Fixed Gear and Air Travel
 

Hey guys, I need some traveling heads-ups~

So I'm planning to travel to asia this summer, gonna be flying~
countries on the list are at least: japan & china
How do you do it? ^_____^

EDIT* and want to bring my bike with me.

If I were flying to Asia this is how I'd do it:

Step 1) I'd start by buying a ticket and getting on an airplane headed in the correct direction.
Step 2) Then I'd fly there on said airplane.
Step 3) Then I'd get off the airplane.

Problem solved. You sir, are welcome.

dont forget your bike

be sure to budget an extra $130 US to bring a fixed gear on-board international flights. if you wish to save a little on this fee, bring a geared bicycle.

Depending on the airline it's going to be $80-100 each way for the bike.Unfortunately there's really no way around it.The good thing is the oversize fee waives the weight limit,so if you end up buying a lot of junk you can just throw it in the bike case.
If you plan on traveling by train within japan,JR requires a bike to be partially disassembled in a carrying bag to be taken on any trains.I had one big enough to fit the bike with only the front wheel removed and that was enough,even on the shinkansen.

why would bringing a geared bike cost less?

Hipster tax.

not on a flight to asia, i think you owe money their if your not up to date on the fashion scene when entering their airspace.

See the beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCPEzdZs5s

yea when i first thought about this, the mash video immediately came to mind.

the question is: if my bike was in a bike box like theirs were, would it count as regular luggage or someone would stop me and tell me to pay because they know its a bike inside?

the problem with fixed gear air travel is taking off. You will probably want to switch to a bigger gear when you start to lift off the runway. Also...it sucks not being able to coast when you're going that far (to asia). I would probably recommend some sort of geared bike for this purpose.

When travelling with a fixed gear I have avoided the extra fees by pointing out my flipflop hub to the baggage lady. It's technically multiple gears so she let me by---you might give this a try.

[QUOTE

the question is: if my bike was in a bike box like theirs were, would it count as regular luggage or someone would stop me and tell me to pay because they know its a bike inside?[/quote]

It's not so much about the bike inside,it's the fact that the box is over the maximum allowed size.The max.size on most airlines is between 60" and 65"(that means height+length+depth can't be more than X inches).Bike boxes are more like 36x48x10.

How long are you staying in the countries?

you have to package your bike up, they aren't going to just take your bike and put it in luggage

you are going to pay extra for it regardless, because of the size of the box

I've been to japan twice and brought my bike both times. Both times i packed it in a standard bike box and checked it with the airline. I can confidently say it's in your best interest to invest in a hard case(as i have) if you think you may want to travel with your bike more in the future, as it keeps the bike tremendously safer. The cardboard boxes work (obviously) but i've found through the rough course of air travel you'll be lucky to have the bike make it through unscathed, i always have 1 or two new nicks from something out of the ordinary happening between two countries and 35,000 feet. Be very careful packing the bike, and be sure to extra pad any area you think *might* be an issue(wheel axles, protruding anything, rough, spikey metal bits that could rub through your padding, etc) if the bike is thrown/dropped by a bag runner. One trick i've been using is cutting pool noodles down the center and taping those on the tubes of my frame, it does a pretty good job protecting.

Since those flights i've invested in a hard case and recently used it on a plane out to california. The bike came through in the same condition it left in i didn't have to worry the whole time.

I hear of a lot of people shipping their bikes to destination, i think i may try this next time as a lot of airlines have recently upped the priced to bring a bike on the plane.

That's my 2 cents- have fun!

+1

thx for sharing this.

i did a quick google search and the first few that showed up are just humungo hardshelled suitcases for $200+~ what kind of case do you have?

ah I'm confused. Are you guys joking that it costs more to take a fixed gear on a plane or are you serious?

it's true.
read the fine print on an airline's website.