# Quick Couplers



## jays35

Couple questions about quick couplers for those that have them. We are wanting to travel more and this may be a better way to travel that a rack.

1. For those that have quick couplers, are you happy with them?
2. For those that have quick couplers, have you had any problems?
3. Has anyone added them to their bike by the OEM or other vendors?
4. Any other pro's and con's about them?
5. Besides the draftmaster rack, does anyone have a rear rack (receiver hitch mounted), that carries the bike along the back?

Any other suggestions are welcomed? 

Thanks in advance!

Dave


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## mibike

jays35 said:


> 5. Besides the draftmaster rack, does anyone have a rear rack (receiver hitch mounted), that carries the bike along the back?
> 
> Any other suggestions are welcomed?


I carry my tandems and my triplet inside my Dodge minivan. I have seen tandems on rear racks other than the Draftmaster but they are wider then I would be comfortable with. If I couldn't get it inside I would use a Draftmaster or a roof rack.


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## Lelandjt

I'm a mechanic on Santana Tandems tours so I help build up and break down a lot of Santanas, CoMotions, Calfees, Sevens, and others with couplers. Besides the new Santana Z-Couplers the only type I've seen are the S&S couplers. They work fine, seem stiff, and remain creak free so long as they are tightened enough. The Z-Couplers are a nice step up by being sleeker (same diameter as the tube so almost invisible), lighter, and not needing a special tool.
Next thing to consider is the case. The 3 systems I've seen are the single box Santana Safecase that only fits their bikes and 2 piece hard or soft cases sold by CoMotion but used by riders of other brands. The two piece cases are charged normal suitcase fees but you have to figure out how to pack your bike and try to keep bits from damaging each other, even after TSA re-arranges it. The Santana Safecase is super easy to pack and everything is well protected cuz it has 6 foam layers with cutouts that hold each part. However, it's a little bigger than normal suitcase size so whether you get charged an oversize fee will depend on your check-in agent.


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## jays35

*Brand with Quick Couplers*

Lelandjt,

Which brand of bicycle, in your opinion, has the best quality of couplers, ease of assembly and disassembly, and overall quality? 
Thanks


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## DangerousDan

I have a Ritchey Breakaway tandem. I have only transported it a few times, but it is nice to be able to put a tandem in the trunk of a VW Jetta. It takes about 20 minutes to assemble from that state. If I had it all the way apart for case packing, maybe I would need to add another 20 minutes.

Mine is setup to require 3 Allen wrenches. I have hydraulic disc brakes, and the hoses bend without kinking to go in the Jetta. I do carry a few spare tie wraps and if I was packing it in a case I would probably remove the rear caliper and cut all the tie wraps on the brake hose to fold the hose, and replace them when assembling it.

I would also remove the (rear) derailleur. Mine is setup as a 1X10, so I only need a single cable coupling. I have SRAM indexed MTB shifters, and they have never required adjusting after disassembling and reassembling.

We have about 400 miles on the bike, and so far we love it. It does have one "gotcha": the couplings need to be clean and the seat posts well greased or it makes a very annoying squeaking noise. We rode on a freshly oiled road, and it started making a racket.

I used Mobil 1 synthetic grease on the seat posts, but any good water resistant grease will work fine. If it happens again I will make sleeves for the lower two couplings.

The bike has a few other idiosyncrasies: it is supposed to double as a 650B mountain bike or a 700C with up to 40mm tires. I have 700X38 on it and the ride is good. I would think it would be the perfect touring bike, but there are no mounting eyes for racks. Also, I would take a spare set of coupling clamps on a tour. They may not be quickly available if they do break.

I was considering a custom frame until I found the Ritchey at a very good price. The builder I contacted uses Ritchey or S&S, but he thought the Ritchey would not be strong enough given my large size (19 stone), but we have not had any issues with it.

We hope to take it across Scotland this fall, and will know more about it after that.

Update: we rode the Ritchey around Scotland for a couple of weeks. I can now say I can break it down enough to get it on Scottish trains in 5 minutes, and back together and adjusted and ready to go in 15. No issues with the couplings with a total weight of about 500 pounds (bike, gear, Dan, and Mrs. Dan).


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## Velonautic

About 4,000 miles on our new to us Comotion Equator, including a trip to Maui and up Haliakala. Ours is Rohloff equipped with double belt drive running 700X 38's and mechanical disk brakes. It took me a while to realize it but the only Shimano components are the 324's which I am a huge fan of. Packing it in to two cases is much easier than getting my Travelers Check into one. We can put our helmets, rack with bag, shoes and some misc clothing while having each bag fly free with just under 50lbs each. My S&S equipped Travelers Check has been on three continents and I have never had an issue with the couplers. A little bit of grease and the correct wrench and they are solid. The Rohloff and belts are a luxury but grease free living without a chain driven drivetrain is really nice when you need to assemble in a random corner of the world.


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