Tandem Cycling - Anyone Ship a Tandem overseas?

Or can you check it in as luggage?

I'm planning to take next year off and travel with my wife. One option that I have been looking at is to do a bike tour on our tandem. We have a few tours under our belts on the tandem (an old used Santana 1000$ off Craigslist)... and I've done a few longer tours with friends (Mexico to Panama - 2 months, Cuba - 1.5 months, Oregon to Baja...)

We're at different cycling abilities so if we are going to tour at all, we've gotta do it on the tandem.

Any ideas? I'd really like to hear some experiences from folks who have taken their tandems abroad... Is it a royal pain, or is there a magic bullet somewhere?

We're also thinking about selling the tandem after the tour, so we can keep on traveling light.. any ideas/recommendations to to that while we're on the topic?

We're thinking of doing to tour in Australia (East Coast), or Japan (my home country).

Any input would be appreciated. :thumb:

We went to Italy last year and took our tandem on the plane. We looked into shipping it via DHL, Fedx and etc. Shipping it separately is more expensive and it goes to customs. One must pick it up in customs and pay duty. You get the duty back by filling out a form and waiting for payment. We are going to Mallorca this year and will take the tandem on the plane.

Hi from Australia.

We travelled from Australia to Europe in 2006. We shipped the bike unaccompanied with a company called Jetta. Yes, we had to pay duty when it landed in Paris but we had some logistical issues and the bike had to go separately. On our return trip, flying Singapore Airlines, we simply wheeled the bike to check-in, handlebars removed (stoker), pedals removed, tyres deflated. There was no additional cost as we were within our weight limits.

Once you are in Australia you may find it more difficult. It is our understanding that only Virgin will carry your bike as sporting equipment but it must be in a box or bag. If it is sporting equipment it is counted as 5kg irrespective of the actual weight. This would mean you would still have 15kg baggage allowance of the total 20kg allowed. Your partner would still have the full 20kgs. You would want to check this with the Airline to be sure.

As for the east coast of Australia, we're sure you would find it very beautiful. Just remember that in Australia, you need to carry lots of water as sometimes it can be quite a distance between towns depending on where you are travelling. Each state on the east (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria) have their own state cycling groups and generally host one big ride each year. The Cycle Qld ride is at the end of August this year, 9 days cycling, 600km, Bundaberg to Brisbane. They carry the gear for you and also feed you.

Hope this is helpful.

Sue & Evan

Thanx for the responses. Sounds like each airline has a different policy... is that the case?

In any case, we are hoping to take our tandem with us for at least a part of the tour.

Hi.
We have been on a tandem since the mid 80's and ventured to Europe in the 90's to ride in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and the Czeck republic.

We flew to Rome and checked the bike in as part of our luggage. We wrapped the frame in "bubble plastic, turned the handle bars side ways and left the wheels on ( slightly deflated). Our belief over the years has always been that if the handlers can see what they are packing, less damage/ bent frame. Request that they always keep the bike upright, because if it lies on its side, they WILL pack stuff on it and you will have bent frame and rims.

We have gone to Cape Town (S. Africa) to do the Argus cycle tour - largest in the world - and done the same thing, but because of all the bikes everyone at the airports are geared to handle bikes with care.

We have packed our paniers and their frames seperatly and sent it through normal luggage with out a problem. Just ensure your pannier frames are well supported or they WILL get bent out of shape.(either leave on the bike or remove, we have done both options)

The largest problem we found was in trying to negotiate trains to transport the tandem. Underground a NO GO!!!. Inter-country trains did not take our bike and we had to send it by freight train on ahead.... problematic with duties and address in the next country.

Hope this is of help.. Brett

Hi.
The largest problem we found was in trying to negotiate trains to transport the tandem. Underground a NO GO!!!. Inter-country trains did not take our bike and we had to send it by freight train on ahead.... problematic with duties and address in the next country.

Hope this is of help.. Brett

In France, we had no trouble getting the tandem,in a case on the regular trains, but couldn't take in on the TGV.

In Paris we had to get 2 cabs to get from the Airport to the train station. One for us, and one for the bike.

For those travelling checking their tandems in with the airline, did you box your tandem or just wheel it in and then partially disassemble? Oh and this is in reference to a tandem without S&S.

For those travelling checking their tandems in with the airline, did you box your tandem or just wheel it in and then partially disassemble? Oh and this is in reference to a tandem without S&S.

I don't think the airlines will take it unless it's in a box. I'm not sure whether the airline provided cardboard boxes will fit a non S&S tandem, but I'd tend to doubt it. And I wouldn't trust an expensive bike in an airline cardboard box.

FWIW, we use a Bike Pro USA Tandem Race case. A little pricey, but does a good job protecting the bike.

We have flown with Alitalia (Italy) Air France, British Air and South African Air, and we have had very little damage to our bike (some paint scratch), so it has been done, but if one has a good cycle case, hey what a pleasure. My only question is.... what do you do with the cycle case when you begin to tour? (maybe you need a trailor for the case??) - Brett

Brett. I appreciate your input.

Now when you say,
We wrapped the frame in "bubble plastic, turned the handle bars side ways and left the wheels on ( slightly deflated). Our belief over the years has always been that if the handlers can see what they are packing, less damage/ bent frame.

I am getting the impression that you aren't boxing the bike? You just bubble wrap it?

Also... what about experiences paying extra? Did you have to do that at all?

Thanx all.

The free newsletter from Santana has a lot of hints about shipping tandems. Ask them for info. The writer stresses, repeatedly, the dangers of letting airlines know in advance that you are traveling with a tandem. Do show up extra early with adequate bike protection, be very nice to the clerk, pay what you must without complaint, and be ready to haul it to a separate place for special baggage.

I don't think the airlines will take it unless it's in a box. I'm not sure whether the airline provided cardboard boxes will fit a non S&S tandem, but I'd tend to doubt it. And I wouldn't trust an expensive bike in an airline cardboard box.

FWIW, we use a Bike Pro USA Tandem Race case. A little pricey, but does a good job protecting the bike.

I agree! Last Sept. we took our tandem on AA to Italy in the original Santana shipping box. It is incredibly sturdy but oversized. We had to get an AA manager's approval & it was quite a hassle (although the bike made the trip in perfect condition). We changed planes in Chicago and watched the bike come off the plane – it had its own cargo holding space in the forward section of the plane!!



I think the best the airlines could provide as far as boxes would be cutting and taping two single bike boxes together - no way would I trust my tandem with that set up. We now have a Bike Pro tandem case (easier to maneuver and within most of the airlines allowable dimensions (at least for large jets - watch out if you take a commuter aircraft!). We will use the Bike Pro carrier for the first time in October to take the tandem to Mallorca. Also, after one roundtrip to Europe, the Santana shipping box had seen its day. Below is a picture of the Bike Pro tandem case in front of the tandem shipping box so you get an idea of the size.

We flew Air Canada in 2006 for the Vancouver Island 1000k http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/1000km/routes/van_is.html with the Doublewide BikePro case (two single bikes in one bag). It was over 70 lbs, and they would not allow it on the plane and they were going to require me to take it to Air Freight. This was before the airlines started charging for anything and everything. I think it had something to do with the baggage handler’s union rules. I ended up carrying two wheels on the plane which was another problem.

We rode Paris-Brest-Paris http://www.rusa.org/pbp.html last year and again, the rules were nothing over 70 lbs and a 10 Euro per lbs charge for anything over 50lbs. With my tandem in a BikePro case it is way over 70lbs. We ended up making our own bag and putting basically the frame in that bag and the wheels and much of the other “stuff” in a wheelsafe (http://www.bikemania.biz/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TriAll3Sports_Wheel_Safe ). This way both “bags” were less than 50lbs.

Air France did not seem to be as much of a stickler for the rules as Air Canada, as I saw one or two other BikePro bags with tandems getting on the plane. Based upon the weight of my tandem and the BikePro bag it would have cost me over $800 plus the $150 bike oversize charge to get the bike to France and back – based upon the exchange rate at that time. This was to be paid in Euros at check in.

To avoid a nasty surprise, I would check with the airline prior to getting to the airport about their luggage weight limits and cost of overages. I doubt with the cost of fuel going up that the luggage over size/weight charges have gone down. How much you will pay depends on your type of ticket.

We now have a custom Steve Rex tandem with couplers and two cases that are “checkable” as I have had it with the problems at the check in counter.

Now I just need some tickets to London for London Edinburgh London in 2009 http://www.londonedinburghlondon.co.uk/ .

We brought our Trek T2000 to the UK about three weeks ago. I was a bit nervous about getting the tandem across the pond with British Airways as they had told me on the phone it would have to go cargo, but I packed it in 1and1/2 bike boxes taped together, (took the wheels and drive chain off, unhitched the RD and taped it to the frame, removed saddles, removed bars and cable tied them to frame, used lots of pipe insulation around frame, stuffed wheels in box beside frame) checked in normally in Tampa and off it went to the oversized check-in at no charge. It was out before our regular baggage in London. We stood it on end on a cart, pushed it thru the airport and loaded it into a rented MPV for the 1 hr trip to Brighton. No damage, no charge, no customs duty.

Correct... no box, but wrap the frame well (plastic + cardboard on the high spots). We leave the wheels on with a little air, so the handlers can push the bike. We have never been charged extra for weight or bulk, but rules change all the time. Phone the airlines in advance and get it from "the horses mouth"

A lightweight race bike with flimsy rims and components will be risky our way, but as long as the projecting parts, handle bars (turn side ways), pedals (remove and put in luggage) jockey (remove/ luggage) are suitable paded, we have not had problems.

Lastly, if you are using the tandem to tour like we did, keeping you over all weight to a minimum is a must. Special boxes or cases become a burden if you don't have an arrangement on the other side.

Hope this helps... Brett