To box your bike or not when travelling by plane

[ianblackwell]

Hello ,
I currently box my bike up when taking it abroad using a Crate Works bike box , but what you do with the box when you get there is another problem , left luggage in airports are a rip off
I do see a lot of cyclists just wrapping their bikes in plastic - does anyone have experience of what they do when they travel .
Not having a box certainly improves flexibility by not having to return to the same airport.

Thanks
Ian

[jags]

box it up Ian you want your bike to be sound when you collect it, just get a box from cycle store pack it up well with bubble wrap  do exactly the same on your return journey.

[Fred A-M]

Hi Ian

I've always managed to organise to get a bike box from a local bike shop at point of return flight if needed - a bit of research beforehand of local bike shops does wonders though I guess this does rely on speaking the linguo (my Spanish isn't great, but still managed) and a bit of persistence, ringing  a few days before you get there, and then again for reassurance/by way of reminder closer to the time.  This does assume that you'll have some spare time between arrival and flight, but if you are let down, you probably almost certainly source bubble wrap & brown tape & cardboard to improvise.

Ironically, the only time I managed to recycle the same box was returning from Cuba, and even then my bike (then non-Thorn) took a hit from a heavy piece of luggage and knackered the rear derailleur so there are no guarantees unless you take a hard case - I was just thankful that it was on the return journey as getting a replacement derailleur in Cuba would have been a nightmare/impossible.

Cheers

Fred

[Danneaux]

Hi Ian,

I don't know if my experiences will help you (airports and carriers are so variable over time and as a result of world events), but I used the original factory box when flying with from Oregon to Amsterdam and back. I was careful to pad everything with sleeves made of old socks and blocks of foam, and was careful to insert a spacing block between the fork blades and to detach and zip-tie the rear derailleur to the chainstay. Front fender was detached and sleeved over the rear, saddle and attached seatpost were carefully secured. Foam pipe insulation on all the frame tubes, crank arms, etc. Nothing rattled, and lifted in and out as a cohesive unit. I took the further precaution of photographing the bike and taping a print of the photo inside the box in several places so the inspectors could readily re-crate it in the event of an inspection. I think one thing that really helped was placing crush-protectors in the center of the frame to keep the box sides from being driven inward. I've had good luck using some made from the safety caps used to cover re-bar ends at construction site concrete pours. I've also found heavy corrugated cardboard taped into triangles and set endwise do as good a job keeping the box sides apart.

On the way over, my luggage was fully disassembled and searched. The bike was passed through with only a look-see inside the top flaps.

The return trip was a different story. My luggage wasn't inspected, but the bike...was. Somewhere, probably on arrival at PDX (Portland, OR), the bike was uncrated and whoever tried to put it back had no idea how to do so, but that didn't stop 'em trying. The pedals were driven through the spokes, taking out several and bending the hub flanges and damaging the rims. The Brooks saddle was badly scarred, the paint marred in a number of places. The hub quick-releases were disassembled and rattling in the box, and it was a mess throughout, with fenders buckled and not a mark on the box, so I know it wasn't done in transit or by the baggage handlers. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) left a card inside the box indicating it had been selected for special inspection. It took forever to get the bike at PDX, and for the longest time it could not be found. I feared it had been lost. When I arrived home to find the damage and called to report it, I was told there was no recourse, since the TSA is immune to damage claims, and it was out of the airline's hands, and so wasn't covered by traveler's insurance. This was in the late summer-early fall of 2008, when there were concerns over shoe- and underwear bombers on flights and  possible explosives hidden or disguised in other items of luggage, so this may account for the extra-rigorous inspection.

Cost me a pair of rebuilt wheels (new hubs, spokes, rims), a lot of touch-up paint, a new front rack set, and new fenders.

On arrival in the NL, I stayed at a friend's apartment outside Rotterdam, so collected and re-used the box for my return trip. When I inquired about the availability of boxes there in case mine hadn't been up to the task, I was informed my 60cm road frame and 700C wheels were too big for the MTB boxes generally available at local shops, so that's something to keep in mind if your bike doesn't have 26" wheels or is a large frame for 26" wheels. My bike wouldn't have fit in the racing-bike cartons they had, either. When curiosity caused me to inquire at Schiphol Airport as to what most tourists did, I was told they discarded their boxes outside the airport on arrival, and then returned the departure desks with their bikes freshly boxed. I was told the KLM desk had boxes for sale, so this might have been the source. It was a handful to juggle the crated bike and my luggage by myself on the hand cart available there. It would have been a lot easier if I'd thought to include a bungee or two to strap things to the airport luggage cart.

I think wrapping the bike in plastic or a "bicycle bag" alone would be risky, but I understand this is fairly common practice at Indian airports. On the other hand, it would surely make inspection easier, and might avoid that kind of damage. I took my own box each way, but before I left,  the local/stateside representatives of my destination carriers were amazingly helpful, even placing calls for me to determine if boxes were available at my planned destination, and told me who to contact at the service desk overseas. One offered to leave a note with my name and expected date of departure with the overseas airport desk clerk once my plans were finalized, all to make sure a box would be available if needed. I'm not sure if it would really work out that way, but it might be worth a try if you need a box for your return and aren't sure where to get one.

Best,

Dan.

[mylesau]

I've read a few strong arguments for using a soft bag instead of a box.  The main argument being that boxes tend to be thrown around or have things stacked on top of them, while soft bags don't so much.

I use a Groundeffects Tardis bag and have had no problems, however I've only flown a couple of times, so don't rate my experience as the norm yet.

It packs to a reasonable size and is not too heavy to carry.

[peter jenkins]

FWIW, I've used cardboard boxes and the Groundeffect Tardis on anumber of occasions. The Tardis is good if you want a small package but requires a fair bit of bike disassembly compared with a box. Interestingly, the tardis has always arrived on the luggage carousel on arrival, even though it's been treated as oversize luggage on departure. Have you ever seen the slide the luggage comes down to land on the carousel at Heathrow terminal 4? I live in fear of someone's steamer trunk following the Tardis down the chute and crushing it.
On recent trips I've leaned towards the box on the basis that they are very difficult to throw, compared with the Tardis. At the risk of putting the hex on myself, the only damage I've sustained has been in a soft bag - not the Tardis, but the Groundeffect Body Bag on a short domestic flight here in Australia. 
The boxes provided by the airlines (QANTAS, anyway) are comfortably larger than the boxes that bike manufacturers use and also seem a bit sturdier, but that last point is subjective.

Cheers,

pj

[mylesau]

I probably should have mentioned that I have S&S Couplings and that  I use 'squares' of cardboard to keep things separated/protected in the bag when I can.

[il padrone]

CTC now suggest this method as being better than a box. They suggest that baggage handlers can see it is a bicycle and treat it as such, rather than throwing the box onto the trolley or stacking other boxes/suitcases onto it.

[Danneaux]

Pete,

This has tremendous appeal, and I can see the strength of the argument. OTOH, I am concerned the bike is likely to be laid-flat in the cargo hold, even if atop other luggage.

It seems to work well for The Traveling Two; have any of our forum members tried this? It appears to be the same method I have heard is often used on Indian airlines, for the same reasons and also without incurring damage. And, if it has the CTC's endorsement.... This method would have saved just about all the damage my Miyata suffered, as that was incurred during inspection, not travel.

Man, a plastic sack takes up so little space compared to any sort of box. So easy to carry with you, and usable as a ground sheet, just as described.

Best,

Dan.

[sg37409]

Polythene bag is what I used recently. No issues, the handlers I saw with it treated it very carefully indeed, more even than I would.

[Pavel]

Very nice information here!  I see value in the bag approach as it has been described here - something I would not have thought of.  I only wonder if one is not at the mercy of the randomness of opinion of the check in employees who may state that items need to be boxed up.

I'm a bit surprised however to see in the picture that you have left the (expensive) light on the frame.  I'd think that that would be the thing most likely, along with rear deraileurs, to be knocked out of alignment or broken so I'd take the trouble to take it off and pack it into carry-on - I think.

Has anyone had trouble with polyethylene bags, getting them accepted?

[Danneaux]

Here is a helpful video for those who choose to box their bikes: http://vimeo.com/5978804

I am increasingly attracted to the idea of bagging the bike; if successful it just solves so many logistical problems.

Best,

Dan.