No. 22 redefines the travel bike with new coupling system
The lightweight and low-profile design makes travelling with a bike easier
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No.22
Travelling with a bike is always a bit of a headache. The airline fees, anxiety of your precious cargo being mishandled and the sheer size of a bike box are all stress-inducing. Coupler systems offer a solution, but the available options are often bulky, require special tools and don’t accommodate hydraulic brakes. Cycling explorers will be happy to hear that the dream of seamless bike travel has just gotten a little more realistic. No. 22 just come out with a sleek and innovative coupling solution that makes travelling with a bike easier and slightly less stressful.
A new coupling system
No.22’s new coupling system is super clean, lightweight and low-profile. The titanium tubes are cut at two points, and the machined surface locks together in all axes resulting in a seamless transition from frame tube to coupler. The company says the system is completely “creak-free” and will ride just like any of its standard models.
Coupling and un-coupling requires only a 6mm hex bolt, which eliminates the need to pack additional tools.
Internal Cabling and the “Brake Break”
An issue that company found with many coupling systems was the inability to run internal cabling. The No.22 system was therefore machined to allow for internally routed cables and electronic junction boxes.
With the rising popularity of disc brakes, it was important for No.22 to consider how to deal with hydraulic disc brakes. Previously the only options for bikes with couplers were either limiting brake options to cable discs with a cable quick disconnect, or, if building with hydraulic discs, running the brake hose externally and removing the rear calliper and the cable guides for travel.
Borrowing its construction from motorcycle brake hose quick-disconnects, the ‘Brake Break’ allows tools-free connecting and disconnecting of the bike’s hydraulic brake hose. As the design allows for a perfect seal when disconnecting, travellers won’t have to rebleed the brakes even after using the Brake Break multiple times.
All of the company’s bikes now have the option to be now be built with the new coupler system. The upgrade will cost USD $1,250 including the Brake Break system.
