From: gabriel l romeu <romeug(AT)comcast.net>
"It is time to get a porta bike made up by the good people at Bilenky in Philadelphia, and I am not sure which ride to have done. As I see it, these are the choices:
70s Raleigh Competition Dave Moulton Fuso >80s Scapin 84 Cinelli Masi Nuovo Strada with a eddy merckz front fork 80s Spectrum
so which, and why? I will be modifying to a bit of a touring drivetrain to add to the versatility of unknown terrain."
hi Gabriel,
Without knowing more about the bikes, I can't make a definitive judgement, but let me offer these points for consideration:
1. pick a bike that can tolerate some abuse without any heartache.
2. pick a bike that has paint that can be easily touched up. Or a bike with a lot of chrome? The packing process has many opportunities for banging stuff up.
3. along the same lines, the bike should have paint that is easy to fix up after the couplers are installed. A plain black Competition would be a good candidate.
4. the bike should have rear brake cables that are easily removed either from the brake lever or from the frame and caliper. The handlebars need to be completely removed, and that means that the cables need to be removed too. I recommend slotted cable stops (the Raleigh is a good contender in this catagory).
5. If your bikes are large, you might need to remove the rear derailleur (I do). If the Competition has french threads and the funky Huret derailleur attachment fittings, this might be a hassle.
I have a touring bike built in 2000 that is equipped with S&S couplers. It was built by a fellow in the Chicago area, Rich Powers. It uses lugs, etc, and has a lovely green paint job with contrasting panels modeled after a Raleigh Gran Sport. A friend dubbed it "a brand new old bike". :-) The use of non-aero brake levers and slotted cable stops make it much easier to pack. Even the downtube shift levers keep things simple.
regards,
Steve Kurt
Peoria, IL USA