S and S Machine
Bicycle Torque Couplings (BTCs)
Your Travel Bike........Your Only Bike!

Packing a 24" x 18" Bilenky Signature Tinker Tandem
into One S and S Hard Case.

If you need the compactness of a single case and are willing to invest the extra time in packing then this method works great.

Removing the fork

• Due to the size of this tandem, the fork must be removed so the front frame section will fit into the hard case. The tandem was built with an American Classic Trilock Sealed Bearing Headset which makes fork removal or instillation in under a minute a snap. This headset uses cartridge type bearings so there is no grease or open balls or to worry about and the only tool required is a small (2.5mm) allen wrench. The adjusting nut is actually two nuts that are held together by three screws. When the screws are tight the nut is locked in place so it won't turn.
  American Classic Trilock Headset
  
  Shown with the nut backed off to reveal the upper bearing

  To remove the fork the three locking screws are loosened slightly so the nut can easily be turned with your fingers. Once the nut has been removed the fork slips out the bottom and it's that simple. The upper and lower cartridge bearings stay with the frame.

• Bruce Gordon gear cable splitters make dealing with derailleur cables easier.
• Sugino Autex self extracting crank bolts allow removal of the crankarms by loosening a single 6mm allen bolt. No pullers or special tools are required to remove the cranks.
• A Craig Super Link reusable chain connector allows the chain to be easily removed without tools.
• A wireless computer eliminates wires from the fork to the handlebars.

• Disassembly and packing of this bike takes about 30-40 minutes once a packing method has been established and it has been practiced a few times.
• Reassembly including unpacking takes about 45-60 minutes. I make a photographic record of each step so I can refer to it if needed.
• In a hurry? The times given above are very conservative. Frequent travelers should be able to reduce these times significantly.

The frame in pieces

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

• Use S and S tube covers or other suitable material to prevent minor scratches. This packing sequence is shown with tube covers removed for clarity.
• Use additional packing material between frame tubes and objects which could dent or scratch them such as an axle, freewheel or another frame tube. A heavy rubber hose slit lengthwise and placed under the tube cover works good.
• Always use 3 or 4 S and S compression members with a hard case to reduce the possibility of damage due to careless handling. When this bike is packed there is no pressure on the bike from the case. The compression members are taller than the packed bike so they protect the bike if something is stacked or dropped on the face of the case.
• Wrap all small items in rags or other suitable packing material to prevent them from rattling and scratching other parts.

Not all tandems can or should be packed using this technique. Some experimentation is typically required to develop a suitable packing method . This packing sequence is offered only as an illustration of what can be done.