Flying a bike for cheap, possible?

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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Beancouter
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by Beancouter

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by Weenie


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mattr
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Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

Yeah. Just checked. It now depends on ticket type.
And it doesn't appear that the tickets with multiple checked bags included are available on short haul flights.
Unless you pay a massive premium on the ticket.
Like 100% or more.

Don't expect to get a free bike on the flight.
Treat it like a bonus if you do. ;)

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LocoDuck
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by LocoDuck

Understandable for short breaks away it’d be more cost effective hiring one if you really want to go cycling.

spandexboy817
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by spandexboy817

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here's a rough list I have put together over the years. Sorry it is mostly American based airlines. Also some of their rates change for international flights, but it is a decent baseline. I just bit the bullet a while back and bought a ruster sports setup. It works and has saved me a ton of money in the long run as I fly with a bike 6-10 times a year.

Rudi
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Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:43 pm

by Rudi

My recent experience flying from Europe:
Budget airlines will charge you for everything.
The bigger carriers will generally allow you to have it as part of your allowance, which unless you have some additional status with the airline is generally all or most of it.

I flew Swiss from Heathrow to Geneva, paid a little for an extra bag and took the bike as part of that overall allowance. There was no - "pay X for sporting goods" as it was all just done on total allowance.

Long haul to Australia was the same, no issues as all under my allowance.

My advice is pack the bike box as light as possible and tell the airline that you are taking a bike as part of your allowance.
For reference I've had bike box alan at under 23kg.

On the flip side I've seen colleagues refused on a United flight despite being under the limit. I think that was an officious check in person on a bad day as it has been fine on previous trips.

The advantage on paying with the budget guys is they can't really refuse you when you wave the receipt at them.
Cervelo R3 - 5.4kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=142420

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itsacarr
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by itsacarr

Another advocate here for the Oru case here http://orucase.com .... Pretty tough to go wrong with that. Plenty of positive experiences and no need to deal with airline charges beyond checking more than one piece of luggage or whatever your allotment is. Few dozen flights for me without issues or costs domestic and over seas.
Just ride ..

flying
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by flying

robeambro wrote:
Sat Jan 05, 2019 9:34 pm
Understood. I thought there would have been tricks to make it cheaper, but I guess it will never be really the most sensible option for a quick weekend getaway where you'd cycle twice at best.
I recently took my bike to SE Asia for 3 month riding
I was not charged any fees on China Air because I broke it down as follows

I put the two wheels back in the original Campy Zonda box 25"x25"x10"
The I took the fr brake & fork off leaving all cables on bike & attached to handle bar
(but handle bar removed & padded/taped to TT
Wrap the unbolted but still attached rear derailleur & front brake then tape to frame
That all fit in a cut down regular bike box. I forget final size but smaller than normal suitcase limit
This was a 54cm bike

Since wife was traveling with me we are each allowed 2 pieces
So one suitcase each & the bike in two parts so no extra charges at all

Side benefits were
The wheel box also fit a full floor pump & my helmet as well as a few ride kits :wink:

Someone else mentioned the oru case which looks good & I saw another one here called
Transfer case from PostCarry company ..break down a up to 56cm bike into pretty compact case
https://postcarry.co/products/transfer-case

robeambro
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by robeambro

A lot of experiences! I see that it really changes a lot depending on the airline and/or the location. Interestingly, there’s not a common practice!

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micky
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by micky

Yes, for example to compare with the poster above, I travel often every year to HK and not any airline (as far as I know) would allow 2 baggages for each person.
Departures from Italy.

Herb5998
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Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:24 am

by Herb5998

Air Canada will fly sports equipment free of charge. I’ve found that with other airlines, if the bag is large,
But not overly heavy, they will
Sometimes let you fly it as part of your baggage allowance.


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TonyM
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by TonyM

Herb5998 wrote:Air Canada will fly sports equipment free of charge. I’ve found that with other airlines, if the bag is large,
But not overly heavy, they will
Sometimes let you fly it as part of your baggage allowance.


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I always had to pay for my bike with Air Canada so far....
Since when is it free? Image

Herb5998
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by Herb5998

If you are an Altitude member, provided your baggage count (bicycle + number of bags to be checked) doesn’t exceed the maximum number of items allowed by your Altitude status.


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robeambro
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Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:21 pm

by robeambro

hi guys, after a successful trip to France (yay!) where I rented a bike (nay), I am fully invested in the idea of travelling again.. But this time I really want to bring my own bike with me.

I've read there's so many bags and boxes around. I've seen hardcase ones and others (softcase?).. I think I'm drawn to the safety and robustness of the former. But I might be wrong. Ideally I'd like not to spend 500+ EUR/GBP, but I am willing to listen if there is a very good reason to do so. I've seen a few models from B&W, Scicon, Alan, etc. A bit overwhelmed by the choice, and I don't really know what price point is the "good enough" threshold.

My main criteria are robustness/protection (I really really want to minimise any chance of damage), and ease of packing (ie I don't want to disassemble the whole bike, just handlebar and wheels). I don't care too much if the bag has great handling and the fastest wheels to carry it around the airport.

Suggestions?
Last edited by robeambro on Mon May 27, 2019 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Herb5998
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Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:24 am

by Herb5998

Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 is great, good protection and easy to pack.


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robeambro
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by robeambro

Herb5998 wrote:
Mon May 27, 2019 3:09 pm
Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 is great, good protection and easy to pack.


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Thanks. I've read some not-so-positive feedback on it, and on soft bgs in general. I'm just too scared.

I think I should go for hard case. Just unsure if there's anything that wouldn't cost as much as a Bike Box Alan :roll:

by Weenie


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