Flying with Claire? Worth the hassle?

[indysteel]

[ 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.)

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

[Moongidget]

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.

[Slowspoke]

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.

[Suze]

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.

[Dizzie]

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.

[Pedal Wench]

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.

[OakLeaf]

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

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.

[Moongidget]

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?

[OakLeaf]

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.

[Moongidget]

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.

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.