Papa Manual Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Ok, i know not many people travel by plane to rides (except me :-) but i'm pissed and bored so i'm going to do a little guide on how to do it. Right, first of all, work out which airline is cheapest for you to travel with. Then go call them up and ask if you can count your bike as part of your baggage allowance, that way you won't have to pay any extra to take the bike. Right, next, you need a bike bag. You can pay between £40 and £170 for these. Planet-X do a fairly good one apparently (i have an unbranded one i borrow off a mate). That Planet-X Bike Bag Theres another way, you can go to your local bike shop and get a bike box, the boxes bikes arrive to the shop in. Luis (trexrydr) did this the day we went for the london ride (feb 2nd '03). Its pretty effective but harder to carry. Next up, when you get to the airport, make sure all your tools are in your bike-bag, not your carry-on luggage (even then, don't take anything sharp!) otherwise the B*****d security men at the airport will nab all your stuff. When you check-in, get the baggage handlers to put a fragile sticker on the bike (when you handle the bike before they take it, handle it VERY carefully, as if there were a sheet of glass inside, then they'll treat it a bit better). Thats pretty much it. Oh, one more thing, when you go to baggage reclaim, your bike might come out somewhere different because its a bigger piece of luggage compared to most. Oh well, thats me done, Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank_rider Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 if you go for the bike box from a shop method, make sure one of the first things you put in, apart from your bike, is a roll of parcel tape to do the box back up for the return journey, the number of people that forget that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gapking Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 if its under 40lbs its free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac123 Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 are the bike boxs just a cardbord box? are they free? what do u have to take off 4 a bike to fit inside 1? any other info on bike boxs...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank_rider Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 the bike boxes are cardboard, you have to take your pedals, bars and front wheel off, and probs a seat if your running one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanPoet Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 Yeah I get to borrow the £200 bike bag from work which is nice. But a cardboard box is good enough and any bike shop should give them away for free as they are just sent to get recycled. Also a good thing to get is fork leg spacers for when you take the front wheel out so that the forks dont get bent during the flight. And some people say that you should deflate your tyres as the decreased pressure will damage 'them but this is a myth, it doesnt affect nethin. Oh and one last thing, get to the airport early to check the bike in as they sometimes get a bit pissed if you leave it to the last minute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted June 19, 2003 Report Share Posted June 19, 2003 this is really good advice as i'm going to BC soon to do some canadian freeride!! :- :D :D on a hardtail. check my website! i'll probably go for the box, stuffed full of bubble wrap!! what about discs?? i need summit to shove in the pads/pistons, incase the levers get pulled, but what?? also what tools should i take?? just essentials? as i don't really wanna get a bike shop to do up a stem bolt cuz its loose, as they will probably charge. how much is it if the box weighs more than 40lbs??? :D :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Manual Posted June 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 if its under 40lbs its free It depends on the airline. Some people try to charge just for having a bike. If they do that say you want it included in your baggage allowance (if you don't have much else with you). You can't say prices and stuff unless you know the airline! The one i use to get to the UK is free, but another operator charges £20 there and £20 back - b*stards. Like UrbanPoet says, get to the airport early to avoid trouble. The tyres thing, hmmmmm, well my mate took his bike away last year and the tyres went bang during the flight. Made a loud noise and all, not good. I think its just if you run the pressure quite high. Its best to deflate them. You should take as many tools as possible Julian, including things like a spoke-key, a small pump, tubes, allen keys, chain splitter, just general common-sense things. Don't take sharp objects though and make sure all your tools go in your bike-bag/bike-box as when i went to London they took nearly all my tools off me saying they weren't allowed on the plane, including allen-keys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick_spider Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 First thing's first. It can be a b*tch carrying the box, especially if you've got other luggage as well. I taped a piece of wood with Skateboard trucks onto the bottom of the box when I went to America. Worked a treat. Another thing you can do is (walking with a slight limp) is put a disabled sign on the side of it and claim that it's your in-line wheelchair. I found that some airlines websites said one thing with respect to oversize luggage/bikes and when I emailed them they said another. I kept the copy saying there would be no extra charge for my bike with me to show them if they kicked up a fuss. As for the discs/maguras. I just opened the bleed bolt on my magura and re-bled when I got there. You could take the hydraulics in your hand-luggage. I'm not sure what the situation is for an open disc system. Hope this helps Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 hhhmmm i'll tape abit of same size (as the disc, width that is) metal on the disc of pistons, will me brakes explode?? :D :D :D :D :- :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanPoet Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 ur hydrolics arn't going to explode in the hold. What do u think most the landing gear etc. are controlled by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endofreak Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 I usually take my bike on easyjet flights. You can have it wheeled on for £10 each way or if you pack it correctly you can take it free as luggage :- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil james Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 sorry to ask a question...but where can u get the fork saver things so they dont get bent or watever and also can u get a rear one aswell....as i have seen the peeps throw the baggage on the belt and they just dont give a flyin F**k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janson Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 sorry to ask a question...but where can u get the fork saver things so they dont get bent or watever and also can u get a rear one aswell....as i have seen the peeps throw the baggage on the belt and they just dont give a flyin F**k try your LBS.. they get bikes all the time so they should have a few over for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 didn't your frame come with one? my koxx did. Oh wait that would be too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil james Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 ohh so its just the little plastic thing that i got wit the frame but i need to get one from my lbs for the forks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorthCawlTrialsKing Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 thats good init to take ur bike on a plane and ther is loads of trials places to do stuff as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gapking Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 so my louise will not explode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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