Originally Posted by
crazyravr
Thank you guys for replies. I was curious about the safety of a cardboard box and whether those boxes get the same treatment by the airport crew as your typical suitcase, or are they actually being careful with it if they see its a bike.
I often go on vacation to Cuba and would love to explore the local countryside while there a bit more, so I want to bring my Trek Fx2 along one of these days and hop on when I feel like it.
from my experience over the years doing the cardboard box thing (somewhere around 10 flights maybe) my recommendations are always the same--do your best on your end in packing it, using common sense of imagining waht parts will be banged into other parts with rough treatment, so use proper positioning, cushioning, and tips from experienced people to help the bike the best you can
-and then just cross your fingers, its a giant roulette wheel of luck depending on the individual luggage workers that day and how much they take care, or are pissed off at the world that day....its out of our hands once it disappears down the conveyer belt....
-use proper plastic bits you ask for at the bike store that come with all new bikes, fork protector in place of wheel, rd protector, foam bits
-place front wheel and handlebars in a common sense manner so they dont dent the hell out of your frame, use foam cushioning intelligently
-put front wheel skewer and pedals in with your luggage so they ddont get lost
-I now put some foam under the fork, tape it to the solid plastic thing and fork, to add some cushion for when the box is banged down hard , reducing force going into the headtube and frame
-I tape some foam to any obvious metal parts that are against the side of box (re rear wheel skewer) that will obviously receive bangs and forces into them from box falling over or from having suitcases layed on top of your horizontal bike box (seen it happen to my bike box myself, my box laid down on baggage truck, then all suitcases piled on top if it...)
-cross your fingers