Cycling UK Forum

I am flying from Heathrow to Milan for a bike tour. I will be packing my bike in a case and, due to weight restriction, I may have to carry some of my metal and other bits in my carry-on luggage.

My question is what bicycle parts have you successfully taken through airport security in Hethrow?

The things I might need to carry-on:

Brooks bicycle seat
SPD pedals
Road Morph tire pump
Cleated Biking shoes
Bicycle helmet (wear this?)
Aluminum tire levers
Tubes
Tires

I once carried my Brookes and seat post but that was pre 9/11.

The only thing on your list that I have taken post 9/11 is a bike helmet. I wouldn't risk any of those other items.

I wouldn't chance anything I didn't want to lose. We had several Nerf guns confiscated at Heathrow on Friday. Totally our fault as I didn't check my sons hand luggage and knew that nothing like that would be allowed but once it's gone it's gone.

Better be like Heidi and wear all your clothes and put the bike parts in the hold although I think I may have gone through with pedals and cleated shoes a couple of years ago.

I regularly fly wearing cycling shoes (with cleats) and have never had a problem. (You just have to remember to take them off and put them through the x-ray machine at the security check, or they set off the metal detectors.) Bike helmet is also straightforward.

The other stuff I'd be inclined not to risk -- unless you're confident that you'll be able to pick up replacements at the other end if a security person decides that an inner tube is a potential weapon...

In theory, anything that is not on this list can be carried in the aircraft cabin. The unpredictability of the whole exercise starts with the caveat "Airport security staff won’t let anything through that they consider dangerous - even if it’s normally allowed in hand luggage".

The key thing to success is being very polite and allowing plenty of time to call for supervisors if need be. You could print out the Govmint list and take it with you to show you had done your research and were taking its advice in good faith.

I've certainly taken shoes and pedals in the cabin but I really wouldn't risk anything else. I once had a cable, to use with my lock, taken but they left me the cable lock! It really is luck of the draw getting stuff through. In theory nail scissors are allowed but I know several people who've had them stolen by 'security', and it is stealing, you have no option to claim stuff on your return, they take it and you lose it.

Like a dope carried on a tent with pegs wrapped in it. At Seattle the didn't notice but when I changed planes at LHR they did. They were very nice about it and let me on after I'd unrolled my tent to show them what was what but they didn't have to be and would have been justified in taking the pegs (spendy ones). I put them in checked baggage now. Don't carry on anything that could be the least bit fishy.

I was recently pulled up for having a single Allen key in my luggage on a Jersey - Southampton flight

Years ago I used to take all the bike luggage as cabin luggage - full sets of tools, pedals, tent, cooker...