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Old 11-17-05, 01:56 PM
  #19  
axolotl
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Sounds pretty easy to me.
I have to agree with Machka on this. It does not sound particularly easy to me. Moreover, there are an awful lot of assumptions made:

-The assumption you CAN travel inexpensively AND conveniently between bike shop, lodging, & airport. You make it sound like this is a trivial matter. Outside of a small handful of cities, public transportation in the US is horrible. Cheap public transportation to/from airports often simply doesn't exist.
-The assumption that the bike shop at your destination is willing to accept your bike.
-The assumption the bike shop will be open when you want to get your bike or drop it off.
-The assumption that the cyclist wants to spend a night in a hotel/motel near the bike shop or airport on their first and last nights.
-The assumption that the cyclist doesn't want or need their bike in the days prior to departing on a tour, on the last day of a tour, or on the first days back home following a tour.
-The assumption the cyclist wouldn't prefer to simply pedal away from the airport on arrival. Yeah, some airports are awful to bike to/from, but just as many I've flown to are easy.
-The assumption that finding a place to assemble or disassemble a bike is a problem. It has never been a problem for me in the dozens of times I've done it.
-The assumption the cyclist is flying domestically in the US, or between 2 countries where something like UPS is even a possibility.
-The assumption the bike will arrive in a timely manner.
-The assumption for US-Canada travel that the bike will get thru customs in a timely and cheap manner.

With all the shipping expenses, packing expenses (if the bike shop does it), ground transportation expenses due to the lack of a bike, and especially, the lost time inherent in this method because of all of the running around to and from bike shops, it sounds like very false economy to me in most cases. I will grant there there are some circumstances where the UPS method can be useful and that it's a possibility to be aware of, but rarely would it have made sense for me. I was on one trip in Utah where my friend used UPS when flying home, but it was that rare set of circumstances where it made sense. (I didn't do it for 2 reasons: My bike was flying for free, and I was flying to a 3rd city before flying home and wanted my bike immediately.)
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As far as a 2 item limit for some flights is concerned, that has a simple solution: Just get a lightweight nylon duffle bag for panniers, camping gear, whatever. Then simply roll up the empty duffle bag and stick it at the bottom of your panniers.
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