Bike boxes/bags

MAXTHEDOG

Hi all,

I'm planning to book a biking holiday to the French Alps next year.I'd like to know if anyone has any experience with flying your bike overseas and what you've used to protect them.I've had conflicting reports to use a rigid box,but also 'I've used a padded bag,they are more difficult for the handlers to chuck around,the boxes can get punctured' was one opinion.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards,
M

Monty Dog

Wey hey! - spring arrives and the same old questions crop up!
Rigid boxes - more expensive, excess luggage charges ££££ and big heavy things tend to hit the ground hard when dropped. Not as indestructable as they'd have you believe. Best for fragile contents.
Padded case - cheaper, lighter - excess baggage ££ and if light enough likely to be handled more carefully. Need to be packed well to protect the contents. Not very suitable for uber-light aluminium or carbon frames

alfablue

I flew to Pisa from Bristol, packed the bikes in CTC clear plastic bags, a fiver each, sealed with a zip tie and a bit of duct tape. Bars turned, pedals removed.

On the return from Pisa the Oversized baggage lady asked if I had deflated the tyres, I said there was no need, slight pause, then she was fine

The handlers at both ends treated the bikes with a good degree of care, in Pisa the handlers even brought the bikes out to us personally. I also saw them on the trailer from the aircraft, bikes were stood up nicely, no other baggage put on them.

The bikes were a Trek 1.2 (Alu) and a steel Dawes Audax, so not the most precious, though they are nice bikes in good nick.

The bikes survived without any issues at all. Some people say the clear plastic bag route is better because handlers can see it is a bike and handle them more carefully - my experience certainly bears this out. The biggest advantage is that the bags fold up neatly to a small size easily carried on tour.

For our panniers I got a large holdall for £7 off eBay, and our four panniers fitted into this, thus incurring only one baggage charge between us (EasyJet charge per item). This too packed up small enough to take on tour.

careful

+ 1 for CTC bags. After suffering tour destoying damage using a well padded bag, I tried a box. Great protection but big excess baggage charge and inconvenient at the other end (French Alps). Last 2 times I have used a CTC bag - no protection but amazingly no damage & easily packed away!! I do have good insurance cover though.

amaferanga

I've used something similar to the CTC bag with pipe lagging and bits of cardboard zip tied on to fly with my mtb touring bike. Would use it again for that bike. But if I was taking my nice carbon road bike somewhere no way would I even consider that.

So it very much depends on the bike.....

MegaCycle

I got a hard case for the Etape last year and it's fantastic.

www.bikeboxalan.co.uk

British Airways carry it for free and it's indestructable. There is simply no way I would put my beloved Roubaix in a soft bag and have it squashed under a load of suitcases, or thrown about by the baggage handlers.

nferrar

Used a DHB hard case from Wiggle earlier this year, it's very heavy but much more peace of mind than a cardboard bike box or padded bag (I've travelled with both those in the past with mixed results). With EasyJet you shouldn't get charged excess baggage for the bike anyhow so the added weight was fine for me.

As for the people travelling with bikes in plastic bags - glad they survived but personally I think it's taking a big risk and you're relying an awful lot on the goodwill of the baggage handlers. Given most people flying by bike will be relying on it as part of their holiday I just think why take the risk?

alfablue

There are a lot of people who do use the clear bags (BA even supply them to passengers) and I haven't read of any mishaps, yet I have of people using padded bags and boxes of all kinds sustaining all sorts of damage. Even £300 bike boxes get broken apparently. I would not risk it on a precious bike, but I am happy with the risk with my steel Audax. I had an option to hire a bike in the very unlikely event that the bike was a right off.

The big problem with any other method is you either have to store the big box/padded bag somewhere at your destination, which doesn't work on tours, or if using the cardboard bike box approach you have to gamble on getting one on your return leg.

I think with all luggage you are relying on good will - and anonymous looking large padded bags probably don't get much, judging by how the average suitcase is handled.

FatLarry

This is a good offer......

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Scicon_Atlas_Bike_Box/5360035746/

Mister W

I took my bike to Austria in a padded bag. The advantage over a hard case is that baggage handlers are far less likely to throw it around or put something on top of it. Just make sure you pad the frame with pipe lagging and bubble wrap.

Although, having read alfablue's post I may just use a large clear bag next time.

58585

I bought one of the dhb hardcases wiggle sell last year as well, seem to remember the price was nearer to a hundred quid so it seems to have gone up a bit since then.
If you are hiring a car you will probably need to put the back seats down to get a hardcase in, so bear that in mind if you are planning on driving with 2 or 3 others.
I've never had the box weighed, just paid a set fee to take a bike so the weight hasn't been a problem (the box plus bike is about 25kg). Plenty space to put tools and clothes in a bike box too, so that saves on carrying extra weight in your other luggage.
Agreed a box will probably get a bit rougher tretment than a bikebag, but the box takes the brunt of it (it's designed to take a hammering), not the bike. Is it a carbon frame or metal? If it's carbon I would be a bit nervous about it getting crushed if you use a bag, I've never seen how they strap them down in the hold so that might not be an issue!

hopper1

I use a soft bike bag (CRC), with a cardboard cycle box inside!
Go the your LBS and ask for a pair of spacers that go between your front and rear drop outs, to help protect the frame/forks if anything is put on your bike.
I've used EasyJet a few times and never been penalised for weight, yet I put all my cycling kit, tools, lubes, track pump, etc, in the bag (even when carrying an MTB!).

Paul

mrushton

MAXTHEDOG wrote:

Hi all,

I'm planning to book a biking holiday to the French Alps next year.I'd like to know if anyone has any experience with flying your bike overseas and what you've used to protect them.I've had conflicting reports to use a rigid box,but also 'I've used a padded bag,they are more difficult for the handlers to chuck around,the boxes can get punctured' was one opinion.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards,
M

Bikeboxalan rent out their cases. An excellent piece of kit. You can buy a padded bag for <£100 and as long you use LOTS of bubble wrap,some pipe lagging,axle spacers and line the box with cardboard from a bike shipping box you should be OK. Invariably I'vefound the rougher reatment meted out in the UK. French/Swiss/Italian/Spanish case handlers actually seem to show your bike some respect. Are you moving the case yourself or is a tourfirm doing it for you at your destination(s)?

MAXTHEDOG

Thanks to all who've taken the time to answer.Quite a minefield it seems.In response to 58585,its a Trek 1.7 Ally(this years).In response to mrushton its going to be with a firm so they'll be moving the box/bag for me.

FatLarry

Does anyone know if you can buy axle spacers anywhere...?

ColinJ

I bought a new Bianchi for about £2,000 in 1999 and decided to give it its maiden run in Spain. I took it out in a bike bag with a cardboard bike box inside the bag and pipe-lagging on the frame and used bubble-wrap. When I unpacked the bike in the hotel at the other end, I found that the seat tube was dented! :evil:

On the way back, I was sitting in the plane at Manchester waiting to be given permission to disembark and I saw my bike bag being thrown out of the baggage hold onto a pile of suitcases about 6 feet below. :shock: Fortunately there was no further damage.

After that, I bought a SciCon box which has protected my bikes on about 6 or 7 further return trips. The baggage handlers did manage to break the box though! They dropped it on one corner and broke a castor off. I had to Araldite it back on reinforced with an aluminium plate. It's heavy and awkward and doesn't fit the x-ray machine at Alicante but at least my bikes have been safe.

ColinJ

FatLarry wrote:

Does anyone know if you can buy axle spacers anywhere...?

Go to your LBS and ask them, they'll have loads of them knocking about. They'll usually be happy to donate a cardboard bike box too if you want one.

greasedscotsman

Just to throw another spanner in the works, I was flying back from Geneva last year and was queuingto check my bike into the oversized baggage and there were two lads in front of me who had packed their bikes into cardboard boxes, the baggage handler took one look at the boxes, got a measure and marked a line on them. They then had to take 200mm of the height, then and there. Maybe worth checking before you fly what the airline/airport will accept, although I think the whole thing is a bit of a lottery...

mrushton

MAXTHEDOG wrote:

Thanks to all who've taken the time to answer.Quite a minefield it seems.In response to 58585,its a Trek 1.7 Ally(this years).In response to mrushton its going to be with a firm so they'll be moving the box/bag for me.

Who is it you are going with and which airport are you flying into?

MAXTHEDOG

MRUSHTON:

Who is it you are going with and which airport are you flying into?


Was thinking of Saddleskedaddle to a ride that flies into/out of Geneva,which after reading greasedscotsmans' doesn't sound good.They (saddle...)must know what Geneva's like though.I'm starting to feel that it's all a bit risky.I could actually book more time off work and drive there and back and maybe get a bit more riding in.But that's only practical for France and I'd like to go further one day.

Regards,[/quote]

greasedscotsman

I think you need to send a few emails or make some calls. Talk to Skedaddle and see what they have to say, they must have had customers who have had problems getting bikes there in the past.

Most of the advantages/disadvantages have been covered in the previous posts, there is no perfect solution. If you drive down from Yorkshire I'm guessing it will take a couple of days? I've driven from Oxford a couple of times and it's fine going traveling there, but rubbish when coming back. But then you can take as much stuff with you as you can get into your car.

But if your thinking of still going with Skedaddle, where are you going to leave your car for a week? Maybe Geneva airport? Or maybe it's then a different sort of trip you can do, lots of things to think about, it was next year your thinking of going?

But if it's any help, check out the Geneva airport website, has some information on oversized baggage...

http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-377/

mrushton

I've never had a problem at Geneva with either BA or Easyjet and I've flown in/out of there a few times with either one or two bikes using scicon box and Planet X bag . In fact that airport is really good at getting bikes on/off the plane and treating them well as well as actually being a very civilised airport in that it's not some security-mad hell-hole like Heathrow or Mcr.. Skedaddle seem pretty good but I haven't used them when I've been out there. If you rent the BikeBoxAlan then that is airline regulation size.

MAXTHEDOG

Thanks to all for the advice.Renting the box from bikebox alan has to be the way for my first trip.After that if I get the bike travel bug I'll probably buy one from him as they seem to be pretty good,although £350 is a lot of money the peace of mind has to factored in.

mrushton

At £350 it's still quite expensive. You'd have to factor in number of trips + rent vs buying your own case. My SciCon has prob.done a dozen plus trips abroad and is still OK, but I have seen some with locks/wheels damaged/. BBAlan used to repair the SciCons hence his improved version.

I'd still use pipe-lag on the main tubes and fork and poss. cover the bike with foam or bubble wrap in order to put things eg shoes,helmet in the case. Remember to remove the l/h pedal when the bike goes in the case. The r/h one can be left on. DO NOT forget to put the removed pedal in the case and an allan key to tighten it (if that's what it uses). If you have expensive skewers, buy a cheap pair to fix the wheels in place.