Best options to SHIP the bike
 

I'm going on a domestic vacation soon and want to take the bike. The LBS has a shipping box identical to what my bike originally arrived in, so I'm down to selecting a method of shipping: Airline (more expensive but the bike travels and arrives with me) or UPS/USPS/etc. (less expensive but several days in transit robs me of riding).

Based upon your experiences, what would you recommend and discourage?

Buy a transport case and take it on the plane with you as checked baggage.

I UPS ground with my Trico Iron case most of the time. However, if time is a factor I'll airplane it.
As you're in the middle of the country note that ground transit times are not that bad.

You might check around your area for an LBS that rents out travel cases. I've encountered them before for around $40 for a week to 10 days and then you'd have the bike with you. Othewise I've had good results with FedEx ground and UPS but UPS cost can vary a lot based on the size of box. Just make sure you pack and pad the heck out of it.

I have used hard shell boxes to transport my bike via airline a few times. I think the bike travels well this way but the box is huge and getting it to the airport and back is a problem. I have also been told that the bike boxes will not fit in the smallest planes. I have had to make special arrangements with friends picking me up at the airport and I had to upgrade my rental car to fit the bike box. I have also used USPS which is its own set of hassles due to size requirements. The frame and wheels have to go in seprate boxes. I am in the military in Japan. The last time I sent my bike Priority Mail it took over three weeks to get here. YMMV. I just mailed my bike to a little speck of a town in South Eastern Ohio using Express mail and it only took 4 days to get there. I as of yet have no experiance with fedex or UPS but intend to use them in the future.

UPS is easy as long as you get a box with in UPS oversized 1 (like the trico iron case or most bike boxes the bike was shipped in, but not the ones airlines sell). Once you get over that its very exepensive. With oversized 1 its 50-70lbs demensional weight.

I just mentioned this in another post but it may work for you as well. REI will disassemble, pack and ship a bike from store to store for $70 using their own REI shipping system. When it arrives you can simply pick it up and reassemble it yourself or have them do it for you for another $30. Not bad.

All: Great information, and I'm now well prepared for travel next weekend. I'll be using a manufacturer's shipping container, so it should last for two trips. Being on jets all the way, I don't foresee a size problem, and although I'm getting a small rental car, I'll ask the airline if they'll hold the container for me until the return. Losligato: You've mentioned ANOTHER reason for me to regret not having an REI store in Oklahoma! Finally regarding UPS: They have a financial death penalty for oversized boxes, (even by one inch: $38 v. $119 one-way), and because I'll have to be off the bike for several days while it is enroute, that's unappealing and worth the extra money. American Airline will charge $80 each way. Thank you everyone for your input!

Uhm, arraign to get a box from a shop at t6he other end. They sometimes get torn up in shipping.

I have a Trico Iron case that I bought used. called Trico for replacement feet. They recommended FedEx and it was cheaper than UPS and the airline.

I travel a lot by airlines with a bike box most of the time it never makes the plain and comes on a latter plane. With FedEx I can track the bike box and know it is there.