U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
Nearly every model Seven offers can be designed for our travel friendly upgrade. To get this upgrade, order whichever model you want and let us know you want the travel compatible design. We'll make it happen.
Seven's travel bike design is awesome because it allows the rider to easily bring their Seven anywhere on the planet.
Through the use of S&S BTCTM couplers, the frame can easily be disassembled into two halves. This allows the entire bike to be packed in a 26" case that makes air travel easy and no-cost.
The S&S BTC coupler system compared to a standard bike case:
Benefits:
Considerations:
Nearly any Seven can work well with couplers including our titanium and carbon-titanium models. The only exclusion is our dual suspension models and our Flowstate designs. Fat bike are coupler-able but require two cases because the tires, rims, and the frame's rear triangle are so wide.
The assembly and packing times are about the same for Seven's BTC system compared to a standard bike. The first few tries will likely take about 45 minutes to pack. With some practice, you're likely to get into the 20-minute range with modern components and frame design.
The couplers, case, and accouterments are about $2,800. While not insignificant, the typical cost of air travel with a full-size bike case is about $500 round trip. Within six trips, you've paid for the special design and case. This investment is well worth it if you make a couple of trips a year.
| Travel item | Price |
|---|---|
| Adding couplers to any Seven frame, whether titanium or carbon Includes coupler wrench and appropriate brake and shifter cable connectors |
$1,995 |
| Travel case Co-Pilot, soft-sided |
$625 |
| Recommended case accessories Includes frame tube covers of 7.5" width, 2x compression members, TSA security net |
$165 |
| Total investment | $2,785* |
* This investment pays for itself within about six trips. The typical cost of air travel with a full-size bike case is about $500 round trip. This investment is well worth it if you make a couple of trips a year.
Any taxi will fit the barely two-foot square travel case. Even the smallest taxi is a breeze. When you're at the airport's taxi stand in a smaller airport where English isn't the preferred language, good luck finding a minivan for your full-size bike travel case.
Anti theft: A full-size bike case is a big attractive sign for thieves. A soft-sided Co-Pilot travel case looks like every other piece of luggage.
Case pack-ability: Depending on the type of case you use, with a full-size bike case, there is normally no room for much beyond the bike. S&S style cases can usually fit some of your bike gear — including helmet and shoes — along with your clothes, bottles, etc. It's like having a second bag for your stuff that also fits your bike.
Roll with the flow: The case is nearly standard-sized luggage — as defined by airlines — so it's really easy to travel with. Small elevators, escalators, flights of stairs, narrow city streets, airport navigation. It's all significantly easier with a small case. It may not seem like much at the moment, but when you're exhausted from an eighteen-hour flight, and you're lost in an old city where you don't speak the language, you might really appreciate this feature. You'll never want to lug around a full-sized case again.
No airline bike fee: Fees for bike transport vary by airline and seem to change all the time. Generally, the prices only go up. A recent survey showed an average of $250 each way for bike transport. If a round trip costs $500 for a full-sized bike, six trips with your Seven BTC bike will more than pay for the initial investment.
The coupler travel case is lighter. When you're traveling all over with your bike case, lighter is nicer. There are dozens of full-size bike case designs, so it's difficult to generalize too much, but on average, the weight will be about 5 lbs. heavier than a soft coupler travel case. Coupler cases are smaller and generally simpler in design.
Proven design: Bike builders have been working with S&S Machine's coupler design for more than 25 years. Seven has built thousands of bikes with these couplers. We have never had a single BTC coupler failure. No other 'breakaway' design has nearly the track record or real-world testing behind it.
Failsafe design: One of the clever elements of the S&S design is that even if the couplers loosen, the bike is rideable. Do not try this.
Engineering: The design employs the proven Hirth coupling system that was originally used in aircraft engine crankshafts about 100 years ago and is currently used in thousands of high-stress safety-first applications.
Function over form: Some people feel like the BTC coupler is too visible on the bike. Yes, you could call it "overbuilt," but its track record of safety addresses the concern. While you can find systems that are more minimalist, do you want to trust a single bolt or a seat post with your life and safety?
| Aspect | S&S BTC Couplers | Z Couplers |
|---|---|---|
| Weight, pair, average | 308 grams (10.9 ounces) | 304 grams (10.7 ounces) |
| Durability & service life | Patented in 1993. Seven has built thousands of coupled bikes over the past 20-plus years. We have never had a single failure or flaw with the BTC system. About 100 bike companies trust BTC Couplers. | Patented in 2014. We know of only three builders that design around the Z Couplers. Certainly there must be a dozen or so, but we cannot find a list. |
| Failsafe? | Yes. Even if the coupler housing were to unthread completely, the bike is still rideable. Seven has never heard of a coupler unthreading. | No. If the special screw fails the coupler halves are disconnected and have no riding failsafe. |
| Serviceability | Grease the threads once in a while. | The system is held together with a single M6 screw. Similar to a seat binder screw or a top cap screw. The Z screw is a special high strength material (12.9 alloy steel) that's about twice as strong as a common stainless screw. The upper limit of an M6 screw's proof load is 16.8 Nm. Z's recommended torque setting is 10 to 16 Nm. That is 95% of the screw's safe load limit. Being that close to the edge of service is not something Seven recommends. If you were to use a commonly sourced M6 screw, you'd have to torque about two times the load limit. |
| Internal routing compatible? | Yes. However, Seven does not recommend internal hydraulic brake housing for travel. | |
| Theft prevention | The BTC coupler requires a special wrench that no thief would have. | Anyone with a 6 mm hex wrench (the second most common bike tool) can take apart the bike. If you lock up your machine, you better find a way to lock the front and rear independently of each other. |
Experience: We're pretty certain no one has built more coupled bikes than Seven. We've built thousands. We have never had a single failure or coupler issue in more than 25 years.
Subtle improvements: There are some elements to the way we work with BTC couplers that are unique and improvements. We don't share these publicly.
Some of us have BTC travel Sevens — both single bikes and tandems. For over two decades, we've ridden to the ends of the earth and learned all the tricks of travel and why BTC couplers are the best way to do it.
Estimated weight: 10.9 ounces, 308 grams. This is about 2% of the weight of an average performance bike with two bottles and a small saddle bag installed. The difference does not have a perceptually negative impact on performance.
This weight is estimated because every bike we build is custom. The coupler size for your frame may be larger or smaller than average. Your tubeset modifications will vary from average.
Does Seven offer internal cable routing with BTC couplers?
Yes. We do build bikes with internal routing. However, it is a bad idea for traveling, even with hydraulic disconnects. Internal routing is notoriously finicky and simply does not work as well or as simply as external routing. We strongly recommend external routing for your travel bike. It saves you time in packing and reassembly. Externals are easier to service by mechanics in remote parts of the world. Simplicity is one of the key mantras for enjoyable travel.
Why does Seven offer the soft travel case but not the hard case option?
It is counterintuitive, but we've learned the hard way — both directly and through many customer experiences — that soft cases have fewer bike damage issues. We've come to the conclusion that there are two reasons for this: 1) Airline baggage handlers treat soft luggage more carefully than hard luggage. We've had numerous incidents with hard luggage tops and buckles getting destroyed in transit but never once to a soft case. 2) The soft case can shift and adjust to impacts and loads, whereas the hard case cannot. That means that the buckles get destroyed, and the case gets cracked. Once either of these things occurs, your bike is next on the list for damage or having accessories disappear through the cracks. Also important, the soft case is much easier to pack. Lastly, TSA opens every suitcase; a soft case is easy for them to re-close. Conversely, when things shift around as TSA digs through your bike stuff, they may not be able to close the hard case. We've seen this occur multiple times. If they can't close the case, some of your items will go missing.
Do the couplers change the ride of the bike? Will I notice them? Is the bike more flexible?
No. First, the way the couplers work ensures there is no stiffness loss. Second, the couplers are stiffer than the tube section they replace. Fortunately, Seven modifies the tubeset to neutralize the couplers' impact on the ride feel. You will not be able to discern a ride difference between a coupled bike and an uncoupled bike.
Can Seven install couplers on my existing Seven?
No. Seven does not offer retrofits. The frame's tubeset has to be designed specifically or couplers. If not, the frame could fail.