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Rent vs. a a Bike to Europe

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Rent vs. a a Bike to Europe

Old 02-21-21, 06:53 AM
  #51  
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Originally Posted by tommymc
At counter check-in if asked what's in the case it will be best to say mechanical parts...
A somewhat modified truth of course, but if airport security takes a dim view of you trying to deceive them, it could end up being very costly in many ways.
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Old 02-21-21, 07:43 AM
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Originally Posted by tommymc
With an S&S case and weight under 20 kg, (50 lbs, on regular US airlines, 40 lbs. on budget lines like Spirit) there should be no question about charges. The standard checked bag fee is published up front by the airline. At counter check-in if asked what's in the case it will be best to say mechanical parts since some airlines have a specific charge category for bicycles. On my last trip to Spain from Florida the added charge was $60 each way on top of a $360 round trip with American Airlines.
Originally Posted by imi
A somewhat modified truth of course, but if airport security takes a dim view of you trying to deceive them, it could end up being very costly in many ways.
My S&S bike is a heavy bike, thick wall steel tubing, heavy rims, Rohloff hub, etc. Designed to handle an expedition. And that means the sum of bike and empty S&S Backpack case is heavier than the airline limit. Thus, I always pack the pedals, Brooks sprung saddle, and a few other dense and heavy items (tools, etc.) in my other checked bag or carry on. (But tools, always checked bag, not a carry on.) And my rear rack does not fit in the S&S case with the bike, thus packed in the other checked bag. I have never been asked if there is a bike in the S&S case, but since it is not a complete bike I would be truthful in saying not a complete bike in that case. If asked, I could say what parts of the bike are not within that specific case.

But I do not hide that I am biking, I do not want luggage handlers to damage my helmet so I often carry that outside my luggage and wear it onto the plane, put it in the overhead bin. Only once have any airline personnel commented on my helmet, one with Iceland Air said that the airplanes these days are getting pretty safe.

A good luggage scale is the travelers best friend, I do not want to be trying to repack at the airport ticketing counter with a line behind me. I have usually found that airline scales seem to add about a half pound to the various luggage scales I have used, but overall the airline scales do not seem to deviate very much from each other.

Photo of my luggage on my last trip above in post number 23.
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Old 02-21-21, 12:49 PM
  #53  
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My wife's bike has S&S couplers, but we have not used them very much for air travel. To get her 700c wheels into a 26" x 26" case requires taking the tires off as well as all the the other disassembly required. The racks and saddle will not fit in the box. Carrying an extra bag for odd parts seems to defeat the purpose. We used Iceland Air for 3 trips and have paid $128- $150 per bike. We also do open Jaw flights, and a hard case would not be practical. We get by with one free checked bag, and carry our our rackpacks, bar bags and helmets. The total cost was the cost of the ticket and the $150 (2018 price) for the bike. I like Iceland Air, but it is the entry point into Europe, and you go through passport check and customs at Keflavik which requires switching planes. We do save money using her S&S couplers when we ship our bikes through FedX or UPS. We can get her bike in a smaller bix that saves about$100 compared to my bike's shipping cost. We've almost paid for her couplers in shipping savings, but not by using them when flying.

The Yellow duffel bag gets checked free, I carry on the rackpack, bar bag, helmet. The empty panniers go in the bike box.



My wife is rolling both bikes and all our gear to the motel's van at the Lisbon Airport. We switched planes four times during this trip" PDX to Seattle, Seattle to Keflavik, Keflavik to The Netherlands, and The Netherlands to Lisbon. I can't remember why we did it that way, but it worked out.


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Old 02-21-21, 01:13 PM
  #54  
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If you’re going to be carrying a cardboard bike box any distance, reinforcing the cut out holes with duct tape or a few layers of packing tape will stop them from ripping.

Last edited by imi; 02-21-21 at 01:19 PM.
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Old 02-21-21, 03:25 PM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by imi
If you’re going to be carrying a cardboard bike box any distance, reinforcing the cut out holes with duct tape or a few layers of packing tape will stop them from ripping.
Very good advice. I wish I'd known about reinforcing the cut outs before this trip. We didn't have to carry the boxes very far; the box damage was done by handling through the airports. This is one of the boxes mentioned in the post above, that was loaded and unloaded 4 times. Unlike the box, my bike was in good shape


Last edited by Doug64; 02-21-21 at 03:46 PM.
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