Originally Posted by
pletcgm
Thanks. I never thought about approaching the bicycle shops. I will google some in anchorage and see if they might be willing to let me leave my bike case there.
A shop might be more inclined if you throw them some business, like having them re-assemble and/or repack your bike. Personally, I enjoy not having to deal with that at the start and end of a tour. I ship to a bike shop so the bike is waiting for me ready to go when I arrive. At the end of the tour, I roll the bike into the shop and I go have a beer.
Look at that! There is an REI in Anchorage:
REI Store ? Anchorage, Alaska - Sporting Goods, Camping Gear
I did a loop tour out of Missoula, MT in June. I shipped to REI. They re-assembled the bike
($40), held the box for free for 9 days, and repacked it at the end ($40). Call the local store number to see if they offer the service.
You might look into shipping using bikeflights.com. I had a good experience with them for my MT trip. However, shipping to Alaska may not save you a whole lot depending on what your airline charges.