Airline Friendly Bike Boxes

[Offthegrid]

I dunno about bike boxes (I plan to rent when I go to Oregon next year), but wanted to throw out there that US Airways reportedly has the worst record for lost luggage.

[chickwhorips]

what about shipping bikes using the soft covered bike bag? is that a no no?

i need a bag that is user friendly. something that doesn't require me taking my mountain bike completely apart, not sure if i would get it back together.

[~MP]

My bf and I borrowed a Trico Iron Case a few months ago from one of his buddies for our trip to Georgia for the 6 Gap/3 Gap. http://www.cyclingreviews.com/reviews/iron_case.php

It worked like a charm and we only had to take off the wheels and handlebars to fit my bike in. (Everything fit in the case) His buddy that we borrowed it from usually packs his and his wifes bike in it. That takes a bit more time though, since you have to take off more items and arrange them more carefully, etc.

The only negative thing is the weight of the case. Which is a little heavier than expected.

It costs us $80 to put it on the plane (Continental), and it only cost ~$40 to ship via FedEx from Florida to California.

[DeniseGoldberg]

what about shipping bikes using the soft covered bike bag? is that a no no?

You can check a bike as baggage in a soft case, but I wouldn't be surprised if shipping companies (like FedEx, DHL, UPS) require a hard case. If you're thinking about using a shipping company it may be worth a call to see if they'll accept a soft case.

--- Denise

[IFjane]

Definitely check with a shipping company. I have been told, but do not know for sure, that when shipping UPS or FedEx the item must be in a cardboard box or they will not cover damages. In other words, if you ship in a hard or soft case with no box around it, then it's on you if something happens. However, if you put a cardboard box around your hard case, the shipper will cover damages. Makes no sense to me, but that's what I was told. Anyone out there know about this? I would also think shipping this way would be very expensive because of the size of the box. When I shipped with both UPS & FedEx I used cardboard bike boxes from my LBS. Never had any major damage but lost a few parts here and there (skewers, etc.)

[kiwi girl]

Clearly for bike protection a hard case is best. A cardboard box generally does OK too and either woudl be a good option if you are using a shipping service. For me though, when I am taking my bike on a plane, handling is a big issue and personally I have decided to sacrifice a bit of protection in the name of handling.

Thats why I use this soft case http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/produc...il-BOD-BAG.htm. At a pinch I can walk short distances with this and a travel back pack. You only need to take off the front wheel and the pedals to get a bike in here.

I've taken it to Australia twice with no ill effects to the bike. BFs frame got a bit of a cosmetic (not structural) ding on our first trip but I don't know if that was from the plane, or from the cattle trucks the bikes were loaded on (not in the bags) to get to the start of the ride.

The first time we went we were waiting by the oversized luggage area, only to see our bikes coming off the normal luggage thing first.

[Aint Doody]

I have a Serfas hard case and really like it. It has wheels. I wish it did have just one more handle on it so that it would be easier to load into a car. It's been back and forth across the US several times. Sometimes I've paid extra; sometimes it's been checked as regular baggage with no additional fees.

[Maureen Valley]

Oh wow...I knew I could count on this group for tons of info on bike boxes. Thanks much, everyone. I have enough ammunition now to make some kind of decision.

Maureen