up with an S&S coupler bike or break-away bike means you can easily transport your bike to, within, and from your destination. You just build your bike and roll out on the tour!
Whether you’re in the market for a new travel bike or would like to retrofit a current steel or titanium bicycle with S&S couplers, you’ll be glad you made the investment each time you plan a tour that requires a flight.
I hope this helps to inspire and assist you on your next bike adventure! For more bike content follow these topic suggestions below:
