Bikes on a Plane

Levi_501
Levi_501 Posts: 1,105
edited October 2012 in MTB general
I have had a bit of a butchers but nothing seems to turn up.

I assume when taking a bike on a plane, it is best to drain the air out of the tyres and forks.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Unless your running them near the maximum, the small drop in air pressure won't put them anywhere critical, so no, no need to 'drain' them, just make sure your not at near max, so if for example the tyre max pressure is 45psi, put them at 30.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • rocco284
    rocco284 Posts: 34
    leave a good bit of air in them, protects the rims! just tell the check in folk that you have 'drained' them!!
  • Levi_501
    Levi_501 Posts: 1,105
    Top stuff!
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    I just brought mine back to Canada - chucked it in a box, bit of strategic padding, dropped the air out the tyres, forgot to do the forks and it was good to go. Airplane types asked about the tyres and took 45 quid off me.
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Leave tyres up, and lie. And don't feel bad about it, because you're only doing it to protect your bike from the predations of the slingers.

    Air pressure at 40000ft is about 4psi, though I gather cargoholds are pressurised anyway? But either way, it's 10psi difference so unless your shock or tyres explodes at 10psi more than they are now, it'll be fine.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    I've had it with these motherf*****g bikes on this motherf*****g plane!
    Production Privee Shan

    B'Twin Triban 5
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    I was really impressed with how the box I used to ship my bike came out of the hold - no damage, no marks or anything - sweet.
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    If you get a bag - go to a bike shop and ask for a cardboard bike box, slice and dice the box so it fits in the bag. To be honest you then need minimal protection inside the box. Just use "padding"* things rubbing against each other

    *If you re with easy jet, those shorts are NOT clothes, they re padding! ;)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Just to emphasise, even if the hold went to a perfect vacuum, it would only increase the gauge pressure (relative to outside) in forks and tyres by 14.7psi.......the air pressure on planes is generally held at 8000ft equivalent which means you will add 1/4 of that to the tyre/fork pressures (so less than 4psi) - so 30psi tyres at ground level would read 34psi - whoop te do!
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • trailpuppet
    trailpuppet Posts: 381
    http://blog.evanscycles.com/how-to/how- ... -a-flight/

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/h ... -bike-854/
  • Red.Devil.Ghost
    Red.Devil.Ghost Posts: 185
    I took mine on an EasyJet flight and the scratched the paint the bastards. And they just left the box out before I got to the carousel with bags. Anyone could have walked off with it.

    I didn't do anything to the forks or the tyres. Just put it back together at the other end, the box in recycling and off I went. However - sorry to hijack the thread - I do have a question. Could doing nothing to the forks potentially cause drop in pressure? I don't have a shock pump (its on my list of stuff) but I seem to bottom out more than I used to and I was thinking the rear shock in particular had lost pressure to allow this to happen (nothing else had changed). I didn't really think about the cause until now.

    More annoying, I wanted to take four Krypton gas filled shock absorbers (for a classic mini) with me on a plane. Put them in luggage and got called to open my bag, and informed they wouldn't take them. I informed them they were Krypton and therefore inert but it made no difference. I pointed out that I had taken a bike through previously with an air shock and they just looked at each other blankly. Fortunately it wasn't too bad as I had a friend passing the airport who picked them up from lost property that night but I could have lost 200 quids worth.

    Sorry for the hijack.

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