Full suspension steel mtb frame with S & S couplers?

[[email protected]]

I'd like to locate a frame builder who's willing to build a full
suspension mountain bike frame with travel couplings. Steel is primo
for this application yet current design choices are rampant with
aluminum tubing. Where's the imagination? I'm blown away by the lack of
vision from builders. It's a mobile world we thrive in yet a major void
exists that is simply untapped. Is anyone listening? It appears I'll
soon be pursuing my own custom design.

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

Per [email protected]:
>I'd like to locate a frame builder who's willing to build a full
>suspension mountain bike frame with travel couplings. Steel is primo
>for this application yet current design choices are rampant with
>aluminum tubing. Where's the imagination? I'm blown away by the lack of
>vision from builders. It's a mobile world we thrive in yet a major void
>exists that is simply untapped. Is anyone listening? It appears I'll
>soon be pursuing my own custom design.

Try SevenCycles. They do custom and they do S&S.
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Moots

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> I'd like to locate a frame builder who's willing to build a full
> suspension mountain bike frame with travel couplings. Steel is primo
> for this application yet current design choices are rampant with
> aluminum tubing. Where's the imagination? I'm blown away by the lack of
> vision from builders. It's a mobile world we thrive in yet a major void
> exists that is simply untapped. Is anyone listening? It appears I'll
> soon be pursuing my own custom design.

Note that a full-suspension bicycle can often be made travel-sized by
unbolting the rear triangle. You may not need any couplings for this
application, depending on the frame size and how easily the rear
triangle can be disassembled.

Learned this trick from Mountain Bike Action,
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

 

[Marty Wallace]

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > I'd like to locate a frame builder who's willing to build a full
> > suspension mountain bike frame with travel couplings. Steel is primo
> > for this application yet current design choices are rampant with
> > aluminum tubing. Where's the imagination? I'm blown away by the lack of
> > vision from builders. It's a mobile world we thrive in yet a major void
> > exists that is simply untapped. Is anyone listening? It appears I'll
> > soon be pursuing my own custom design.
>
> Note that a full-suspension bicycle can often be made travel-sized by
> unbolting the rear triangle. You may not need any couplings for this
> application, depending on the frame size and how easily the rear
> triangle can be disassembled.
>
> Learned this trick from Mountain Bike Action,
> --
> Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com
> Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

The chinese place where I got my titanium frames also does bikes with
couplings. (Including a tandem)

Marty

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

> Note that a full-suspension bicycle can often be made travel-sized by
> unbolting the rear triangle. You may not need any couplings for this
> application, depending on the frame size and how easily the rear
> triangle can be disassembled.
>
> Learned this trick from Mountain Bike Action,

This is a great idea. It's unfortunate that bike manufacturers don't put more
effort into this, making bikes easier to break down, with cases to fit into.
Suspension frames are a natural.

Horst Leitner did it with his AMP B4/B5 bikes. They broke down beautifully and
fit into an airline-legal case. These bikes were marketed under the Mercedes
Benz brand name, and were sold at Mercedes dealers along with Mercedes cars.
The idea was mountain biking without tacky roof racks. The bikes still turn up
on eBay occasionally. They're similar to a Specialized FSR, which is basically
an AMP B4 reworked for mass production, strengthened and stiffened. FWIW the B4
was the first production bike with disc brakes too.

I don't know about fitting into a case, but single pivot bikes like the Santa
Cruz Superlight/Heckler ought to break down really easily too.

Matt O.

 

[TBGibb]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] writes:

>I'd like to locate a frame builder who's willing to build a full
>suspension mountain bike frame with travel couplings. Steel is primo
>for this application yet current design choices are rampant with
>aluminum tubing. Where's the imagination? I'm blown away by the lack of
>vision from builders. It's a mobile world we thrive in yet a major void
>exists that is simply untapped. Is anyone listening? It appears I'll
>soon be pursuing my own custom design.

Observation: most full suspension frames have very "non round" tubings and the
couplings are primarily for round tubing. Not insurmountable, but your custom
design may have to be of the couplings.

Tom Gibb <[email protected]>

 

[[email protected]]

What about Ritchie's links? I was in a bike shop & was looking @ one.
Boy do they look minimal. Do they work?
Just another thought, John

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

Per [email protected]:
>What about Ritchie's links? I was in a bike shop & was looking @ one.
>Boy do they look minimal. Do they work?

If you saw the same system that I have on my hardtail, I'd offer up that if I
knew what it was going to be like I would have kept looking until I found a
builder that did S&S.

Two seatpost bolts and a collar joining two flanges down by BB?
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Eagle Jackson]

TiCycles in Seattle (www.ticycles.com) makes road and mtn bikes (stock
and custom), and uses S&S couplings.

 

[[email protected]]

So you're saying that it doesn't work very well? If so what is the
problem?
Thanks John

 

[StaceyJ]

Strong Racing Frames might. He does a lot of work w/steel, and lots of
custom stuff too. Although I haven't seen one of his bikes in about 10
yrs, the ones that Steve & Steve at Summit Bikes (Bozeman MT) had back
in '95 were amazing.

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

Per [email protected]:
>So you're saying that it doesn't work very well? If so what is the
>problem?

No... I was trying to dance around that....

My problems with it are mostly imagined and not experienced:

1) Rust. The two flanges they put in the frame tubes and the 4mm bolt are both
rusting - and more than just a little bit. I can't call this "experienced",
because it hasn't hurt anything yet - and I'll probably paint it with rust
converter... But who knows about the dinky little hinge pin in the clamp?
Ride that thing in the winter, and guess where most of the salt exposture is?
It just doesn't pass my sniff test.

2) Convenience. This is the only actually-experienced issue. A minor point,
but now there are two bolts that need tb loosened/tightened whenever adjusting
the saddle. Also, the frame doesn't just pop together. Maybe it gets easier
with practice, but I find it harder than putting an S&S-coupled frame together.

3) Fault Tolerance. S&S connectors hold the members together snugly even
if/when they work loose. The Ritchey system looks to me like once that collar
comes loose, bad things happen....you take a bump; the flanges pop apart; the
tubes get bent at the seat post; the frame's ruined; and you might not be
feeling so good either depending on speed and terrain. And - not that you'll
ever need it again - of course, the connecting collar is history...somewhere in
the weeds around the crash site.

5) Stupidity Tolerance. When the bike is disassembled, the little clamp comes
off. Lose that sucker (or drop it's 4mm cap screw in the weeds or wherever)
and the game's over.



--
PeteCresswell