GTizzy

Hi all!

I hope this question is appropriate for these forums. I am taking a vintage road bike on a plane in a couple of weeks, and the baggage restriction stipulates that the total dimensions of the bike box must equal 160cm (length + height + width).

Do any of you know whether this will be possible? Has it been done before? I'm not sure whether I should attempt an extensive tear-down, or simply bit the bullet and accept that it will be oversized luggage.

Thanks!

jim p

This sounds like a question for a company like nasbar or performance that ship bikes.

I would have to save a good bit or money before I would want to tear the bike down for shipping. Also I would be worried about damage if the bike was not packed very well.

bikeman715

it best to to ship a bike by UPS or Fedex , instead of the airlines . just time the delivery around the time you get there .it cheaper and safer to do it this way.

dsbrantjr

You might go to a local bike shop and measure one of their old boxes to get an idea of the size. You might also be able to get one free or cheap to ship your bike in.

I just measured some cardboard from a 50cm bike box and it roughly 90X70X20cm so that would be oversize; presumably your box will need to be larger.

+1 on a freight service; they do not take packages marked "FRAGILE" as a challenge and you can insure it for a realistic amount; airline luggage insurance is a joke. I looked at a couple of airlines' rules and you are basically f***ed if your stuff gets damaged, lost or stolen.

HillRider

I presume those "baggage restrictions" are for standard luggage charges and anything bigger is charged as oversized. As to fitting a bike into 160 cm (63 inches) total case size, yes, theoretically it can be done as that is the size of the packing cases sold with S&S coupled frames. However, to fit in that case the frame must come apart and a standard bike doesn't have a prayer of fitting in a box of that size.

Short answer, plan to pay the oversize charges on any airline (Southwest and Frontier are exceptions) or ship the bike UPS or Fed-Ex.

Soil_Sampler

https://www.aircaddy.com/

saddlesores

maybe check the airline website, or call them.

what's are the weight and size restrictions on sporting goods?

FBinNY 

This is what I do for domestic bike travel, reaching out to a friend, a local shop, or my hotel to receive the bike for me a few days before my arrival. I ship in a hard case which I've reused a number of times. Unfortunately this is totally impractical for overseas flights where I need to use extreme measures.

Usually I divide the bike into 2 boxes, sharing the space with my other baggage, and never admitting that there's a bike within. I've gotten away with low or no oversize fees this way, and most overseas flights still allow 2 bags.

To the OP, there's no need to guess. Measure your frame from head tube to rear dropout, and from BB to seat lug. Draw a proportional sketch of a box with these on the diagonal. Allow 25cm for a minimum width allowance and see if there's any hope at all working within the remaining 135cm. I suspect you'll find that is' probably a no go.

You'll need roughly 90cm for the length, and 60cm for height, leaving you a bit short. Don't forget you need a few cm for packing material and the box's wall thickness. OTOH- if you find it teasingly close, you might want to give it a shot laying the parts out on the floor and measuring more carefully in the real world.

DannoXYZ 

As FB said, get specific measurements for your bike. Then scrounge around bike-shops for shipping boxes, they often stuff the foam and packing materials back in and toss out by the dumpster. With the wheels & handlebar off, your 60cm frame is much smaller. To decrease thickness of the box, pack the frame in one and the wheels in a 2nd box. Overlap the wheels 50-75% and the box isn't much larger than a single wheel.