Originally Posted by
pdlamb
Before you order the bike, it's worth asking how often you're likely to travel with it and the run a financial analysis.
You can save $1,000-$2,000 up front with a bike case and ordinary bicycle. You'll pay more (maybe $150 per travel leg) to transport it, though.
S&S couplers will let you get an otherwise ordinary bike into an airline-friendly 62" travel case, but they'll still ding you $40 per trip if that's your second bag.
good question.
i have a regular mtb. i fly twice per year to southeast asia on jetstar or tiger.
going thru singapore, that's two legs each.....these airlines charge a bike fee (as
sports equipment or per/kg luggage) per leg of $30-50. one of the trips will
return by air, the other trip will cycle back. with special fares, the luggage/sports
fee can sometimes be more than the airfare itself. also need to add in one
$20 taxi fare (110 km) to the airport outbound each trip.
once in country (thailand/laos/cambodia/malaysia/myanmar/vietnam) normally
don't use any public transportation. even with the incredibly cheap transport
cost, paying the bike fees beats the cost of traveling as a backpacker. good to
note that in most of these countries a full-size mtb can usually fit (without
removing the front wheel) on trains/buses/tuk-tuks if necessary, and the extra
fee for the bike is reasonable. bike travel definitely cheaper than backpacking.
so much easier to cycle around town for half an hour to find a cheap hotel,
instead of taking taxis.
the thing is, having a folding bike or collapsible bike wouldn't be any cheaper.
the set fee for sports equipment is usually for up to 32kg. assuming you pack
gear into the case, you'll probably be getting close to the limit. the charge for
that amount of luggage based on weight would be about the same, perhaps
even a bit more depending on the actual weights.
in terms of finance, folding/collapsing bikes can be a huge-ish outlay at purchase,
but won't necessarily save money (in this region) on transport. the main thing
is convenience.
--don't have to scavenge cardboard to make 1.5m-long boxes.
--can take light rail to the airport instead of a taxi or bus.
--can carry on subways in developed cities.
--can hand carry on super trains. don't have to take alternate slow
trains or buses (but supertriains can cost more than flying!)
--can take as baggage on smaller commuter flights that won't
take bike boxes.
but then unless you pack your bike into throwaway thrift store luggage,
or have the kind that converts into a trailer, you're stuck doing circle
tours. you have to find some place to store the special case during
your tour.