gtragitt

I travel a great deal for business. Most of it requires airline flights. This doesn't make it easy to ride the bicycle as much as I want.

This past Sunday I rented a car to drive to San Antonio for a 4 day business trip. I decided to put the bike in the rental car. This evening I had a very enjoyable ride along the Mission Trail. There was a group of young Latinos that showed me the route. I enjoyed riding with them for about 3 mi, but I wasn't getting my heart rate up; so, I went on ahead of them.

This ride was the high point of this trip and makes this business trip one of the most enjoyable I have had in a long time.

I used to remember business trips to Torrance, CA. I used to rent a bike on Redondo Beach and ride after work each evening. These were also great business trips, even though the bikes were not that good.

I need to do some more research and check out rentals for upcoming business trips.

MinnMan

I too travel quite a bit for business and the lack of a bike in various places is really annoying. In most cases, even if there was a bike, my schedule wouldn't provide sufficient free daylight hours for riding anyway. God, I hate hotel gyms.

BUT, next week I'll be in Santa Barbara for business for 10 days, AND (1) I will definitely have time for riding and (2) there is a local business (SB Bikes ToGo) that rents high end bikes by the week!! I"m going to have a Specialized Tarmac Elite to ride while I'm there. Boy, am I psyched!

JohnTP

Some of my business travel is by airline but I have taken the bike on some of the trips where I can drive and it is always fun to ride some new roads. Last year I had a great ride in the Palouse country in Eastern Washington state right around harvest time on a crisp clear day. The Palouse country has very scenic rolling hills with mostly dryland farming and few trees - the patterns caused by plowing along the hillsides are particularly striking.

My only regret is not having my camera with me.

Terex

A friend lent me a bike during a business trip to Indianapolis, IN in May. We had a really nice ride with a group of the local hammerheads north of the city. It sure was better than spending 3 hrs. at dinner some place. It would have been more fun if it didn't rain the whole time, but even still, it was great.

When I was in Boulder for a week one time, I rented a mtn. bike and rode around the area and to the meeting I was attending.

I'm thinking about getting a bike with S&S couplings for travel.

ahsposo 

I traveled a lot for around 20 years mainly by car. I always tried to carry my bike and got to ride in some pretty neat places. I avoided flying if I could so I could take the bike. Thought about buying a Moulton for flying but just couldn't justify it.

I found the quality of bikes available for loan or rent at some of the meeting hotels or resorts the company used were generally pretty sad.

NOS88

I've known a few business travelers that have sworn by the S&S Bike Torque Coupler retrofits they had done to a bike. They take them anytime they're going to be away for more than a few days. The couplers and a good case make transport relatively easy and you get to ride your own bike.

I'm optimistic that my "on the road" days are over (knock on wood), but should I find that they return, that's the route I'll go. I'll take one of my steel frames and have it retrofit for the coupler and buy a good hard shell case.

prathmann

Having a bunch of business trips is what led me to buy my Bike Friday folding bike. It fits in a regular suitcase so it used to be free on airlines and is still only subject to the first checked bag charge. Rides about the same as my bikes with full-size wheels and was very nice to have along to explore new areas. I've also used it on extended tours where the return is by public transit (train or airline).

gtragitt

I am intrigued by the SS Bike Coupler. Thanks for letting me know about the option. I would really like to see photos with a bike uncoupled and packed with the wheels.

TMB

Packing :

https://www.sandsmachine.com/pack_r3.htm


S and S home page - have fun .......

https://www.sandsmachine.com/


One of mine .......

JanMM

What about folding bikes with 20" wheels? Anyone here traveling with those?
I just spent 8 days on a family vacation auto trip to a niece's wedding. Not enough time available to justify taking along a recumbent but a small bike-in-a-bag might have been nice to pull out a few times.

lhbernhardt

I just got back from a 9-day trip to LA (to see LA Opera's controversial Wagner's Ring) and took my S&S-coupled Rodriguez fixie. I was able to ride every day, from the day I arrived (a short ride to check out Dodger's Stadium and Elysian Park) to rides through the hills of Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank, down through La Tuna Canyon, and out to the paths along the beaches. I met up with a group of racers for rides on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and I met another couple of guys who showed me some good routes thru the hills.

Earlier in the year I took a 2-week business trip to Hamilton, ON, taking the same bike, and got in some nice rides around Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. I can't think of being there without a bike.

The bike takes about an hour to disassemble and pack (after some practice), fits into a 26x26x10 rolling case (62 linear inches, the maximum for regular baggage. Fully packed, with a few tools and my cycling shoes tossed into the box, it weighs about 43 pounds. On the return trip, with dirty t-shirts, it was 45 pounds. I usually fly Westjet (a Canadian carrier), which is one of the few carriers who will still let you check two pieces of baggage for free. I usually carry a small rolling carry-on (see Up In the Air, with George Clooney, who will explain how to pack the bag and explain some other tips about air travel). I've rolled the two of them several blocks to the hotel with no problem. The couplers are about $700 installed; the case will run around $300-350, so after about ten flights you've broken even.

Maybe the only downside with this system is that if you're using 700C wheels, you have to deflate the tires prior to packing. This means you need to carry a pump - preferably with gauge - with you as well. I also usually pull the fork as well. The couplers don't affect the bike's handling at all. I think this is the best way to take a full-size bike with you on trips.

Luis

MinnMan

Arrived today in Santa Barbara for a 10 day stay and had my rented Specialized Tarmac delivered to me. It's a sweet bike. I only had time for a quick 20 miles today (it is, after all, a BUSINESS trip), but I'll have time to hit the hills over the weekend.

I thought that Santa Barbara would be cyclists paradise, but to my surprise, at least so far, the trails and bike lanes here are very queit, except near the University. THe density of cyclists on the road in Minneapolis is greater by a factor of 10, I'd say. .