Check racks as luggage, or buy in UK?

[horizon]

Thanks for that Tim. It's more than I thought. From memory, I think people once posted on here that long haul flights with the right airline meant cheap bike carriage but that might well have changed even if true at the time.

By the way, another option would be to buy an LHT over here ready fitted with racks and mudguards. Just a thought as they are very easy to find but I can see lots of reasons why you may not wish to.

Good luck with your prep and packing!

[tbessie]

You can. I've toured in the USA. My bike is in a box minus seatpost, saddle, pedals, and front rack. Those items, my 4 panniers and my tent, and sleeping mat and all other gear goes in one case. The packed bike lifts in and out the box as one unit so nothing can go missing when customs check the box. The cardboard tubes are to protect the rear derailler and keep the box sides away from the crankset. So far it's crossed the Atlantic 6 times packed like that with no damage.

The European airlines I've used have charged about $60 each way for the bike box as a second case. I don't think I'd save anything with an S&S couple bike because I'd still need to pay for a second bag. As I do point to point tours there is no advantage. Starting and ending at the same airport I agree the convenience of packing a coupled bike is useful.

bike12.jpg

United (whom I'm flying with) charges $150 or $200 each way for a bike box (oversized luggage). The 2nd bag thing doesn't matter on this flight, as I bumped it up to "Economy Plus" which allows you 2 checked items.

I'll be flying from SFO to Heathrow, then taking the train to my step-sister's in Eastbourne, where I'll assemble the bike and leave the case there. I'll disassemble it again and pack it before going back to Heathrow on my return trip.

The convenience is more important to me - the last time I traveled with a full-sized bike, I took it on busses and trains up to northern Oregon, and I am so very happy that I didn't have to take it far by hand. My work is near the bus station in San Francisco, so I bought the bike box at the station, took it back to work, then, when leaving to take the bus to the train (Amtrak has a bus service to the train station - San Francisco doesn't have an actual Amtrak station), all I had to do was to take my bike to the station, put the box together, remove the handlebars and pedals, put it in, and give it to the station agent. Then, in Portland, OR, getting off the train, I reassembled it, and was good to go. If I had had to take that box anywhere else by myself, it would become somewhat of a burden. Having a disassembled bike in an S&S case with wheels and handles makes it so much easier to haul around when necessary.

- Tim

[tbessie]

Thanks for that Tim. It's more than I thought. From memory, I think people once posted on here that long haul flights with the right airline meant cheap bike carriage but that might well have changed even if true at the time.

By the way, another option would be to buy an LHT over here ready fitted with racks and mudguards. Just a thought as they are very easy to find but I can see lots of reasons why you may not wish to.

Good luck with your prep and packing!

I had thought of doing that; the reasons I didn't were 1) future travel to other destinations, I'd be stuck with the same dilemma; this way, I always have a bike I can take with me, and 2) paying VAT; why spend another 20% for a bike I can only use starting in the UK (if I don't want to pay extra to have it shipped)?

Thanks for your good wishes! I'll likely post pictures of the bike assembled and disassembled once I get it.

- Tim

[canamdad]

I think that you'll like the S&S frame and case for travelling. It's much more convenient to get around with particularly when you have multiple modes of transportation to get somewhere. When I lived in the UK, I had a bus to take to the airport, the plane, and then a train to get to my final destination and I was sure that my bike was safe in the hard case and that it would fit into the baggage holds of the bus & plane and could be just taken right onto the train with me. The only drawback with any sort of non-disposable bike case is that you've got to have a place to park it or a place to ship it on while you're riding. There are usually ways to figure this out depending on what sort of trip you're doing.
As far as saving money on airline baggage fees, I'm not sure that this is really
so much a reason anymore as many airlines are charging for all checked luggage these days. I live in Canada now and am flying with Air Transat Montreal-Venice in Sept to ride across the Dolomites. They charge $60.CAD RT for bikes and I get one piece of luggage N/C as part of the ticket. Make sure that you get the additional support pieces for your case and I would recommend the velcro padding that's customized for your frame for protection against scratching. I had my bike retro fitted at Bilenky in Philadelphia and they cut and marked all the padding pieces for me.

[tbessie]

I think that you'll like the S&S frame and case for travelling. It's much more convenient to get around with particularly when you have multiple modes of transportation to get somewhere. When I lived in the UK, I had a bus to take to the airport, the plane, and then a train to get to my final destination and I was sure that my bike was safe in the hard case and that it would fit into the baggage holds of the bus & plane and could be just taken right onto the train with me. The only drawback with any sort of non-disposable bike case is that you've got to have a place to park it or a place to ship it on while you're riding. There are usually ways to figure this out depending on what sort of trip you're doing.
As far as saving money on airline baggage fees, I'm not sure that this is really
so much a reason anymore as many airlines are charging for all checked luggage these days. I live in Canada now and am flying with Air Transat Montreal-Venice in Sept to ride across the Dolomites. They charge $60.CAD RT for bikes and I get one piece of luggage N/C as part of the ticket. Make sure that you get the additional support pieces for your case and I would recommend the velcro padding that's customized for your frame for protection against scratching. I had my bike retro fitted at Bilenky in Philadelphia and they cut and marked all the padding pieces for me.

Thanks for the input! I'm having the couplers put on by Rex Cycles in Sacramento, and he's well-known around here for his frame-building. He convinced me to get the supports and padding as well (not sure if he custom cuts the pieces, or just includes a roll of it and I can cut it myself). He said I only really need 2 supports, and more than that gets in the way of fitting the bike in the case. How many did you get?

- Tim

[canamdad]

I use 3 but perhaps 2 is enough. If you do the cutting of the padding yourself, make sure that you get some sort of a white marker to identify the pieces- e.g. Rt CS (chain stay) L ST (left seat stay). Use whatever nomenclature works for you but it's a lot easier when you know where the padding pieces go.

[tbessie]

I use 3 but perhaps 2 is enough. If you do the cutting of the padding yourself, make sure that you get some sort of a white marker to identify the pieces- e.g. Rt CS (chain stay) L ST (left seat stay). Use whatever nomenclature works for you but it's a lot easier when you know where the padding pieces go.

Thanks for the good advice! I'll do just that.

- Tim