travel with a bike friday

[NadiaMac]

update: I ended up getting a soft case, the Pika packworks, & taking my regular bike. The case was easy to pack, light when packed (35 pounds total, which included some bike gear as well as the bike itself), good value for the money (less expensive than most hard cases), took just twenty mins or so to pack on my first try and the bike travelled securely (no damage).

I wasn't charged bike fees or oversized fees, but the agents at each end immediately recognized that it was a bike (contrary to what you might read if you research up the case). Not sure if I'd get away fee-free on every airline. Some of the reviews on the 'net suggest that gate agents are more relaxed about fees for this case because it is light when packed, even though it is clearly oversized. I guess I will see in the future!

Logistically, the case was light enough that I could just sling it over my shoulder using the shoulder strap. But, it's still bulky and large, and thus was awkward to carry especially while dragging other luggage along. As such, I will probably not take the case for trips where I anticipate I will be carrying luggage around a lot, for example, taking trains in Italy requiring lots of transfers between platforms and up and down stairs, etc. But, it was absolutely fine for this trip, where we had a rental car and thus carried luggage around only for short distances.