Flying with folding bikes?

[Tangled Metal]

I'm looking into the possibility of a folding bike being a good option for touring. I'm thinking we could fly to interesting places easily with a folding bike. Looking at one that's more touring suitable like a bike Friday.

The touring we do is usually drive to a UK port then park the car up and cycle into the ferry to start the holiday. There's fewer and fewer places we can go to that way that's interesting us. Two adults and a7 year old you see. For example Denmark interests us but it's a loong train journey from the nearest port. That's no fun with a bored kid. Flying is something he likes, it's a big adventure flying.

My idea would be two adult folding bikes and hire a child's bike over there. Unless there's a cheap kids bike option.

So you pack the folding bikes into a case, what about your touring bags? Do they fit in too or can you pack the panniers in a kit bag and the bike case is an extra bag? Do they charge for second bags? I've never had to fit with extra bags before.

Then you get there and cycle out of the airport? Or train it somewhere. Either way, what do you do with the bike case? What do you do when fly touring with folding bikes?

BTW folding bikes are a way to hide our lack of interest and expertise in dismantling and reassembling normal bikes in airports!!

[northerncyclist]

This guy seems to have neat set up but it would not be for everyone.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... =page_next

[raybo]

I have 2 bikes that can be broken down and put into hard-shell cases that fly as luggage on planes. One has S&S couplers, which allow a full-sized bike to be split apart and put into a suitcase. I toured for many years on this bike all over the US and Europe. It rides like a normal bike.

A couple years ago, I bought a folding Bike Friday New World Tourist (the bike shown in the above comment). It lives in England and I now use it when I tour in Europe. I have the hard-sided case that is available from the company for transport.

I rarely start and end at the same place. Normally, after assembling the bike, I send the case to my destination city. This usually means an extra day at my starting point to have time to find a shipping company, pack everything up, and send it off. It also requires a place to send it. Sometimes, this is a hotel. Other times it is someone I've met on-line through warmshowers or couchsurfing. It hasn't ever been a problem, except when trying to ship something to Switzerland. My advice is to avoid doing that unless you are a Swiss citizen. Even then, you will have to pay taxes.

I've never traveled with a full sized bike in a box so I can't compare the different approaches. Even though traveling with a 50 pound (23 kgs) is hard, especially if stairs are involved, the flexibility these bikes allow are well worth it.

[Richard Fairhurst]

My Bike Friday New World Tourist fits in a standard Samsonite suitcase, but there's not a whole bunch of space left over.

When I've flown with it, I've usually left the empty suitcase somewhere near the airport - railway stations often have left luggage facilities, or you can sometimes smile sweetly at your first night's accommodation (especially if you're returning there at the end of the trip). Doesn't work so well if you're not returning to the same place at the end, of course.

I try to travel with just a single pannier with the Bike Friday, which I can then take on the plane as my carry-on hand luggage. Other than that, I have a handlebar bag which does fit in the suitcase.

Bear in mind that it still requires a bit of disassembly/assembly at the airport - not too much, but pedals and handlebars need to come off, and there's an art to fitting everything in the suitcase neatly. (I don't claim to have mastered the art...)

[John Holiday]

Have frequently traveled by air with Brompton in a case & front bag as ‘carry on’.
Obviously large case is a nuisance if you need to move on, but great for fixed centre use.

[CJ]

I once represented UK at an International Standards meeting (cycle lighting) in Japan. It seemed a waste not to do a bit of bike exploring whilst out there, but my cheap flight allowed only one 23kg item of hold luggage, plus a cabin bag. The big front bag on my Brompton fits the cabin bag spec - and what better machine to take to Japan than the origami bike! It would help me take advantage of Japan's excellent rail connections between the places I was most interested in exploring by bike. But I'd need more luggage than that. So I devised a reasonably quick and easy way to secure a mid-sized rucksack like a super-deep saddlebag, upright on the rear carrier. Its contents were split up into several pliable packages and, together with the rucksack, stuffed into each and every cavity in and around the folded-up Brompton. Somehow I crammed all of this into the Brompton's cordura transport bag and weighed it: 23.2kg. I got away with the point-two, and without any damage to the Brompton apart from a broken trundle wheel on the way back.

Here's a picture of the bike ready to ride off in search of my hotel, after catching the train from Kansai International Airport to Sakai City.
Have Brompton, will travel, Sakai station by Chris Juden, on Flickr

The cordura transport bag occupied the top half of the rucksack and was needed whenever I put the bike on a train. Actually I did get away without deploying the bag a couple of times. Provided I folded the Bromton before passing the barrier, it apparently looked enough un-like a bike to escape detection! But whenever I tried simply to wheel the bike onto the platform, an attendant would run after me shouting: "do rinko, do rinko!" I got pretty quick at switching the rucksack from bike to shoulders and could then easily walk to the train with folded bike in one hand and front-bag in the other.

First I used the bike as transport to attend the meetings (at the Bicycle Museum), visit Shimano and explore Sakai City. Business over, I caught the train and funicular to 870m on the sacred mountain of Koyasan before riding some 50km via the monasteries (spent the night in one), over a 1030m pass (hard climbing on a 3-speed with luggage), then mostly down to Gojo and onto the train for the last bit into Nara. There I pootled around the temples for half a day and caught another train to Kyoto, where I spent a whole day temple pootling before taking the Shinkansen back to Osaka. Hardly far enough for it reach cruising speed before slowing down again, but at least I can say I've been on the bullet train! For more photos see this album on Flickr.

[foxyrider]

As i've mentioned elsewhere, the main consideration when i bought the Airnimal was its ability to pack down for flying whilst remaining a low comprpmise loaded tourer. Over the years its travelled by air, coach and train many times using a variety of packing methods. I usually have the bike, 4 panniers and bar bag to transport, @ 28kg ready to ride. Pack/unpack time is usually @ 30 mins, the Airnimal needs the racks, wheels and handlebars setting up/dismantling for the smallest pack size.

Option 1 - Hard case, mines a Delsey, the bike and all the camping gear fits inside, but its quite heavy so there is often a bit juggling to get it in the bag limit (i just book a case, cheaper than a bike specific luggage item). The rest of the gear goes in a Back Roller as a cabin bag. I have left it at the airport a couple of times or with friends, but its not much use if thats not an option or your start and finish are different.

Option 2 - Dahon cordura fully zipped bag. Not as neat but use the panniers as side protection and cinch it all down with a couple of luggage straps and it works quite well. Pack the same as the case except the bag is less than half the weight so the cabin bag is less full. Using this can be a bit awkward for carrying but it folds down then sits on the top of the rear rack and then doubles as a pillow/seat during the tour.

Option 3 - Dahon carry bag. My least favourite as the bag isn't fully sealed but its the smallest/lightest option, when i've used this method its sat at the bottom of a bag for the trip.

I haven't tried it but i reckon you could get a folder into a large version of those zip up laundry bags (which work very well if you need extra luggage capacity on the train/plane/bus.

Depending on your choice of folder, theres a good chance that you could use any of these methods.

I've not sustained any damage using either of these transport methods, other than scuffs from airport handling. I have beefed up protection with the soft bags on occasion with multiply cardboard but only on the outward leg, it would be annoying but less of an issue to suffer damage on the return leg.

[Tangled Metal]

Brompton owners recommend that IKEA shopping bag. About £6 and perfect for bromptons apparently.

[scottg]

Bike Friday make a rather James Bond, bike suitcase that becomes a bike trailer.

https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bike ... lding-bike

[iandriver]

Airnimal to a flight case that converts to a trailer for their bikes also. https://airnimal.co/products/accessories/#.X6p_XZP7RhE

[TrevA]

Not cheap, but a Brompton with a Radical Chubby trailer.

The Brompton goes inside the trailer for flying and the trailer is towed by the Brompton in touring mode.

https://youtu.be/MLAEjkJ5-3Q

[raybo]

The Bike Friday's travel case can be converted into a trailer with the addition of a strap-on set of wheels. I looked at it when buying my Bike Friday. The "trailer" is wider than the bike by a good bit and it would mean riding further out in the lane so that the right (or left) wheel didn't go off the road. I didn't think this was a good idea. Also, I already have panniers so the trailer only solved the "how to get the box to my destination" problem, which is readily solved by shipping companies.

[m-gineering]

BTW folding bikes are a way to hide our lack of interest and expertise in dismantling and reassembling normal bikes in airports!!

Don't think having to master the art of packing a folding bike in a suitcase will be a big improvement in your life then

If you have to cycle with a kid which will limit speed and range, you won't have much benefit of a proper bike. Unless you have use for the folders at home, renting bikes or buying cheap bso's at your destination and donating them to charity when you're done might be cheaper and more convenient

[IanA]

Or you could use a combination of tandem and one solo for the 3 of you. This could overcome the problem of needing to find a child's bike to hire and also some of the limiting factor to speed and range.

We have the Tandem Twosday, a tandem version of the Bike Friday, which more dismantles than folds and fits in 2 suitcases. Last year we did a 2 week tour in Menorca, with the bike and a lot of the other 'stuff' packed in the cases and a pannier each as carry on luggage. We booked accommodation a taxi ride from the airport, which we also used for a night at the end, and left the cases with them. We had just a bar bag and 2 rear panniers but also have a front rack for front panniers if required. We usually use a 'normal' tandem for longer trips but the Twosday worked fine and overcomes the problem of packing a normal tandem for flights. I have seen pictures of the Twosday being used for long camping trips so it is reasonably robust.

When flying you will always have the conflict of either returning via the same airport and being able to use the same cases/packing material or doing an A to B trip and having to find new packing material or somewhere to send the cases to. We have partially overcome that by flying somewhere in Europe and cycling home but it has starting resulting in 6 week plus trips. I would think Denmark would be very well suited to a round trip and has very good cycling facilities.

[Tangled Metal]

BTW folding bikes are a way to hide our lack of interest and expertise in dismantling and reassembling normal bikes in airports!!

Don't think having to master the art of packing a folding bike in a suitcase will be a big improvement in your life then

If you have to cycle with a kid which will limit speed and range, you won't have much benefit of a proper bike. Unless you have use for the folders at home, renting bikes or buying cheap bso's at your destination and donating them to charity when you're done might be cheaper and more convenient

We often do 40 or 50 miles a day with him. Imho that's enough distance to be worthy of a good bike. Btw he was as good with distance at 4 years as he was at 6 and 7. Don't know why he's not improved since.