bandregg

I'm getting ready to order my new bike and the subject of S and S couplers has come up. I like the idea of travelling with my bike by airplane with as little hassle as possible. I also understand that a lot of people travel with the bike in a cardboard bike box just fine (it may cost a little more). What do you do with the box or case when you arrive.

The cardboard bike box can be discarded on arrival and another one found from a local bike shop before flying home again.

Do people ever store the cardboard bike box?

What about an S and S carrier? Where do you keep that now that airlines and hotels are probably a little shy about little people store luggage for a week?

Thanks for the help.

af895

I'd been thinking of this too. If your arrival and departure airport is the same, why not put your bike case in an airport locker on arrival? Pick it up again when you get back to the airport. This becomes a bit more challenging if you're landing in, say, Toronto and departing Ottawa. You COULD have it sent ahead though. (you'd need to make some creative arrangements to ensure it was there when you got there)

As for hotels: if they're not willing to store your luggage for a week, suggest to them their competitors might be more accomodating. They'll likely change their tune - or you'll find other accomodations.

Capitalism is perfect! Vote with your money.

stokell

For years I travelled with a box. It really cramped my style. I either had to pay for storage or beg a new one. Not only that to make the bike fit in the box I had to disassemble it.

Now I carry a large plastic bag. I roll up to the airport (I don't have to drag that heavy box around) I take the air out of the tires and turn bars and peddles and roll the complete bike with panniers and helmet into the bag. I've started putting a bungee cord around the front wheel and frame to keep the wheel from turning.

At my destination I roll the bike out and discard the bag. I usually carry a spare (very light and compact) but most airlines in Canada supply them for around $5. At a pinch you can use a plastic bag from a single bed you get from a mattress store.

Life has been much easier since I started bagging and I don't have a lot of assembly to do upon arrival.

Many members will disagree with this view, but it is the most pragmatic way I have discovered. I'm going on my vacation so I avoid as many hassles as possible.

Ken Brown

First time I took the bike to Europe I abandoned the box and got a new one at a bike store when I returned to Vienna. I was a little anxious about whether I would find a box, but it worked out. It would have cost about 8 euros a day to store the box at the airport, which would have been a lot over 17 days.

The second time I stayed in the same hotel the first and last night, and asked them if they would keep the box before I booked. I would prefer to do this again for my next trip. I have heard of hotels reneging on box storage, and my hotel had a tiny storage area that was just big enough for the box, folded.

gregw

Storing a travel box was really a pain, so I firmly affixed it to the top of my helmet with a dab of crazy glue and just kept it with me. Try to keep it as level as possible to reduce wind drag and remember to take off your helmet before going through doorways.

Gordon P

I just leave my empty box behind in a dark corner; this gives airport security something to do for a couple of hours.

gregw

Hey, that's not even funny, and it would be even less funny if you decided to leave behind that heavy alarm clock you brought.

Gordon P

Actually, the security people at Newcastle International took my packaged touring bike to blow-up while I went to the washroom! They thought it was a bomb left by the IRA. They were nice enough to give it back to me.
I was questiond once by the military police for the same reason while I was on the Shetland Islands.

cooker

Why do you deflate the tires? I would think they would protect the rims from getting banged up by baggage personnel.
Thank
Robert

womble

This is usually done at the insistence of the check-in staff. You only have to partially deflate them. Preferlably as little as possible, as it doesn't really do anything useful.

cooker

Thanks. If I fly with a bike (I might in late September) I'm going to have to try to avoid doing that.
Robert

womble

Check-in staff are told that the tubes will burst at altitude. They are wrong. Not worth arguing though, just pump them back up at the destination.

cooker

Ok - obviously I'll have a pump so I'll partly deflate.
Thanks
Robert