bikes on planes

boy on bike

ok, so not strictly commuting (unless v long distance), but has anyone on here got any experience of taking bikes on planes, and hence how to pack them?

Any advice welcome...

nicklouse

did not pack it. just air out or tyres,bars turned and pedals off.

It was my commuter while i was working in Germany.

Just booked it on the plane in advance.

jonginge

There's a good vid on velonews:
http://www.velonews.tv/
Click the how-to tab and it's near the bottom of the list on the rhs.
Critical thing, apart from loads of pipe lagging foam, is to brace the forks and rear triangle from crushing.

I've flown with BA and a bike box/bag counts as a piece of sports equipment, which is free, in addition to your normal baggage allowance. Also no need to book in advance like some other airlines.

always_tyred

The biggests danger is crushing.

I now have a propert bike box, but I used to pop down to my lbs and pick up a couple of cardboard ones that new bikes come in.

I'd use one to provide extra protection to the other. Disassemble the bike and wrap bits, and the tubes in old rags, or bubble wrap, etc. Remove the rear mech and wrap it (so it doesn't end up damaging the rest of your bike), and most importantly brace the front and rear forks with old hubs. Take the pedals off. You will probably have to remove the seat post as well.

Wheels go either side of the main triangle, bars sideways and hooked around the top tube.

Imagine how it will all shift about if dropped from orbit, picked up and dropped from orbit again, this time underneath a pushchair, then sat on by a big fat ignorant luggage handler showing off to his mates that he doesn't care that it has "fragile" written on it.

The worst I've had happen is a dinged rim (almost indescernable) and a bent chain ring (which I straightened and still use). Oh, and for prudence, take a spoke key - I 've had my wheels put out of true as well.

Have I put you off yet?

El Gordo

I've taken a rugged old mountain bike on a plane by just turning the bars round and taking the pedals off. I let a bit of air out of the tyres on the insistance of the baggage people but as little as I could get away with. I figure the inflated tyre protects the wheel somewhat and don't believe the pressure difference is enough to pop the tube anyway.

I've also taken a tandem to New Zealand in a cardboard box. I flew BA and it was free. It arrived safe and sound albeit on a different flight a couple of hours later because it missed my connection in LA. Didn't matter though, the airport delivered it to my hotel at no charge which was considerably easier than having to transport it myself.

If I was taking a more delicate bike though I think I'd invest in a proper case.

gtvlusso

I was chatting to some guys on a flight to Lanzarote about this - they had bought their TT bikes to go training at La Santa - they were all £3000 bikes - seemed to have not problems at all with it - one of them even used a soft case! It could be a case of the airline being used to carrying that kind of fragile load on that route.....

A good packing job in a hard case will probably be okay....

alfablue

On Saturday I will be taking my bike on a plane for the first time (Easyjet - Bristol to Pisa). Following lots of advice on various fora I am turning the bars, removing pedals and rear mech, and putting the bike in a large clear plastic "CTC" bike bag. I will resist all requests to deflate the tyres (though I think Easyjet say it isn't necessary, however baggage handlers don't necessarily think the same way). I am told that the bikes get better handling as they are seen as bikes, and are less likely to be thrown around or placed beneath other luggage - I will know by Saturday afternoon if this was a good idea! (By the way, it is a much loved, but fairly old and robust, steel audax bike, nothing fragile or precious).

Taking a "proper" bike bag or box poses problems, namely where to store it at Pisa. I can't take it on my tour with me! I don't want to buy a new one for the return journey (even if I used a cardboard box I would not have the time to access a second one for the return journey).

always_tyred

El Gordo wrote:

I've taken a rugged old mountain bike on a plane by just turning the bars round and taking the pedals off. I let a bit of air out of the tyres on the insistance of the baggage people but as little as I could get away with. I figure the inflated tyre protects the wheel somewhat and don't believe the pressure difference is enough to pop the tube anyway.

I've also taken a tandem to New Zealand in a cardboard box. I flew BA and it was free. It arrived safe and sound albeit on a different flight a couple of hours later because it missed my connection in LA. Didn't matter though, the airport delivered it to my hotel at no charge which was considerably easier than having to transport it myself.

If I was taking a more delicate bike though I think I'd invest in a proper case.

Not been free for about a decade. I was charged £125 by BA for a transatlantic flight once.

I also once managed to have a damn good argument with a check in lady. The box I used happened to have dimensions less than the maximum dimensions for luggage and I refused to tell her what was in it. She knew it was a bike, I knew it was a bike, but she wasn't authorised to open it. It eventually got classified as having bike parts and clothes in it (which it did - just happens they could be assembled into a complete bicycle).

The parameters for dimensions and weight have changed now, and these days I think I'd have been thrown off the flight for being a terrorist anyway (i.e. saying anything to the highly qualified staff at check in other than yes/no/window, that sort of thing).

All the airlines use the same luggage handlers, so its not important if you are charter, budget, ripoff, etc.

marchant

For bracing the forks/rear stays, it's worth popping down the LBS to see if they've got some of those plastic thingys - they put them on new bikes in the factory to do the same job when they box 'em up

il_principe

Mmmm, I've never put a bike on a plane, always driven. However I may well be heading the the Pyrenees or the Alps this summer for a few days and will have to fly. No way am I leaving my pride and joy to the mercy of the baggage manglers in a soft bag. I've been looking at hard cases - in particular the Scicon Aerotech Evolution. However at £570 this is rather pricey. Someone suggested this fella instead: http://www.bikeboxalan.co.uk/ and it looks good. Basically the Scicon but cheaper and supposedly better. Ok so at £350 it's not cheap either, but cheaper than replacing a £5k's worth of bike!

always_tyred

marchant wrote:

For bracing the forks/rear stays, it's worth popping down the LBS to see if they've got some of those plastic thingys - they put them on new bikes in the factory to do the same job when they box 'em up

Mmm. They tend to bend. Better off with some recycled hubs.

jonginge

BA was free for me last sept:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba ... blic/en_gb

One of the girls on the alps trip had a scicon. Very nice bit of kit. IIRC the bikeboxalan is designed by an ex-scicon guy who realised some of their deficiencies. Heard good things.

jonginge

FWIW I've got one of these which did the job and is a lot lighter:
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/6 ... e-Pod.html

always_tyred

I got an Edinburgh Bicycle one - was half price.

It is a bit small, but I have managed to get a road bike and a cross bike in it, just, so far.

You would not believe the number of people who say, "What is that?" when you wheel a bike box through an airport. "Its my mother" is my chosen reposte.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Always Tyred wrote:

You would not believe the number of people who say, "What is that?" when you wheel a bike box through an airport. "Its my mother" is my chosen reposte.

Is zat cos your Mam gets ridden hard a lot then folded up and put in a box? :twisted:

ride_whenever

I thought this was going to be a delightful snakes on a plane parody, probably done by either trials riders or bmxers...

gbs

alfablue wrote:

I will resist all requests to deflate the tyres (though I think Easyjet say it isn't necessary, however baggage handlers don't necessarily think the same way).

If the cargo hold is depressurised ....... !?!:

nation

gbs wrote:

alfablue wrote:

I will resist all requests to deflate the tyres (though I think Easyjet say it isn't necessary, however baggage handlers don't necessarily think the same way).

If the cargo hold is depressurised ....... !?!:

Then the gauge pressure in the tyres will rise slightly. One atmosphere of pressure is only 14 psi, so even if you put your bike tyres in a vacuum they'll be fine unless you inflate them so hard that sitting on your bike causes them to explode.

alfablue

gbs wrote:

If the cargo hold is depressurised ....... !?!:

I think there might be more serious consequences as I understand that in modern aircraft the cargo and passenger areas are pressurised together (and they carry animals in the hold!).

boy on bike

thanks for all the tips. Isn't taking the rear mech off a PITA? I've never tried it :oops: ... Is it just an allen key job?

alfablue

Just an allen bolt, you can then put it in a jiffy bag (tape it up) and put a zip tie through the bolt and around the chainstay. 2 minute job.

biondino

Jash, any interest?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12617478

always_tyred

boy on bike wrote:

thanks for all the tips. Isn't taking the rear mech off a PITA? I've never tried it :oops: ... Is it just an allen key job?

Its trivial. Getting it back on is very marginally less trivial, but still trivial.

El Gordo

Always Tyred wrote:

El Gordo wrote:

I've taken a rugged old mountain bike on a plane by just turning the bars round and taking the pedals off. I let a bit of air out of the tyres on the insistance of the baggage people but as little as I could get away with. I figure the inflated tyre protects the wheel somewhat and don't believe the pressure difference is enough to pop the tube anyway.

I've also taken a tandem to New Zealand in a cardboard box. I flew BA and it was free. It arrived safe and sound albeit on a different flight a couple of hours later because it missed my connection in LA. Didn't matter though, the airport delivered it to my hotel at no charge which was considerably easier than having to transport it myself.

If I was taking a more delicate bike though I think I'd invest in a proper case.

Not been free for about a decade. I was charged £125 by BA for a transatlantic flight once.

I also once managed to have a damn good argument with a check in lady. The box I used happened to have dimensions less than the maximum dimensions for luggage and I refused to tell her what was in it. She knew it was a bike, I knew it was a bike, but she wasn't authorised to open it. It eventually got classified as having bike parts and clothes in it (which it did - just happens they could be assembled into a complete bicycle).

The parameters for dimensions and weight have changed now, and these days I think I'd have been thrown off the flight for being a terrorist anyway (i.e. saying anything to the highly qualified staff at check in other than yes/no/window, that sort of thing).

All the airlines use the same luggage handlers, so its not important if you are charter, budget, ripoff, etc.

Well, this was five years ago and it was most definitely free. We were also intercepted at the entrance becasue the box was so unwieldy and a BA lady checked us in in the middle of the hall to save us the bother of going to a desk. I guess it can come down to luck of the draw.