Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Thanks for recommending a specific box. I live near a Trek store, I might go over there and ask for one.
I am doing a van supported ACA trip in April but i am undecided if I should take my S&S bike on the plane with me or instead ship a different bike ahead of time in a bike box. Even if i did not use it on this trip, it might come in handy some day.
Hopefully you know them well or can drop the name of the shop where you work because I have heard they charge at least $100 for those boxes.
Again you are welcome to use my case.
If inside the US, I would ship ahead hands down. It opens up more options on your flights as some airlines are charging a fortune these days. Even when it is reasonable fee it can lead to a fortune. SW only charged me $50 on my way out to Spokane. The woman at the gate in Spokane was pissed because she did not want to check my case. She was going to charge me $400 for over size and over weight. I showed her it was a bike and SW charges $50 (or did) for bikes. She said it did not qualify because it was still over weight. It was over by 2 lbs! I was able to off load some gear and got it to a pound below the limit. She was forced to take the bike for $50 but she still wasn't happy about it.
Plus there is dragging the bike through the airport and worrying if it will make connections. Nope a lot better to ship. I ship with twice the time they say it will take to get there. That way if there is an issue, there is still time to straighten it out.