Flying with Bike - experiences?

Cornish-J
Cornish-J Posts: 978
Thinking about heading away somewhere for a week cycling around march.

Just wanted to know peoples experiences of flying with their bikes? baggage handlers, hotels acceptance to bike in the room etc? Any experiences or comments would be great.

Thinking of hiring a scicon bike box btw.

Cheers

Comments

  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    The better the case, the better the chances of your bike arriving safely. SCICON WILL DO THE JOB NICELY.

    I fly all the time (usually with 2 bikes at once). No problems yet! (Except with the weight sometimes - but I pack my clothes in with my bike). Be safe and don't pack CO2 either.

    As for hotels - just depends where you are going. General rule of thumb is, as long as you don't make a mess, then it's all good.
  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    The hardcase are better but very expensive if your flying only once. I have planet X soft bag and take off bars, rear mech and cover alltubes in pipe insulators and bubble wrap.
    This is lighter option if weight an issue which seems to be the case with many airlines now.
    Most hotels are fine,especially as they only see bike bag. Think one of my mates took the piss washing his bike in shower in italy though :D
    DSCF0678.jpg
    DSCF0679.jpg
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    Pokerface wrote:
    Be safe and don't pack CO2 either.
    .
    you can take up to 50ml of inert gas - its non-flamable and 3 normal cylinders are fine

    see this

    A98 Aerosols, gas cartridges and receptacles, small, containing gas with a capacity not exceeding 50 ml, containing no constituents subject to these Regulations other than a Division 2.2 gas, are not subject to these Regulations unless their release could cause extreme annoyance or discomfort to crew members so as to prevent the correct performance of duties.

    from here:
    http://www.efasim4you.philips.com/efasi ... ecProv.htm

    worth taking a hard copy to the airport with you, but CO2 must be in hold luggage (despite the cabin being full of them in every lifejacket!)

    as for a case - EVOC, every time - hard cases are ok, but a pain to get to and from the airport in a normal car

    see this:

    http://raharev.forumarabia.com/t94-packing-your-bike
    http://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
    Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR2
  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    ILM Zero7 wrote:
    Pokerface wrote:
    Be safe and don't pack CO2 either.
    .
    you can take up to 50ml of inert gas - its non-flamable and 3 normal cylinders are fine

    see this

    A98 Aerosols, gas cartridges and receptacles, small, containing gas with a capacity not exceeding 50 ml, containing no constituents subject to these Regulations other than a Division 2.2 gas, are not subject to these Regulations unless their release could cause extreme annoyance or discomfort to crew members so as to prevent the correct performance of duties.

    from here:
    http://www.efasim4you.philips.com/efasi ... ecProv.htm

    worth taking a hard copy to the airport with you, but CO2 must be in hold luggage (despite the cabin being full of them in every lifejacket!)

    as for a case - EVOC, every time - hard cases are ok, but a pain to get to and from the airport in a normal car

    see this:

    http://raharev.forumarabia.com/t94-packing-your-bike
    The only problemwith the last link is I see they left the bars in and if you look you can see the crown of the bar can go through the top tube, this happened to a mates pinarello, lucky he got money back and it was on homeward trip so he did notmiss ride. I take my bars out, I also take rear mech off.
  • Richj
    Richj Posts: 240
    I flew to Mallorca last year for the first time, managed to get bike bags for free from a LBS (so always worth asking). Striped the bike and used lots of pipe lagging and bubble wrap and had no problems at all (we flew easyjet). We weren't allowed to take CO2 bottles or WD40 so they got binned at the airport.

    The hotel, well it was only cyclist staying there, we were asked not to wheel our bikes through reception and no cleats were allowed indoors but that was made clear to us on checking in.

    I didn't know what to expect in Mallorca, thought we maybe the only cyclists around, but there were thousands of cyclists there, at all the cafe stops, restaurants and hotels. Very friendly and good provision for bikes.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Richj wrote:
    I flew to Mallorca last year for the first time

    I didn't know what to expect in Mallorca, thought we maybe the only cyclists around, but there were thousands of cyclists there, at all the cafe stops, restaurants and hotels. Very friendly and good provision for bikes.


    Majorca is a mecca for cycling. Just returned from there (for my third training camp in 3 months). Entire Pro teams staying at my hotel. And more on the roads. In one day saw, Sky, Lotto, Katusha, NetApp and some smaller teams. One of my favourite places to train.

    As for CO2, you can take any regulation printed out you want - they will still sometimes make you take the cartridges out. Only had it happen once so far though.
  • ms
    ms Posts: 143
    My experience of flying with my bike is that nearly every airline I've flown with have had a different policy regarding cost and weight, I always check the airlines cycle policy before checking flight prices.

    After being stitched up by Ryan Air a few years back I would never fly with them again with my bike. Me and a friend had booked our bikes on a flight to France months before departure only to be told a few weeks before departure there were too many bikes booked on the flight so we could not take ours.

    I've found it an expereince at some arrival airports trying to locate my bike as it has not always been where I've been told to collect it, although it as always shown up eventually.

    I had a bike in a soft case badly scratched in transit but since buying a hard shell case have never had a problem.

    I've always released the air from tyres before packing bike.

    Ive been asked at checkin if there are CO2 cannisters in the bike case as I have been told they are not allowed, I noticed ILM Zero7 states they are allowed but do you want to stand and argue about it at check in?

    I've never had a problem taking my bike in hotel rooms but I've always removed my shoes and shown respect to the hotel.

    Have Fun
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    I've never had a problem and been to Spain,Italy and France numerous times. We have a Scicon case and a Planet X bag and the bikes have been fine in both altho' the bag requires more use of pipe lag/foam/bubble wrap. I've not had a problem with any airline but I still expect the worst. I've always tried to go when I think there might be less travellers/cyclists, so going out to the Etape the flights are prob.going to be full of bikes. Numerous stories of bikes being left behind and I met someone this happened to. His bike was on the plane but a lot were on the tarmac - cue uproar on the plane etc.
    I've flown Ryanair/E-Jet/FlyBe/BA and generally the worst treatment has been in the UK at large airports (Mcr/Heathrow/Gatwick) withLiverpool and East Mids being excellent. Majorca/Rimini/Geneva have been consistently excellent at getting my bike on/off the plane.
    M.Rushton
  • Cornish-J
    Cornish-J Posts: 978
    Thanks for the advice guys!

    i'm thinking about heading out to tenerife on my own for a week around mid march....just got a set of zipp firecrests and would love to take them out with me but not sure whether to risk it or not.
  • I've only flown with the bike once with ryan air Zaragoza to Stanstead no problems well rapped in bubble rap and within the wieght limits all was fine there were three of us and all the bikes made it unscathed. Enjoy your trip Andy
    Training for the Cycle to Spain and the Quebrantahuesos
    www.seeyouinspain.co.uk
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    ms wrote:
    Ive been asked at checkin if there are CO2 cannisters in the bike case as I have been told they are not allowed, I noticed ILM Zero7 states they are allowed but do you want to stand and argue about it at check in?

    actually, I have and won!
    http://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
    Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR2
  • mclarent
    mclarent Posts: 784
    I have, and lost.

    "see your 'it's not against regulations', raise you one 'I'm wearing a uniform and I'm not taking your bag with these canisters in'"
    "And the Lord said unto Cain, 'where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, 'I know not: I dropped him on the climb up to the motorway bridge'."
    - eccolafilosofiadelpedale
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    I never argue with them as they have 'the power'. Stuff like CO2 canisters are available abroad - so a bit of research should be able to sort that out
    M.Rushton
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    Pokerface wrote:
    .....Be safe and don't pack CO2 either......


    Colin, I'm flying out to Majorca in April, and when I have been abroad in the car I haven't had to worry about C02, I hear when flying, that some people get away with it as long as it is in your box and others don't, have you ever been stopped, what's your experiences?


    EDIT - Scrub the above should have read further down!
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    ILM Zero7 wrote:
    ms wrote:
    Ive been asked at checkin if there are CO2 cannisters in the bike case as I have been told they are not allowed, I noticed ILM Zero7 states they are allowed but do you want to stand and argue about it at check in?

    actually, I have and won!

    Have you got a copy of the regs or can you provide a link as I might like to take them out with me.
  • The big issue is the size of the bike box - often they're too big to fit in a normal estate car or taxi boot and will only go in an mpv 7 seater - certainly that's the case with mine, which is why I've recently invested in an Airnimal Chameleon which packs up smaller and almost rides like a full size bike...
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Velonutter wrote:
    Pokerface wrote:
    .....Be safe and don't pack CO2 either......


    Colin, I'm flying out to Majorca in April, and when I have been abroad in the car I haven't had to worry about C02, I hear when flying, that some people get away with it as long as it is in your box and others don't, have you ever been stopped, what's your experiences?


    Of all the places I've flown in the world (and there have been quite a few in the past few years), the only place I had a problem was flying OUT of Denmark. They made me take the CO2 out of my bike box. ANd it was just one canister.

    Been to Majorca 3 times in the past 2 months and no problems there whatsoever. When flying home from there - they don't even both weighing the boxes! Over here they can get pretty hung up on the weight.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I'm pretty sure the guys at Nice airport have a profitable sideline in CO2 canisters. After the Ironman event there they had a sign up - no gas canisters - hand them in here. So you did and they probably sold them back to the retailers you'd bought them from at the expo a few days earlier.

    Anyway unless you're racing just use a decent minipp like a lezyne.
    If you're strong enough to lug your bike around you can pump up a tyre.
  • nferrar
    nferrar Posts: 2,511
    ms wrote:
    I've always released the air from tyres before packing bike.
    No need for this as the holds are pressurised...
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    You often get asked at check in if you've let your tyres down. I just let out a bit - so they aren't at max but still plenty on there to protect the rims in case it's needed.

    I don't think you need to take any out even if it's not pressurised anyway - but like the gas canister thing - airports can be funny about such things. And I'd rather they were over fussy than lax.