X56

Wife and I are arriving at Frankfurt airport Germany from Sydney Australia,and returning to Sydney from there.
We will assembling our bicycles at the airport and ride to our first night accommodation in Kelsternbach, not far from the airport.
We may have to send some of our equipment as unaccompanied luggage; Qantas has a baggage limit of 20kg per person.
There is a cycle path from the arrival terminals to the unaccompanied luggage terminal at Cargo City Frankfurt airport. After picking up our equipment we will head for Kelsternbach.

So our problems are:
We had originally intended to store our boxes at our accommodation in Kelsternbach as we will return there at the end of our journey. But we are cycling away from the airport, so what do we do with the bicycle boxes? Perhaps we make a special journey to pick them up later in the day,,,,where do we leave them at the airport in the mean time?
Perhaps we should discard them, Then we will need to acquire boxes at the airport for our return journey. Are boxes available at the airport the same as the Qantas boxes which are a suitable size for touring bikes with front and rear pannier frames?
Any help would be appreciated.
Tony












https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/direc...ser=Arrow1&v=5

Machka 

Sorry, it is HIGHLY unlikely you'll be able to leave your bicycle boxes at the airport. I asked around about this back in 2003, and was told then that no one was allowed to store things at airports anymore.

Are your boxes cardboard? If so, you've got 2 choices:

1) Fold them up and take them with you (can be done!).

2) Discard them.

If you discard them and want other boxes you've got 2 choices:

1) Contact the airline (Qantas) to find out if they sell bicycle boxes at the airport in question. I know United Airlines sells bicycle boxes for $15 that are big enough to roll your bicycle in ... that's actually too big for a bicycle box. However, Air Canada does not sell boxes. They'll give you a clear plastic bag. It all depends on the airline!

2) Get one from a local bicycle shop.

You've got one other choice which may or may not work ... you could take your boxes to a spot somewhere near the airport and hide them. They may be there when you get back ... they may not. That's what Rowan and I did when we flew to London ... and ours were there when we got back a month later.

becnal

Hi Tony,

When are you coming? Do you have hard cases for your bikes, or will you be using cardboard boxes? I'll be happy to help anyway I can.

Lance

chrisch

Why not take a taxi to Kelsterbach with all of your gear, and assemble your bike there?

becnal

Swiss Chris has a good idea there. It's only 2 miles from the airport to Kelsterbach, so it'll cost about 5 euro. What are your accomodations in Kelsternbach, hotel or friend?

X56

Thank you for your advice

We had the romantic notation of cycling away from the airport into the setting sun, so to speak.
However I think Chrisch’s suggestion of catching a taxi is sensibly expedient.

Hopefully the hotel we are staying at will allow us to store our cardboard boxes and packing materials.

Becnal do you know if the cycle path to Mainz along the Main River is easy to follow?


Kind Regards
Tony

X56

oops

notation = notion

becnal

Very easy. I'd be happy to join you for a ride along it, or perhaps to visit Frankfurt. I know the best beer joints!

BRUCE NORTHCUTT

There is a place in the airport, near the international ticket counter, where you can store your belongings. The cost is about 6 Euro per night. I stored by bike and box there on a trip in 2004.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p..._id=25314&v=23

If you are using cardboard, airline or bikeshop box, it is cheaper to discard them. Air France always has bicycle boxes and their current cost is about 7 Euro. You should be able to get one on the return trip to the airport. One suggestion on the return trip - go to the airport the day before you leave, get a box, pack the bike, and leave it at the overnight luggage storage shown in the picture on the URL above. It is worth it to eliminate the stress of racing the clock before your flight to get everything packed up correctly and on time.

If Lance offers to help you, take him up on it. He is a prince and will someday be king. It was great to ride with him last summer. Take him and wife Kate out to dinner and enjoy the trip. He really does know where the best pubs are located.

Bruce (Raleigh, NC)

becnal

Aw, shucks Bruce, I'm fillin' up over here!

X56

"Very easy. I'd be happy to join you for a ride along it, or perhaps to visit Frankfurt. I know the best beer joints!"


becnal thanks mate for that offer, look forward to meeting you in Franfurt. We will be arriving there early May. When the dates are finalised can i contact you via your profile email address?

Thanks
Tony

becnal

Sounds good, I'm looking forward to it! You could also send a private message through this forum. Either way, I'll get it.

frost_from_hell

Enjoy your tour, Tony! I bet you'll have a great time! I'm touring Germany (and Denmark & Sweden) from June to August this year, and I can't wait. 5 months & 5 days until I leave!

Cheers for that piece of information, Bruce. I'll keep that in mind for my tour.

spinnaker

I like the idea of finding a hotel near the airport that will agree to store your boxes. If it they want your business then they will agree to store the boxes for free. Be sure to prearrange the agreement by email and take a copy of the agreement with you. In my last tour of Italy they wanted to charge 6 Euro a night to store the boxes (an obscene amount IMHO). I took out the email and they agreed to store for free.

The advantage of having someone store the boxes is you could also include clothes and other items that will make you plane trip more comfortable but don't want to drag with you on tour. It is really great to come back after a tour and have a set of clean clothes waiting for you.