peanuts

I'm heading to france, canada and the U.S (from Australia) and am planning to take my trailer and my mtn bike. Has anyone travelled internationally with their bob?.
Did you check it "as is"(swing arm turned around take off wheel) or put it in a large cargo bag or similar.
I'm trying to get around paying as little excess baggage as possible, and was trying to find a cheap lightweight bag that will fit by bob and a backpack, and put my tent etc in my bike bag. i have a 2 bag limit at 26kg's each to france and 32kg's each to canada.
Weight wise i'm fine, but the lenght of the bob is posing a problem finding a bag to fit it.
I thought of making a colapsable copy of a bob but time is against me.

Anyone had an experience of flying with your bob Good/Bad?

womble

I've flown UK-US-South America with a BOB. The airlines people just treated it as part of my bike. i.e. I was fine checking in a backpack as once piece, and the BOB + bike was treated as another. All I did was flip the swingarm around into the BOB cargo area.

The way I approached airline counters probably resulted in it being easy. I'd turn up with the pack in the BOB, attached to the bike. I would try to check the bike in as one thing, and presented the BOB + pack (secured with bungee cords) as a single piece of luggage. The airlines people would take one look at it and decide that it would be easier for them to separate the BOB and the pack. If they tried to insist that I therefore had three items (which they never did), then I planned on insisting that the pack belonged inside the BOB.

I'd personally try to avoid putting the BOB into a big bag, as big bags just get treated like other baggage and can end up at the bottom of large piles of luggage. For the same reason I try never to box my bike. Also, if you want to get the pack and the BOB into a single bag, it's going to be gigantic as you won't be able to get the swingarm to tuck in.

I hope that made sense. I'm quite tired at the moment!

PS: How much does a BOB cost in Oz?

supcom

Be aware that flying in the US with a bike and BOB may be pretty expensive. Check the website for the airlines you plan to use, but the common rules are any checked item that exceeds 62 inches (157 cm) measured as length + width + height will cost $50-80 US extra. A BOB box exceeds these dimensions as does any regular size bike in a box or bag. Thus, if you have a bike and BOB, be expected to pay $160 US for every flight you make.

Also, if that wasn't bad enough, any checked item that weighs more than 50 lbs (22.7 kg) will be charged $50-80 US in addition to any oversize charges. And, if you are still with us, if you have more than two checked items, each additional item is assessed a $50-80 US charge in addition to all the previous fees.

Overseas flights often have different (more relaxed) rules than domestic. I suspect that a US/Canada flight is considered under the domestic rules.

Also, people have been reporting a high incidence of theft from their bags since our 'Homeland Security" has been protecting us from old ladies with fingernail clippers and WWII Medal of Honor recipients.

Once again, check with the airline(s) you plan to fly. I don't want to discourage you, but it's better to know what you are up against.

peanuts

Thanks for the reply womble, i'll make sure i get to the airport early to make sure it all gets sorted with time to spare.
a bob yak in OZ costs about $450AUD, i got mine 2nd hand(virtually new) for $300AUD

peanuts

Thanks supcom,
i have 2 flights in the U.S and i thought i'd get pegged for the bike after looking up the airline site but didn't realize the bob would get done too, i was toying with the idea of actually driving one leg instead, it may work out a better way to see some more sights and get some more riding in.

womble

I'm not sure about other airlines, but Westjet (damn good Canadian budget airline) flights internal and Canada-US get the full 2x32kg baggage allowance. I am therefore assuming that they run with the international standards with luggage size. I have flown other Canadian budget airlines that only give 1x20kg, which is a pain.

Yeah, you're right about turning up early. It really helps if the staff are not overloaded. When in the US play up the accent for all it's worth too

Have you checked George Farnsworth's bike travel pages for airline info?

Wow- Yaks are actually priced okay in Oz after the conversion from USD. I'm surprised- I found bike components to be crazily expensive there.

danimal

i flew with my bike and bob trailer (domestic, US, one-way)...i used the original bob box and loaded that with my gear as well as the bob and boxed my bike separately. i only got charged for the bike, and both arrived fine...good luck

peanuts

Have you checked George Farnsworth's bike travel pages for airline info?

Wow- Yaks are actually priced okay in Oz after the conversion from USD. I'm surprised- I found bike components to be crazily expensive there.[/QUOTE]


Cheers, i'll look up georges site
and yes most components in australia are expensive, hence i do alot of online shopping from the U.S and U.K.
I do support the local bike shop, but some australian distributors are are kidding themselves with their prices.

BryanKeith

I have flown with a tandem and BOB on a US-France flight and the return. I removed the swing arm, wheel, and fender from BOB; packed the BOB bag full of stuff inside BOB and packed the BOB wheel, fender, and swing arm inside the bicycle box provided by the airline (Delta). We paid extra (US$80 per direction, I think) for the bike, just as Delta had been very clear about from the start.

Bryan