I've been wondering about claims of only one hour to pack a folding bike into a standard size suitcase. It takes me about 9-10 hours minimum. What is it that others are not doing to get it down to 1 hour?

From the photos I've seen on the forum it seems that other people simply remove the wheels and seat post and possibly the handle bar stem, and then stuff them into the suitcase without any padding or zip tie. Several photos seem to show the hanger and derailleur still attached to the frame. But how is that safe?

The first time I flew with the folding bike many years ago I did not disassemble it, I simply put it into a box and it only took me 30 minutes to prepare. But when it came out of the baggage return, the hinge latch which was over the hinge when folded was completely bent inside out and the hinge was possibly slightly bent.

I've used my current method now for about five trips without any damage. Although about a third of that time is for cleaning to pass through biosecurity.

I disassemble the wheel, seat post, handlebar post, fork, handlebar, derailleur, tern cargo rack that can be flat packed. I also remove the chain, derailleur, and cassette to prevent them from being bent. Each part is padded with foam noodle in areas the contact each other or the side of the suitcase, and zip tied together so that if you lift the entire package out of the suitcase, it comes out as one piece with all the frame components, and you can put it back in one piece. This also allows some independent movement so that if the suitcase is dropped the entire weight of the bike is not impacting a single point on one part. Also if a baggage inspector decides to take something out they can get it back in successfully without changing the position inside the suitcase.

The two wheels are zip tied together so you can lift it out as one piece. I put them in the bottom the suitcase where the tires rest against the telescoping suitcase handle so that there is no contact with the hub or spokes or rim. Then I lay the frame over it so that there's only three contact points against the inflated tires which also serves as padding against the frame. It contacts the left side rear frame stay, the hinge plate, and the left crank arm. The frame only contacts the edge of the suitcase at the rear drop out, headset, and hinge which are all double padded with foam noodles. I insert dropout spacers. On the top surface only the crank arm and bash guard directly touch the top side of the suitcase with a little bit of foam noodle. Since everything is zip tied together there's no risk of a component shifting and hitting the spokes or denting the rim.

Without doing this I don't see how a bike can escape damage. For example I've seen photos where people do not take the cassette off of the rear wheel and simply put a piece of cloth between the cassette and the spokes of the front wheel or against the frame. But that risks damaging the spokes or bending the cassette teeth. Also people leave the derailleur on the frame as one of the contact point against the side of the suitcase, I don't see how the hanger can escape being bent. I also see no padding between the frame and the suitcase wall in other people's photos.

Here's a breakdown of my time

• 1 hour chain degreasing, 4 changes of degreaser in the chain cleaner tool, remove chain, hair dryer, apply lubricant.
• 1 hour Remove and disassemble rack, Wheels, fender, petals, handlebar, handle post, fork, seat post, saddle, grips, cassette, derailleur, hanger, reflectors
• 1 hour degrease the cassette cogs and brush off the crud until shiny
• 2 hours clean out tire treads, rim walls, pedals, wipe down all surfaces, get rid of sticky residue from grips, brake pads
• 1.5 hours attach foam noodles and zip tie all parts together
• 0.5 hour try to get everything to fit into the suitcase
• 0.5 hour sort and bag small components and fasteners
• 0.5 hour keeping the workspace clean and cleaning the tools
• 0.5 to 1 hour lost from working in tight space in tiny hotel room