nice_marmot

I'm travelling to Anchorage from Seattle for two months this summer for an internship. I'd like to have my bike up there for my daily work commute, the occasional weekend trip, exercise and my own mental wellbeing. I'd planned on driving up with someone, but as things turned out I'm going to have to fly instead.

If I can't find a fellow student in my program who's driving up and has space on a bike rack, what's the best way to get my wheels up there? Budget is absolutely a concern, but not as important as making sure my bike makes the trip without serious damage. UPS and FedEx want to charge me the price of the bike or more to ship it fully insured.

Can anyone recommend a more affordable option besides getting an AirCaddy and taking it as my second checked bag (not all that cheap itself)? I'd thought about just looking for a used bike when I get there, but since I need a 24" frame it's not easy to buy used.

Also, I'd really like recommendations as far as light trail riding and good bike shops in the Anchorage area if anyone has 'em!

bkrownd

Anchorage has some nice MUP trails. With all the drawbacks of MUPs, of course. Watch out for the mooose.

Alaska Tourer

Just saw this , if you still want info let me know, great bike trails around here, some interesting touring also.

woodway

If you are flying Alaska Airlines to Anchorage, they will charge you either $50 or $75 (depending on the size of your box) to take your bike up as checked baggage. That is if the bike and box together weight less than 51lbs. - if they weigh more then there will be extra charges. Not a bad deal, actually. Full rules on their website.

PomPilot

Are you committed to air transport, or is there ferry service available? You might have to travel to Bellingham or similar to catch a ship, but it may be worth considering going that route.

nice_marmot

EDIT: Thanks for the help, folks. Luckily, I found a fellow student driving with some extra space on the ol' bike rack.

digibud

Chain Reaction in South Anchorage is a good shop. REI has or had some great bike maps of the area. There are a lot of multipurpose trails. The best known is the Coastal Trail but they criss cross the entire city. Not much in the way of bike specific trails...and really poor road riding as most of the major streets are very bike unfriendly. Do watch for moose and bear here and there. You'll be lucky to see a bear but moose can be a real concern, particularly cows.