Does Anyone Rinko A Bicycle?

[ginacico]

@BobCochran 147443 wrote:

Does anyone actively “rinko” their bicycles so they can be carried in trains, etc?

Hi Bob,

I didn’t know it had a Japanese name or tradition, but yes…. sort of.

We (“we” being my bf Peter and myself) discovered that train travel can extend bike adventures in really fun ways, if you’re willing to piece all the logistics together and learn to disassemble/reassemble your bike. A few of the train/bike tours I’ve done, or still want to do:

• West Virginia (train to White Sulphur Springs, bike to Cass, steam train to Elkins, bike to Cumberland, train back home)
• Pennsylvania (train to Baltimore, light rail to Hunt Valley, bike through York and Columbia to Harrisburg, train back home)
• GAP-C&O (train to Pittsburgh, bike back home)
• Climate Ride (train to New York City, bike back home)
• Outer Banks (train to Morehead City, bike back home)
• Shorter trips with Williamsburg or Charlottesville as destinations
• Long trip to Ontario’s Great Lakes Waterfront Trail (and someday to the Trans-Canada Trail)

Amtrak continues to expand their bike service, which is great news. However, you still have to navigate walk-up service (where you roll the bike onto the train yourself) vs. checked bike or baggage service (which requires handling by the conductor, and limits the stops where you can board or depart). What rinko allows you to do is take your bike as carry-on luggage. You load it yourself into a baggage rack, and you never have to lose sight of it.

I just returned from a trip up north, and rode Amtrak. Though walk-up service is available on the Vermonter line, I couldn’t do it on my travel dates because of track work that required a bus bridge (everyone got off the train and rode a bus past the closed section of track). No problem, I rolled my “suitcase” onto the train (and into the cargo bay of the bus) and got my bike to Vermont.

The only difference between what the article on rinko talks about and what I do, is that my bike has S&S couplers. Essentially, the frame was cut in two and the couplers enable putting the bike together again. The same amount of disassembly is required, but since the frame splits in two, the whole bike fits into a more compact case (26x26x10, which is also airline regulation size for allowable luggage). The bike pictured in the article was nested wheel-frame-wheel, whereas I have two sections of frame to puzzle together. Also, my case is harder than the bag pictured in the story. The size of a rinko package is a little bigger, too. Amtrak claims to have a size restriction for carry-on luggage, but I’ve never seen anyone try to enforce it, and I’ve never had trouble finding space for luggage in coach class.

I think trains provide a way to take your bike along many places that you’d want to go. And yes, I’ve also used the skills to load my bike into really small cars!

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[Judd]

Wow! That’s pretty impressive. I’m having trouble telling from the pictures. Do you have to take any of the cabling off?

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[ginacico]

@Judd 147469 wrote:

Wow! That’s pretty impressive. I’m having trouble telling from the pictures. Do you have to take any of the cabling off?

Off? Not really. The two derailleur cables that run under the bottom bracket are also coupled with little barrel screw gizmos.

The rear disk brake cable is more of a pain. The cable is sheathed in plastic, so it can’t be spliced. It runs along the top tube and down the seat stay, attached to the braze-ons with cable ties. I have to snip the ties, unscrew the brake mechanism from the frame, and carry around a bag of cable ties for reassembly.

Salsa kind of forgot about the cable conundrum when they designed the Vaya Travel. I called them on it, which they admitted was a flaw. I bought the cable couplers and had Spokes install them retroactively, and worked out the rear brake process. NBD really.

[BobCochran]

Let me echo Judd: Wow! Thank you for a very helpful response to my question. I really love the photo and now I know the “rinko”/coupler idea works for you. I do see myself traveling so maybe I had better learn how to disassemble and reassemble my bike, then decide on either a rinko system or coupler.

Bob

[BobCochran]

How long does it take to disassemble and pack the bike, then reassemble it? Have you had any problems with the process? How do you deal with extras like handlebar bags?

Thanks a ton

Bob

[Judd]

This opens a new world of possibilities. Thanks for posting Bob and thanks for the pro tips, Gina.

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[KLizotte]

This gives a quick overview of the rinko system. Claims a bike can be folded up and packed in 12 minutes!

http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/BQ_rinko.pdf

[ginacico]

@BobCochran 147521 wrote:

How long does it take to disassemble and pack the bike, then reassemble it? Have you had any problems with the process? How do you deal with extras like handlebar bags?

If I’m doing it myself, it takes about an hour at either end. If Peter and I collaborate, we can get two bikes done in 1-1/2 hours (45 min each). I think our process requires a few more steps than “rinko” described in the article, just because we’re collapsing the bike into a smaller package. It’s not a race, the goal is just to wind up with a bike that functions. And no, I haven’t had problems, but taking a bike apart into a million pieces really teaches you some mechanical skills! There’s almost nothing on my bike I can’t fix or adjust, unless I’m stuck needing new parts.

Inside the case, there is a LOT of blank space to stuff things like seat bags, clothes, etc. Small parts, required tools, and greasy stuff (e.g. the chain) get stored in Ziplock baggies so I don’t lose things. I even wedge my helmet and fenders into the case. As long as the overall weight doesn’t exceed 50 pounds (airline regulation, plus the bag just gets unwieldy) the more gaps I fill, the less things will shift around. My rear rack doesn’t fit well, so I usually carry it and the panniers separately.

The unique thing about “rinko” is that they’ve stacked the wheel-frame-wheel in such a way that it can stand on its own, and strapped it together so nothing rubs or shifts.

If you do attempt traveling with your bike, keep us posted how it goes!

[BobCochran]

I’m going to order parts from Compass Cycle (Jan Heine’s company) and see if I can get my bike converted so I can rinko it. This will force me to learn the different parts of the bike and how to disassemble and reassemble it. I might become more mechanically skilled, who knows. If I do make a mess of it, the great people at Proteus will rescue me. I had an email correspondence with someone working for Compass who did a time-lapse video of the packing process. I wish there was a full-length one at normal speed, but between that and the PDF document showing photos of the process, I should be able to “get it”.

My big goal is to protect the bicycle in transit. It makes my heart bleed to put my bicycle on a trunk rack on my car, in bad weather, and then drive miles and miles through the rain. And hey, that is a Selle Anatomica seat. Got to take care of that to. Hmmm…it wouldn’t hurt me to be a little better about doing chain cleanings, while I’m at it.

Bob

[KLizotte]

Or else trade in your car for a small SUV, like a Subaru Outback, which would allow you to slide the bike right inside, possibly without having to take the front wheel off. That’s what I do. I love my Outback.

[Author]

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