Zinn Travel Bike - What a concept!
Zinn Travel Bike - What a concept!
Note: This is our original article. Since it was written, KGS Bikes and Zinn Cycles have teamed up to build the KGS/Zinn travel bike. It incorporates a revolutionary coupled stem and other innovations to make it able to be packed or unpacked in less than 15 minutes! .
A Custom Zinn Travel Bike from KGS Bikes
It seems that more and more of our clients want a cool bike to ride when they travel. One solution is to get a travel case to put the regular bike in, such as can be obtained from triall3 sports. We like their cases a lot, however, we have had other requests for a travel bike that is built just like their road bike, but is able to fit in a small suitcase sized container. Lennard Zinn makes a travel bike in either steel or titanium, and this is an awesome solution to the rider who has the resources to get a spare bike. Here is what we do:
- We take the dimensions of the existing road frame, and if any modifications are needed, calculate those changes for a custom Zinn frame.
- We then get a custom frame built and order the various accessories such as travel case, tube covers and anything else to make the process easy and repeatable.
- We build the bike and then have "packing classes" to make sure that the rider can easily pack the bike, and assemble it at the destination.
- All critical dimensions are documented and the parts are marked so no guesswork is needed in reassembly. We even have an illustrated "assembly manual" with photographs of every step of the process, done with the actual bike!
We have taken an excerpt from the Zinn website to show an actual example of a Zinn travel bike in a 65 cm size!:
We are pleased to offer custom Zinn frames in steel or titanium with S&S couplers for ease of traveling. And, of course, since we cater to tall riders, this means that very tall customers, too, can have the convenience of traveling with their bike in an airline-legal-size case. The 26” X 26” X 10” hard case flies on any airline for no extra charge and rolls easily on a pair of wheels with a handle in front.
These couplers are superbly designed and precision machined, whether in steel or titanium, to hold each tube together as strongly as if it were one piece. Naturally, we install them with impeccable workmanship into the tubes; we do this before mitering the tubes and building the frame. The couplers add some weight, but otherwise the ride quality of the bicycle is exactly the same.
Below, you can see the step-by-step packing of a super-large bike into the case. The titanium bike pictured being packed into the case is 65cm with a 63cm top tube and 195mm crank arms. As you can see, the fork with its extra-long steering tube will not fit along one edge and must go in diagonally. As a result, it must be removed, since the down tube would stick out of the case if the fork were left installed in the frame. But with a front-opening stem and a threadless headset with sealed cartridge bearings like the Chris King pictured, this is no problem. And by removing the fork, the crank need not be removed, although it could be for further ease of packing. From this sequence, you can see how to pack your own extra-large custom coupled Zinn travel bike!
Coupler Weight:
Stainless steel couplers add 250-450grams/set to the weight of a steel frame, depending on tubing diameters.
Titanium couplers add 230-380grams/set to the weight of a titanium frame, depending on tubing diameters.Available Accessories for Zinn Travel BikesHARD CASE, 10"HARD CASE, 12"HARD CASE, 14"DELUXE HARD CASE, 26" X 26" X 10", SIDEPULLDELUXE HARD CASE, 26" X 26" X 12", SIDEPULLBACKPACK CASELIGHTWEIGHT CASE BOX COVERCARDBOARD BOXCOMPRESSION MEMBERS 10", 12", OR 14" CASE SUPPORTS (3)TUBE COVERS 4" FTCTUBE COVERS 5.5" FTCTUBE COVERS 7.5" FTCTUBE COVERS 9" FTCSECURITY NETSIX INCH S & S COUPLER WRENCH TWELVE INCH S & S COUPLER WRENCH EXTRA CABLES FOR COUPLERS (3)CABLE SPLITTERS FOR COUPLERS (3)
We think that the Zinn Travel Bike is a viable solution for many people, particularly those who will need to travel internationally. Contact us for more information!