Rent vs. a a Bike to Europe
#51
aka Timi
#52
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Location: Madison, WI
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Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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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.
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.
#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.
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.
Last edited by Doug64; 02-21-21 at 03:17 PM.
#54
aka Timi
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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Last edited by Doug64; 02-21-21 at 03:46 PM.