Fly with a bike

[jul]

Hi all,

I'm planning to carry my Nomad ( size 565L) by plane. I would like to know if it's possible to respect cardboard box dimensions : 158 cm (lxLxh) ?

Maybe somebody has already done.. thanks

[in4]

I got my 590L Nomad into a bike box 150 x 80 x 20. Had to take the forks off,  turn the bars and take pedals off. Including panniers, tools etc I'm under 32kgs

PS photograph your forks including spacers before you take them off.

[jul]

150x80x20= 250 (cm)

It seems impossible to respect 158 cm lxLxh

Now i understand the interest to have s&s couplers ...

[Matt2matt2002]

I fly with a large Raven (!) 587L  frame.
Never taken the forks off but have a high riser so used the top of a second box to make an extra part that sat on top.
Doable but looks a mess.
Photo everything, inside and out. Always useful if problems on arrival.
I've flown 8 times. Never had box size measured. Turkish airlines mostly.

[mickeg]

Some bike shops put the pedals on REALLY tight.  It is a good idea to make sure that they are loose enough several days in advance that you can get them off so you are not in a panic in the last minute when packing.

If you can leave the fork on, make sure you use the plastic thingy that goes in the dropouts so that the forks do not puncture the bottom of the box.

A friend of mine reassembled his bike, put a bunch of stuff on hand tight and later used a wrench to tighten, but he forgot to wrench tight his pedals.  Cost him a new pair of pedals and crankset when one pedal started to unthread and he messed up the threads.

I put the attached on my phone.  And also the other attached on my phone so I can refer to them if I need to.

[mickeg]

150x80x20= 250 (cm)

It seems impossible to respect 158 cm lxLxh

Now i understand the interest to have s&s couplers ...

I have flown twice with my S&S case, once with my Nomad in it.  The couplers are expensive and so is the cost of a case.  I built up my Nomad in 2013 and finally this year I expect to finish my attempt to recoup the costs of couplers and case in airline savings.

But, I find one of the biggest advantages of the couplers and S&S sized case is that it is much easier to take a taxi to an airport, in my community most of the taxis are Prius and a big bike box is much harder to get to and from the airport.

My next trip, I take a taxi to a bus stop, take a bus a couple hundred km to an airport, take a motel shuttle to a motel for the night, next very very early morning take the motel shuttle back to the airport to get on a plane, at next airport pick up my luggage and go through customs, re-check the checked bags with bike in one of them, at next airport get on a bus, at the next bus stop carry my luggage about three blocks to a hostel where I will assemble the bike.  It will be a very inconvenient 36 hours with an S&S case, but with a full size bike box I probably would have decided to stay home instead.

My luggage for the previous trip with the Nomad on a plane in the photo.  The large black case is the S&S backpack.  I wear my helmet onto the plane so it does not get crushed in the luggage.


 

[jul]

Thanks.

But in my first question, i'm  curious to know if it's possible to respect the size box 158 cm lxLxh to avoid paying extra money at the airport ..
If i disassemble the two wheels, fork and racks for exemple ?

[mickeg]

Have you measured your frame?

[jul]

Not yet.

I'm in the african countryside, no meter available..

In your question, that means it's maybe possible ?

[mickeg]

I think not.

My nomad 590M frame is about 105cm from headtube to rear dropouts, bottom bracket to top of seat tube is 51cm, thickness at rear dropouts is about 15 cm.

Even if your frame was small enough to fit in such a box, the wheels are not going to fit in that box.

Even with the S&S couplers, I can't fit my rear rack in the S&S case with the bike.  And since airlines usually have a 50 pound or 23 kg limit, with the weight of the case I have to take things like the pedals and saddle out of the case to get it down to the weight specification. 

But oversize bike boxes are sometimes allowed a higher weight limit, but airlines vary on that specification.

And some airlines use a 20kg limit instead of 23, that could be problematic with a Nomad and a box.

[in4]

Singapore airlines offer 32kgs travelling in economy class. You can also purchase additional baggage allowance online, at a reduced rate.

[jul]

Thanks for informations

[Matt2matt2002]

Above posts are correct about the vagaries of airlines.

Flying from UK to Addis Ababa I wasn't charged either way!.
Turkish airlines.
I think it was because I didn't have any hold luggage. I had carry-on and the rest in the bike box.