Univega Retrofit by Ted Wojcik


Ed Sears,  his retrofit Univega and Cessna 180

"Last year at this time I was looking for a folding bicycle that I could take with me to Europe in my Cessna 180. I had a Raleigh folder many years ago that would fit in my airplane, but it was marginal, at best, particularly since I am 6'5" tall. While surfing the net looking for information on more modern folders, I came across a reference to BTCs and visited your web site. 

Immediately, I recognized that here was a way to have the best of both worlds: a touring bike with no compromises that could be collapsed for travel. Your site directed me to Ted Wojcik's custom frame shop in Hampstead NH, only about 85 miles from where I live in northern NH. He informed me that I would need a chromemoly bike in order for the BTCs to be installed. He makes chromemoly custom frames, but I am not really a biker who would appreciate such a frame, even if I could afford it (all my spare cash ends up in my airplanes.

I am basically interested in having decent transportation with me when I travel with my airplane and I was quite frustrated that it is now impossible to purchase a production chromemoly bike. So I hauled my 20 year old Japanese 25" Univega out of the cellar. It had been there for years after the movers rolled over the moving van and damaged almost everything inside. I took it to Ted and he pronounced the frame to be undamaged, although everything else was either damaged or horribly obsolete. So it became the basis for a totally upgraded bike with modern components and, of course, BTCs.

It fits easily into my Cessna 180. I remove the pedals, undo the couplings and the handlebar, and use tie-wraps to hold the folded bike together for travel without disconnecting any cables. So far, all the adjustments have held through disassembly and reassembly. 

It has worked out very well for me. I particularly like to travel to out of the way places, so often, I land at an airport that is some distance from town, maybe five or ten miles, but it is no problem to ride in with a minimum travel kit on the bike."
Ed Sear
s, northern New Hampshire, Univega retrofit by Ted Wojcik

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