Ever wondered about bringing your bike with you when you travel? Nothing compares to the ride you are familiar with, and renting bikes can get expensive quick. Luckily with a little DIY attitude, you can circumvent many of the costs associated with travelling with your bike.
Gone are the days of stripping a bike down bolt by bolt and playing a complex game of tetris to beat airline dimension requirements. Many airlines now allow full size bike boxes. This can incur an oversize baggage fee (about $75 avg) or even be free with your ticket if you do it right!
I have personally flown my bike to various places around the US, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and Iceland at no expense. How have I managed this? A travel rewards credit card that gets 1 free checked bag with the purchase of any flight, oversize baggage included. There are many deals out there with various airlines/credit cards, so do your research and pick what works best for you. For travel within the US, Southwest is a great option, United works well for international.
So we’ve covered how to fly your bike cheap, but what about the actual logistics? What do you have to do to ensure your bike fits and is safe, and how do you have it operable on the other side?
Since full size bike boxes are allowed, the deconstruction/reconstruction part of the transport process is very minimal. There are 5 steps you have to be comfortable with in order to do this yourself, all of which can be done quickly and with basic tools.
1.) Removing your front wheel
This can be done by opening your quick release, or removing the bolt holding on your front wheel. Be sure to place a block between your front brake pads if you have hydrualic brakes
2.) Removing your seat/post
Again with just the quick release or seat collar bolt
3.) Removing your handlebars
Remove the bolts on the front of your stem to remove the bar. Replace the stem front and bolts so as not to lose them. Depending on the size of your bike, you may end up turning your front fork and stem around 180 degrees to fit in the box
4.) Removing your pedals
Done with a 15mm pedal wrench or an allen key, depending on your pedals. Rotate crank arms forward for removing pedals, backward for tightening them on
5.) Padding the right places with packaging
There are just a few critical points to cover, your rear derailleur being the first. Some people opt to remove their rear derailleur in order to protect it better. Be generous with wrapping edge points that make contact with the inside of the box, including around the end of the fork, the stem, the seat collar and cranks. You can never have too much packaging.
Fit your bike snug in the box with the front wheel tucked next to the frame on the non drive side. Don’t forget your pedals and quick release! I prefer to put these in their own smaller box inside the whole package. This is so they don’t rattle around and scratch your frame. Close up the box with some packing tape and write your information on the box with a sharpie. You are good to go!
And then of course, performing the reverse on the other side of your flight.
Questions about this process? Give the shop a call 301-606-8613. If you would like to take your bike with you on a plane, but do not want to deal with the packing part, we are here to help.
ReCycles Bikes
125 South Carroll Street Frederick Maryland