Originally Posted by
atombikes
I was a little bored this evening so I decided to try to place the bike in this Samsonite 26" suitcase I got off craigslist a couple weeks ago. This suitcase measures 26" x 21" x 10" and has a taper towards the top. It's not the best suitcase to put a folder in, but it was only $20 and I thought it looked big enough to work, but at the same time look small enough to not raise any eyes when checking it at the airport.
I did have to disassemble the bike partially, but I totally expected that. The frame and folding stem were no problem at all, especially since the stem is a telescoping one with a 4 bolt handlebar stem at the top. Made it very easy to get the frame into the case with plenty of room. The biggest issue I had were the wheels and tires; since there is a center latch at the top of the case (as well as two side latches) I had to let the air out of the tires to get them to fit due to the latch.
Before I actually fly with it I will have to devise some sort of padding to protect all the parts.
Kudos on a very useful, informative thread. My wife and I were strongly considering Dahon C7a for travel bikes, are now heavily favoring the Genesis.
The subject of airline travel (domestic US) is an important one for us. We recently rode the Dahon CTa and D7 at a LBS, clerk assured us that the Dahon travel bag was suitable for airline transport, I now know that it is larger than the 62" threshold, making it oversized, subject to a $75 - $200 fee on US carriers. When considering some type of suitcase, other container: it is obvious that it must accept the 20" diameter wheel, images do not suggest your full 26" length is required. If you were able to design the ideal container (proper fit, minimal disassembly), what would you consider to the the optimal size?