Show us your folder!

[Blueberry]

Oh look at the cute little Fridays!! I would love to get one for traveling but I can't justify it since we most drive. But one day I will be able to. Just stinks that DH would need one too.

You could always get a tandem Or, they make one that works as a tandem, and you can take the "back" off to make a single

Seriously - we travel with ours in the car quite a bit too. It's nice to be able to store them (securely) inside. You also don't take the mileage hit!

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

No tandems in our stable, DH hates the idea. But I told DH about an hour ago since I don't want to convert my Cannondale to mountain gearing exclusively I want a Bike Friday for traveling and to be my mountain goat. He flipped at the idea! We really missed having something to ride when we went to California (last time we flew) and really want to do more vacations outside of driving distance so this is a great idea. My wish list grows everytime I read TE, I better stop shopping vicariously through you guys!

[Aint Doody]

By the way, I ordered a Click Stand for my Friday. Do y'all know about them? I already had one for my regular ride. Click Stands are light, folding kickstands that you can shove into your jersey pocket when you won't be able to find a place to lean your bike and don't want to lay it on the ground. You order them online and they're made specifically for your bicycle.

Susan

[tulip]

I've taken my Bike Friday on a plane twice--to and from France last May. I had no problem with TSA. I packed my bike in the softcase and put that in the hard case. I taped a notice to TSA on the inside of the hard case, something to the effect of, "This is a folding bike. It has been taken apart for transport and packed with great care. If you need to inspect it, kindly pack it back as carefully as possible." I also left my cell phone number for them to call if they had any questions. I had one notice in English and one in French, since I was traveling to France. Along with the notice, I also taped a series of photos of the bike in the case so they could see how it was packed.

The trip had one domestic leg and one international leg each way. The bikes were not disturbed on any leg of the trip, going or coming. It was on Delta/Air France.

Here is a photo of the case all packed up with the notices and photos.

[tulip]

I made the mistake of trying to pack my clothes in with my bike. That made my case too heavy and I had to pay the overweight charge of $75 each way (nothing to do with a bike charge--just over 50lbs). Next time I will keep my clothes separate (in a larger carryon than I had).

[Blueberry]

Yeah - I had a note in my case too. Basically, I explained what it was, gave basic packing directions and a cell phone number, and asked them to be careful. I also put cell numbers in it. I think we must have gotten someone in San Diego in a bad mood

I doubt having it in the travel bag would have made a difference - but I might try it next time I might also put the tools and pedals in another bag so if they do it again, there's less chance of damage. I get the feeling they really wanted to see what was under the packing materials, and didn't want to take the time to put it back.

Bike (including Schmidt hub) + Packing Materials + Shoes = ~46 pounds. I carried my Arkel Tail Rider in my other suitcase because it made it too heavy.

CA

[emily_in_nc]

By the way, I ordered a Click Stand for my Friday. Do y'all know about them? I already had one for my regular ride. Click Stands are light, folding kickstands that you can shove into your jersey pocket when you won't be able to find a place to lean your bike and don't want to lay it on the ground. You order them online and they're made specifically for your bicycle.

We got the regular Bike Friday kickstands for our Crusoes. They do add weight, but we felt that with loaded panniers (for touring or grocery runs), we'd need something really sturdy. Not sure if click stands would be up to the job, but maybe?? The kickstands we got would definitely be overkill for unloaded bikes, but we aren't weight weenies these days...

[tulip]

I think it entirely depends on the TSA person and what they had for breakfast that day. We happened to get lucky on our trip, but I will assume that there will be some unpacking on future trips. We're driving to Louisiana for Cycle Zydeco, but we're talking about Italy for next summer. We'll see how it goes.

[Aint Doody]

I wanna go with you, Tulip!

And, Emily, Tom with Click-Stand shows a picture of a loaded bike and even tandems. They're pretty sturdy. I like the fact that I can take a Click-Stand with me if I want to. I don't need it on each ride. I just use it when there's a big group with lotsa bikes around.

[tulip]

I wanna go with you, Tulip!

See you in Louisiana! As for Italy, right now I'm hoping, but given the relative emptiness of my pockets these days whatwith the house renovation and all, it might not happen.

Your green bike is good looking! So's the raspberry one! And CA's purple one, and CA's hubby's orange one (it is orange, right?)! I have yet to meet a Bike Friday that I don't like.