Woodtourer - french tour - ongoing

[Woodtourer]

As this will be the first time bagging our bike for air travel I would appreciate some assistance from the assebled brain trust on this forum!
Looking for an idea on how to support the bikes on narrow airport carts while moving about the airport? Maybe something that would attach , temporarily, to both wheels? This would provide a platform of sorts.
Thanks in advance!

[Navrig]

Stand them upright across the trolley leaning against the handle and stabilise with a suitcase.

[Woodtourer]

I am afraid that would mess up the mudguard.

[whoof]

I either do something like that suggested by Navrig or lay them flat on the trolley one on top of the other. When you have checked them with the airline they are going to be in one of these two positions going through the oversized baggage scanner, baggage belt, loading truck or hold.
If you don't think that your mudguards would survive sitting on a trolley then you might want to reconsider the way you were going to pack them or removing the mudguards.
This article might be of help with packing although IMO the front light and front section of mudguard look quite vulnerable.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-libr ... /bikes-air

[simonhill]

Sure I've asked before - but is it too late to just drop your bikes in a bike box. All the problems mentioned above overcome in one simple packing change.

I've travelled using everything from naked to boxed and boxed is definitely the best option (unless out in the sticks on Air NZ where I loaded my own naked bike into the small hold of a prop plane).

[Woodtourer]

Since we will be leaving from a different airport than the one we arrive at I don't want to fuss with finding a box at the end if the trip. So we are going the bag route this time.

[Woodtourer]

Plus here in the US TSA does a very poor job of retaping the box after inspection.

[whoof]

Since we will be leaving from a different airport than the one we arrive at I don't want to fuss with finding a box at the end if the trip. So we are going the bag route this time.

I do the same (different out and back) and box on the way out and plastic bag on the way back. You can remove the mudguards for the return journey and then, unless you are riding back from the airport put them back on at your leisure at home.

[MrsHJ]

We balance them standing up with the packed pannier bag in front. It's not great but you only need to get to check in and then to the oversize counter. I've wondered if a long bungee might help? Sometimes we just wheel the bikes into the airport and dismantle them close to the check in. That very much depends on the airport layout though!

Just booked my flights to Geneva and back fro Beziers today. Will contemplate bags and packing in about a month i.e. At the last minute!

[mongoose]

I found the trolleys too narrow to support the bagged bike - one wheel tends to drag on the floor with the bike across the trolley. It is also difficult to manoeuvre the loaded trolley around the barriers at the check-in/bag drop queues. I found it was easier to just carry the bagged bike by the saddle nose.

[ubert767]

This worked for us.

[hufty]

Do you need a trolley - I generally manage without by having the bike prepped in its bag. I don't tape up the bottom until I get to oversized check in. Or I just carry it by the cross bar with my laundry bag full of panniers in the other hand. You are allowed to put them down for a rest!

Alternatively, you say "bikes" so surely one person has the trolley loaded up with panniers/laundry bags and another person carries/wheels the bikes.

[simonhill]

Don't forget a pound coin for the trolley (in Gatwick anyway).

[Woodtourer]

Again thanks for your replies! Now am back on the fence of bag vs.box! I can get a Amtrak,our US tain system, box that is white large and within the Iceland Air size. Have USD these on the train and all I have to do is remove handle bars and pedals and roll it into the box.
Still my biggest concern is the TSA personal and my lack of trust in them retaping in adequately.

[MrsHJ]

Again thanks for your replies! Now am back on the fence of bag vs.box! I can get a Amtrak,our US tain system, box that is white large and within the Iceland Air size. Have USD these on the train and all I have to do is remove handle bars and pedals and roll it into the box.
Still my biggest concern is the TSA personal and my lack of trust in them retaping in adequately.

I've flown with Icelandic via Keflavik -last summer when we went to Denver. It was a pretty fast runaround with many aircraft arriving together from Europe and then passengers being sorted out onto the aircraft for the onwards destination in the USA. The timing is arranged so all of the planes from Europe arrive within an hour or so of each other and then the USA bound planes starting leaving about 45 mins after the European planes have arrived-presumably the airport is fairly peaceful for the rest of the day. I would imagine the baggage system as they sort everyone out is also pretty stretched(the airport has an expansion planned to cope I think). I wonder if that turnaround might mean that damage is more of a risk than on a direct flight.