v1nce

Hey folks,

I recently took my modded Twenty and my GF's modded Kwikstep to Portugal on a small (cycling) holiday. As well as the bikes we took lots of stuff including a HPX pump, some tools, hardened chain locks and spare inner tubes as well as a lightweight camping ethanol burner.

However the problem we ran into is that our suitcases (despite being pretty light Samsonite's in themselves) were way over the weight limit which meant we had to shell out cash. The cases were 6 or 7 kilos over the 20 kilo weight limit each. That is despite them only containing bike bits and the burner, all our clothes were in out hand luggage which was also just around the upper limit...

Despite the added cost (10 Euro's a Kilo!) it was well worth it and i'd do it again. Bike rental was expensive as well and the machines not too hot. Still, i'd like to avoid this problem in future.

I realize that taking a budget airline (Martinair package deal to Portugal) usually means they won't let you get away with exceeding the weight. If you go on more expensive tickets or for longer they up the weight limit but i am not planning to make such trips. With rising feul prices and the heavy competition in the airline industry they seem to have become much stricter and will charge your for anything out of the ordinary.

Even if we had taken only the barest minimum in bike stuff we could only have shaved off 1 to 3 kilos max of the weight. I supposse that is the downside of being a Steel & Brooks fan, that stuff is fairly heavy. The bummer thing is that i could still fit quite a bit of clothes or other pliable stuff along my Twenty if i had wanted to but the weight would not allow it. So my questions:

1. How do you guys deal with the weight limit?
2. Do you think or know that asking them to up your weight limit in advance will mean they will charge you a cheaper rate?

Thanks very much.

V.

cheg

In the US, the weight limit is 50 lbs (23 kg) and 70 lbs (32 kg) for frequent fliers like me so I have never exceeded it. I have read that you can sometimes avoid the charge by checking your bag at curbside instead of at the counter but that is probably not allowed for international flights.

You might check if an extra bag would be cheaper than an overweight bag and split the load in more packages.

jasong

Actually, 20 kilos is pretty nice. I think EasyJet / RyanAir is more like 13.

v1nce

Aargh 13?! Damn, my bike weighs more than that without saddle, tools locks, the suitcase itself etc etc. hopefully giving 'advance warning' can resolve this issue so it isn't too costly.

jasong

Just make sure to check their policy in advance. This is where they make up the money when charging you €5 for a ticket.