S&S Couplings

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Hypothetical Question.

Say you were to find out that you were going on Work travel for the entire month of April to the Arizona Desert and you wanted to bring a bike. And, just as a coincidence you had a mountain bike with a cracked seat tube.

Would it be a good idea to have the seat tube replaced and at the same time have S&S couplings installed? And if so, does anybody know who can do that kind of work. I though I remembered reading something about a local welder who did this way back on the forum, but none of my searches have produced anything.


L

[Vecsus]

I assume the bike you are talking about is steel. If so, check out Waltworks.com. Walt make S&S bikes so I am sure he can retro-fit one.

[drevil]

Hypothetical Question.

Say you were to find out that you were going on Work travel for the entire month of April to the Arizona Desert and you wanted to bring a bike. And, just as a coincidence you had a mountain bike with a cracked seat tube.

Would it be a good idea to have the seat tube replaced and at the same time have S&S couplings installed? And if so, does anybody know who can do that kind of work. I though I remembered reading something about a local welder who did this way back on the forum, but none of my searches have produced anything.


L
riderx did a bit of research on this. Bottom line is it ain't cheap. Have you already started looking? Bilenky (a Philly frame crew) does it for new frames, but I don't know if they retrofit. Since it's a seat tube crack, I don't think it'll make a lick of difference in the whole retrofit because you'll need the top tube and down tube cut. It'll be like a jigsaw puzzle and stuff.

For that IF, we could use it for an IndyFab frame toss at the Wednesdays @ Wakefield. :p

[drevil]

If you can actually convince someone to do this, let us know the cost. I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't buy something sweet like a new Rock Lobster or Curtlo frame for less.

[MyOtherBrotherL]

.......For that IF, we could use it for an IndyFab frame toss at the Wednesdays @ Wakefield. :p

Trust me, I've thought about it.

I've also thought about cutting the Frame in half and bolting each side to one of the telephone poles out on Phase II. We could call that trail "Broken IF".

My other thought was since I'll probably be driving one of the Ditch Witch's at some point during Phase III, I could probably bury the dam thing anywhere I wanted (I was thinking, maybe at the top of Kara's Hill).

I'll let you know what I find out................

[riderx]

Bilenky charges about $400 for a steel retro-fit. That seems to be the going rate for a builder who will do the retro-fit, I think the lowest I found was $300. Then add your frame repaint. And in your case replacing the seat tube. A new frame starts looking like a better route IMO.

[wren]

Bilenky is the way to go. I have an IF Deluxe with S&S couplings and will be getting my road frame retrofitted this year. If I can't get Kent Eriksen to do my road bike retrofit, I'll definitely be talking to Bilenky. Love those couplings.

I'd recommend Bilenky for a couple of reasons. One, they are very laid back and will not be phased by the seat tube issue. If it can be done, they will do it. Second, they are usually very willing to "hack" a frame on an expedited basis if you have travel coming up. (I know you said April, but I'd plan on at least one month for this job with potential snafus.) Finally, they do really nice paint.

Another option you might consider is getting a Surly hacked. Bilenky can get a 1x1 or KM for you, add couplings, paint it, and then ship it to you in the S&S case. I ride a geared IF, but would probably go SS for my next travel bike. The simplicity of no gears and no cable splitters really makes things easy: break the chain, disconnect the brakes, unscrew the couplings, and your are done.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'm a big fan of the couplings.

EDIT: After all that, I have to note that it is really easy to just ship a bike by FedEx Ground if this is going to be your only trip for a while. Also, Chad and the guys at College Park Cycles have a really close working relationship with Bilenky and can get your bike hacked for you with minimal hassle.

- ken

[allroy]

it's cheaper to have S&S couplings done as you're getting the bike built. Bilenky charges $395 for the retrofit plus repainting. Oh, you also have to strip the frame yourself. Then there's also the cost of the case which ain't cheap.

On the other hand IF you sell the IF you can probably get a new bike with S&S couplings. As much as a broken bikes sucks, multiple broken bikes suck even more, I've had my fair share and I know of 2 builders I will never use or recommend again. I got to the point where I had enough and walked away and went with someone else.

I should be at Wakefield Thursday night we can chat over beers!

Hypothetical Question.

Say you were to find out that you were going on Work travel for the entire month of April to the Arizona Desert and you wanted to bring a bike. And, just as a coincidence you had a mountain bike with a cracked seat tube.

Would it be a good idea to have the seat tube replaced and at the same time have S&S couplings installed? And if so, does anybody know who can do that kind of work. I though I remembered reading something about a local welder who did this way back on the forum, but none of my searches have produced anything.


L

[MyOtherBrotherL]

...I should be at Wakefield Thursday night we can chat over beers!


Hmmmm... Beers on Thursday, I guess I can Do THAT!


((Besides, call me frame ignorant, but I don't know who Bilenky is..... Guess it's time to Google))

[BikerMiker]

Just to let you know, Chad left CP Bikes a few months ago for sunny upstate NY. He's probably under 12 feet of snow...

mike