Flying with Claire? Worth the hassle?

I've lurked for awhile but never been super active on TE. I'm a regular on another forum, and have trouble finding where I fit in here.

That said, I'm in a quandry. Next Friday I fly to the midwest to see the in-laws. I will be there for 3 whole days, plus 2 travel days. I looked into renting a road bike, but there are no lbs that rent road bikes. (What sort of hell am I flying myself into? :confused:)

My airline will charge me $20 to fly Claire in a box each way. Money is not an issue. I'm mostly concerned with hassle and damage. If the hassle of flying with Claire is not worth the potential 3 days of riding I will get, I'll leave her home. Likewise with the potential for damage.

The draw: Cycling, like skiing, is my drug. I've been ill for a few weeks, and not been on Claire much. I have the itch BAD right now. So, I could attempt to ride mid-week a bit to try and quell the thirst, but this idea has taken root in my brain, and you know the rest.

Plus, I live at altitude, and I'm kinda interested how being at relative sea level will change my mph average, or anything else I may feel.

If you've flown with your bike, do you think it would be worth it for a 3 day trip? It's to visit my in-laws, so it would give my DH time to visit with his parents, and give me necessary alone time. Thoughts?

If it were me, for three days I'd pass. I've always shipped my bike, never tried to schlep it through an airport, but I have dealt with large suitcases in airports before (smaller than a bike box), and I do schlep my bike to and from FedEx, and I can't ever imagine combining those two hassles.

Bring your running shoes, hiking boots, swimsuit - if you play soccer or basketball bring your shoes and troll the 'net for a pickup game ahead of time - whatever other cardio you do. That's my take.

I agree that for three days, it's totally not worth the hassle. The first time I boxed my bike it took all afternoon. Putting it back together was another afternoon. Not worth it for only 2 or 3 rides. Take some hiking boots or get a guest pass at a pool.

What I want to know is, what airline is only charging $20 for a bike???

I think the other issue to consider is your in-laws. I'm not sure how frequently you see them, but I can imagine some hurt feelings if you went out on your own for a ride. I'm not saying such a reaction is altogether fair, but if you're both going "home" for a visit, they arguably want to spend time with both their son and you. It's an area where I'd tread lightly. Still, I think it's fine to go a for a short walk or run, especially if you can fit it in early or late in the day.

Obviously, I know nothing about your relationship with your in-laws. I'm mostly looking at it from my own vantage point as a DIL. Like you, I look for ways to spend some alone time without the in-laws during our visits to my husband's home, but sometimes I have to temper that desire for the good of the order.

All that aside, I agree that it sounds like a lot of hassle for just a three-day trip.

Thanks for the advice. I don't think the in-laws mind. We spoke to them about it last night, but it is worth another look at it. Thank you for bringing that up.

I like my in-laws, but they are sedentary people. DH and I have evolved a lot since we moved from the mid-west to CO.

Frontier is the airline. As a 1st or 2nd checked bag, the oversize luggage fees do not apply. Overweight fees would, however if the thing was over 50 lbs.

Also, I know that on Southwest bikes fly free as your 1st or 2nd bag. Skis too.

I plan on visiting my lbs today to see what they think of the idea.

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Originally Posted by Moongidget

I like my in-laws, but they are sedentary people. DH and I have evolved a lot since we moved from the mid-west to CO.

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I can relate. Totally.

If I may ask, what part of the Midwest will you be visiting?

[ hijack ] Indy, I have to hand it to you, you continuously give such reasoned well-thought out advice. I'm beginning to envision you as our Lucy van Pelt, sitting behind the little lemonade stand with "The Doctor is In" sign. :) [ /hijack ]


My half-cent: that sounds like an big hassle for three days. What if the weather is awful? (Though, from what you've been saying, I imagine awful weather wouldn't phase you.)

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Originally Posted by jobob

[ hijack ] Indy, I have to hand it to you, you continuously give such reasoned well-thought out advice. I'm beginning to envision you as our Lucy van Pelt, sitting behind the little lemonade stand with "The Doctor is In" sign. :) [ /hijack ]


My half-cent: that sounds like an big hassle for three days. What if the weather is awful? (Though, from what you've been saying, I imagine awful weather wouldn't phase you.)

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That is an extremely kind thing to say, Jo. Thank you. I guess my ten years of therapy are paying off!

Sioux Falls, SD. They apparently have a well developed bike trail system, bike lanes on the road, and a new mtn bike park, so they must have cyclists there using these facilities.

We've put off this visit for ages since neither DH nor I want to revist the flatland/iceberg lettuce is a salad/bud light is beer/exercise huh? midwest where we grew up. So sad. We've developed into Boulderites, and now we can't function outside of our state. Very sad indeed. :rolleyes:

I just flew with my bike on Frontier too. Very hassle-free check in and claim, but agree that the hassle for three days, plus risk of damage is too great for three days. Usually, the seatpost and handlebars need to be removed, so getting those back to perfect could be an issue, and it takes a few hours to pad all the surfaces to make sure nothing gets damaged in shipping. I would count on long walks, or maybe see if there's a local gym that would let you hop on an exercise bike.

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

Usually, the seatpost and handlebars need to be removed, so getting those back to perfect could be an issue

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Not if you mark them (some seatposts and handlebars come from the factory stamped or painted with markings you can sight on, so all you have to do is write down your settings and either record them in your phone or stow the paper in the box with your bike). Bit of electrical tape around the seatpost to mark the seat height - a tiny dab with an appropriate color Sharpie on either side of the gap in the handlebar clamp - same thing on the seatpost if getting it centered is an issue - and it's zip zam zoom and nothing you'll ever see once everything's assembled.

Disassembling/packing/reassembling a bike is something that definitely gets quicker with practice, but yeah, it still takes me a couple of hours to get everything packed and padded. Reassembly, OTOH, takes maybe 20 minutes or half an hour - I've done it in the FedEx parking lot. :)

I took all of your reservations to heart, and went down to my lbs and asked them to be honest with me. Was I reaching, crazy, or is it feasible?

LBS said a cardboard box from them would require more taking apart of the bike, but why don't I consider renting or borrowing a tri box. They have wheels and require less disassembly. Sweet, had not even thought of that.

Renting a box will run me $75 for a full week. If I can find one, borrowing will cost me a case of beer maybe.

How does the hassle factor run now? Am I still crazy or is this doable?

FWIW, I own a Thule hard case, so my comments related to that. I've never used a cardboard box for shipping. It does have little wheels, but they don't rotate, so the box can only be rolled with the wide side facing the direction of travel, which means you still have to shove, carry or drag it through narrow spaces, and it has to be lined up exactly right to roll it through a door.

Can't speak to other brands. Basically, a hard case adds some security against damage and some convenience with the wheels, but it adds weight (my box is over 30# empty). I'd have to count grams to be sure of getting my carbon bike and all its packaging in under 50#. Since I always ship FedEx, I don't sweat the weight - instead, I include my seat pack (minus the CO2 cartridges that can't travel by air) and water bottles, my pedals that aren't counted in the bike's weight spec, my cycling shoes, and usually some clothes and stuff to fill in empty space and add extra padding, and it normally comes to around 60#.

Remember that you'll need to get your helmet there too, and you'll need to bring it without damaging it, which means either in its original packaging with plenty of padding of its own inside a checked bag, or in your carry-on luggage. There's no room to ship a helmet safely in my bike box, but other brands may provide for that.

It's your call how hard you'll be jonesing for a ride, but personally I'd leave mine home. Maybe you could even rent cruisers and take the whole family for a spin on the bike path.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

It's your call how hard you'll be jonesing for a ride, but personally I'd leave mine home. Maybe you could even rent cruisers and take the whole family for a spin on the bike path.

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Now, there's that sedentary thing in the way again. We have been told they will not be joining us on any ride we may happen to go on.

But thanks for your feedback. I do really appreciate all of the input.

the flatland/iceberg lettuce is a salad/bud light is beer/exercise huh? midwest

Hey, I'm living that dream! LOL I can totally relate to that remark. I have been told that I would fit in very well in Boulder! I would not bother with your bike for such a short time. Do some speed walking or hiking for those days and save yourself the hassle. For a non adventure, I would not risk my bike's safety.

I've flown 3 times to France with my bike Papillon packed in a cardboard box. It's easy to do: twist handlebars, drop or remove seat, remove pedals and front wheel. Smaller boxes would require you to remove back wheel also. My bike shop saves a cardboard box for me and showed me how to pack ... actually did it with me, until I understood, no charge. I used other stuff ... once my sleeping bag (you could use bubble wrap) to add some packing around derailleur. I haven't had any damage worth reporting, but ... it is a risk. Have to admit, it would be too much stress and worry about damage for me to take my bike for only a few days. Insurance might help, I don't know.


The biggest hassle was hauling the box around outside the airport, which if inlaws are meeting you might not be an issue.

Could you pick up a reasonably priced second hand bike there?. We have various sites selling second hand stuff so one can look by area but don't know if that is just UK. Maybe you could ask your in-laws to look for you. It would always be there ready next time and something older and heavier means more effort for less miles.

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Originally Posted by Moongidget

Also, I know that on Southwest bikes fly free as your 1st or 2nd bag. Skis too.

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Actually, having just flown Southwest the week before last with my bike, they charge you $50 each way, even if you are only checking the bike and one other bag. It's because it's oversized (mine actually weighed in at 49 lbs, the case being heavier than the bike). I'll have to look at Frontier for some future planned bike travel, although I can't complain about SW's fee (compared to trying American or some other options). If I was flying with my bike, I'd definitely get a case for it instead of a cardboard box. For one thing, not having wheels to get it to/from baggage check and baggage claim would be a deal breaker for me. Second, the SW desk agent who checked me in said that although they don't sell extra insurance anymore, they will cover either loss or damage (it was one of those, but now I forget which) if it was in a hard case, not a soft case. I was fortunately to have a friend with a very nice, new hard case who loaned his to me, but now I'm going to have to consider buying one of my own. You do have to remove the pedals, wheels, seat/seat post (use electrical tape on the seat post to mark the height and it's a lot easier to get it all back together the way you want) and handlebars (lesson learned - put another piece of electrical tape with a mark where your handlebars line up with the groove in the stem or you'll be messing with them for awhile to get them back to normal). Electrical tape doesn't leave a sticky film like duct tape and it's easy to mark on to show your handlebar positioning. My frame was small enough that I didn't have to take my derailler off to fit in the case, but my brother-in-law did on his bike (same exact case). That added a LOT of time to packing/unpacking for him.

I can so relate to wanting your bike when you visit your inlaws. While I love mine and they are wonderful people, they live in a rural setting, where EVERYONE is sedentary and unhealthily overweight and there's not much to do. I would dearly love to escape for a few hours during the day instead of sitting in the living room watching mindless TV, but they wouldn't understand at all. I think they think we are crazy when we go out for a long walk in the evening when we are there.

I don't know why r/r your brother-in-law's RD took so long. The most time-consuming part of that is securing the chain so it doesn't flop around and scratch stuff, and even that only takes a few minutes, some foam rubber and some tape or string. Couple of turns of a 5 mm Allen wrench either way, and I've never needed to so much as re-adjust the cable.

I do it for added security regardless. Even though my bike is small enough that my long cage RD will fit, it's just another thing sticking out to potentially transmit an impact to the chainstays.

Agreed that the derailleur shouldn't take more than a minute, tops. Next time take a good photo before detaching it so you know how it goes back on. Even if the frame fits into the box OK with the derailleur attached, it really should come off in case the bike shifts in the case (because no matter how tight you strap it down, something WILL shift). Leaving it on is asking for a bent derailleur hanger and an extra trip to the bike shop.

Thanks for the advice about the derailler. I expect it took my brother-in-law longer than it should have on his because he'd never done it before. I will learn how to detach mine as well, as I certainly don't want to damage it and I expect plenty more trips with bike are in store in my future. Great idea to snap a picture of it to refer to.