An S and S Coupling also known as a Bicycle Torque Coupling or BTC is a coupling which enables bicycle frames to be separated into smaller pieces, usually to facilitate packing and transporting. Couplings can be built into the frame by the frame manufacturer when the frame is made or can be added to a frame after it is finished. A special spanner is available for tightening and loosening the couplings. [1]
The couplings are usually installed in the top tube and down tube of a single-rider diamond frame. This enables the bicycle to be boxed small enough to avoid the extra fee most airlines charge to check a bicycle as luggage. [2] They can also be installed in tandem and recumbent frames. Santana manufactures a "triplet (or quad) that can be transformed into a tandem by simply removing the center section of the frame." [3]
The couplings are available in stainless steel, cromoly steel, and titanium and in different sizes, from 5⁄8 to 2 inches (16 to 51 mm) to match the frame tubing in which they are installed. [4] They weigh about 8 oz (230 g) per pair, and arc as strong as uncoupled tubing. They use a Hirth joint to resist torsion.
It takes a few minutes to separate the couplings. [5]
In order to support the ovalized tube Santana Cycles uses between the bottom bracket shells of their tandems, they have developed their own oval couplers. [6]
A bicycle, also called a bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
A tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement, not the number of riders. Patents related to tandem bicycles date from the mid 1880s. Tandems can reach higher speeds than the same riders on single bicycles, and tandem bicycle racing exists. As with bicycles for single riders, there are many variations that have been developed over the years.
A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by back and buttocks. On a traditional upright bicycle, the body weight rests entirely on a small portion of the sitting bones, the feet, and the hands.
A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame. Frames are required to be strong, stiff and light, which they do by combining different materials and shapes.
A bottle cage is device used to affix a water bottle to a bicycle. Composed of plastic, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium or carbon fiber, it is attached to the main frame of a bicycle, the handlebars, behind the saddle, or, in uncommon cases, the fork. Most modern bicycles have threaded holes in the frame to hold the bottle cage, often called braze-ons even though they may be welded, glued, riveted, or moulded into the frame material. Clamps are necessary on bicycles not so equipped, such as older or less expensive models.
A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase, frame materials that favor flexibility over rigidity, heavy duty wheels, and multiple mounting points.
Reynolds 531 is a brand name, registered to Reynolds Technology of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, for a manganese–molybdenum, medium-carbon steel tubing that was used in many quality applications, including race car chassis, aircraft components and, most famously, bicycle frame tubing. It is one of a number of tubing types developed by Reynolds.
A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike, and once popularly known as a ten speed, is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by and according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI rules were altered in 1934 to exclude recumbent bicycles.
Colnago Ernesto & C. S.r.l. or Colnago is a manufacturer of high-end road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milano in Cambiago, Italy. It remained a family-controlled firm until May 4, 2020, when it was announced that the UAE-based investment company, Chimera Investments LLC had acquired majority of the Colnago stakes from Ernesto Colnago, although the headquarters will remain located in Italy since the acquisition. Instead of following his family's farming business, Ernesto Colnago chose to work in the cycle trade, apprenticing first with Gloria Bicycles at 13, subsequently taking up road racing. After a bad crash ended his racing career, he began subcontracting for Gloria, opened his own shop in 1954, building his first frames the same year. While building frames, he remained much in demand as a racing mechanic. He was second mechanic on the Nivea team Giro d'Italia under Faliero Masi in 1955, eventually being employed as head mechanic for the Molteni team of Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx in 1963.
Tom Ritchey is an American bicycle frame builder, Category 1 racer, fabricator, designer, and founder of Ritchey Design. Ritchey is a US pioneer in modern frame building and the first production mountain bike builder/manufacturer in the history of the sport. He is an innovator of bicycle components that have been used in winning some of the biggest cycling competitions in the world including the UCI World Championships, the Tour de France and the Olympics. In 1988, Ritchey was inducted into the inaugural Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Crested Butte, Colorado : and 2012, inducted to the United States Bicycle Hall of Fame in Davis, California.
Roberts Cycles is a custom bicycle frame building business, originally located in Selhurst near Croydon, South London, now located in East Sussex, England.
Reynolds Technology is a manufacturer of tubing for bicycle frames and other bicycle components based in Birmingham, England established in 1898.
Lugged steel frame construction is a method of building bicycle frames using steel tubing mated with socket-like sleeves, called lugs. For most of the bicycle's history, steel has been the primary material for bicycle frames, with lugged construction the primary assembling method. Steel continues in use by builders of high-quality steel frames, though its dominance as a frame material has waned since the mid-1990s displaced largely by aluminum and carbon fiber; lugging has been displaced by TIG welding.
A bicycle parking rack, usually shortened to bike rack and also called a bicycle stand, is a device to which bicycles can be securely attached for parking purposes. A bike rack may be free standing or it may be securely attached to the ground or some stationary object such as a building. Indoor bike racks are commonly used for private bicycle parking, while outdoor bike racks are often used in commercial areas. General styles of racks include the Inverted U, Serpentine, Bollard, Grid, and Decorative. The most effective and secure bike racks are those that can secure both wheels and the frame of the bicycle, using a bicycle lock.
A motorcycle frame is a motorcycle's core structure. It supports the engine, provides a location for the steering and rear suspension, and supports the rider and any passenger or luggage. Also attached to the frame are the fuel tank and battery. At the front of the frame is found the steering head tube that holds the pivoting front fork, while at the rear there is a pivot point for the swingarm suspension motion. Some motorcycles include the engine as a load-bearing stressed member; while some other bikes do not use a single frame, but instead have a front and a rear subframe attached to the engine.
A trailer bike is a one-wheeled, or sometimes two-wheeled, bicycle trailer designed to carry one or more children in positions that closely resemble that of a bicycle rider. It can be described as the, "back half of a bicycle." The rider of a trailer bike usually has a saddle, handlebars, and pedals. Some fold for more compact storage.
Santana Cycles is the world's leading manufacturer of tandem bicycles. Santana was founded in 1976 by Bill McCready, an Associate Editor at Bicycling Magazine, and is located in La Verne, California. In the 1970s "Santana virtually re-invented the tandem, which had been in decline since the second world war." In 2002, Santana was described as the largest manufacturer of "enthusiast level" tandem bicycles.
Bilenky Cycle Works is an American handmade bicycle manufacturer located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Stephen Bilenky, a member of the musical group The Notekillers, in 1983, BCW fabricates both frames and complete bicycles, ranging from TIG welded track bikes to intricately lugged tandems. BCW has been featured in many bicycle publications, art shows, and is a frequent winner of national awards. Most Bilenky frames are steel although titanium is being used with more frequency. Bilenky has installed tens of thousands of S&S couplers, both in their own bikes and other brands.
Tange International Co. is a major Japanese manufacturer of high-quality steel tubing for bicycle frames, established before 1920.
Stelbel is an Italian manufacturer of racing bicycles, founded in 1973 by Stelio Belletti.