MinnMan

Owing chiefly to business travel, I commonly find myself in another city, in need of a bike to ride. When I can, i rent one, but a suitable bike is not always available to rent (though I've noticed that in many cities and locales in the US, good rental bikes are more readily available than just a few years ago.)

I just spent 2 weeks in the Bay Area, and suitable rental bikes were either not available or expensive. I considered taking my bike on the plane - I have a packing case and Delta charges $150 each way. But what to do on arrival at SFO with a bike in a bulky box? I didn't plan on renting a car and a taxi would have added another $100 each way....

So I shipped one of my bikes using one of the commercial services (I'm not a shill, but you can google to find them or ask me in a pm). $110 including insurance and all I had to do was drop it at a nearby Fedex. It took 4 days to arrive, so I shipped it a week before departure (but that's what n+1 is for, right?), but it worked perfectly. I shipped the bike to the business address of the people I was visiting - they take shipments from Fedex all the time, and it was no problem for them to store the box until I arrived. They also kindly stored the empty box until I needed it for the return trip 2 weeks later. And then they loaned my a handtruck to take the bike to the nearby Fedex affiliate.

But, word to the wise - I thought that for the return trip I would just take the bike to a Fedex affiliate and skip the middle man. The charge was going to be $380! So I quickly arranged the shipping via the internet using the same bike shipping web site, paid $110, printed out the pre-paid label and a nearby photocopy shop, and walked back in to the same fedex affiliate. Those bike shipping companies seem to have a bulk contract with Fedex that yields a steep discount.

So, for $220 I had a bike to ride in the Berkeley Hills for 2 weeks. It was, by far, the cheapest solution.

Oh yeah, I already own a large reusable cardboard box for shipping bikes. All I need to do is pull off the pedals and the seatpost and loosen the handle bars on the stem and the bike fits in no problem. It takes about 15 minutes to pack and unpack, with most of the time dealing with the packing tape.

Perhaps the biggest inconvenience was that I had to travel pretty heavy on the flight - cycling clothes, shoes, helmet, a pump, a couple of tools, etc. on top of my regular clothes and things, it all added up to a rather heavy duffel.

Tony Marley

Another option you could consider is to get a good folding bike (I won't shill either) that packs into a normal sized suitcase. You just check it in for whatever fee your airline charges for a suitcase. In my experience, it takes about 30 minutes to disassemble the bike and pack in into the suitcase, and perhaps 15 to assemble it at the other end.

Of course, that would make N+2....

tg16

That was good info. I wish I had known that a few weeks ago. Better late than never.

Biker395 

That was going to be my suggestion! If you do a lot of travel and want to integrate cycling in your plans, there are some great folding bikes. Bike Friday makes one that fits in it's own suitcase that apparently does not incur the ridiculous fees airlines charge to transport bikes. On top of that, it converts to a trailer that can be attached to the bike. How cool is that?

They're not cheap, but if you travel a lot, worth it. I know people who have Bike Fridays ... and they love them.

Review: Bike Friday New World Tourist | Bicycle Times Magazine

MinnMan

I've long thought about a Bike Friday. As already mentioned, they are not cheap. But it may happen some time soon.

Mountain Mitch

I agree with your concern about having a bike box or huge bike bag to store when you get where you are going. I have transported bikes around Japan on trains and planes. Many people do. One of their major stores, Montbell (much like REI or MEC), sells a very thin bike bag for about $40. Look up 'Compact Rinko Bag'. The main concern there is to keep the dirt and oil off other people's stuff. It doesn't provide much protection but is super light weight and packable (4"X10") so when you get to where you are going you can roll it up and stick it in a pannier or pack. I've never had a bike damaged while using one of these bags but, of course, there is some risk.

1nterceptor

I've traveled many times with a folding bike. Sometimes in a box, sometimes in a standard suitcase -
no extra charges if your airline has first luggage free.

Tobukaeru with 20 in. wheels; bought used on Craigslist US$150:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQN...6zPoymgKaIoDLA

Same Samsonite luggage with a Citizen Tokyo; bought used on Craigslist US$170:
2013 Citizen Tokyo in a suitcase by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR2T...IoDLA&index=22

davesupra

Maybe just go to the local Target, Walmart, etc and buy a $150 bike and just throw it in the trash when you are done.

:-)

MinnMan

Yes, you are joking. And so I won't need to count the reasons why that's a bad idea.

scott967

I actually I did this. Had to go to Vallejo CA for some Navy school so bought a throw-away bike in the Navy Exchange and used it for getting around.

scott s.
.

MinnMan

Well yeah - if the only other choice is no bike at all, I'll ride any bike. But why would I want to ride an awful bike when for slightly greater cost and not much inconvenience, I can ride one of my road bikes? I wasn't just getting around, I was taking advantage of one of the greatest near-city biking areas in the country - the Berkeley Hills. Most rides I did were about 100' climbing/mile, and most began with 1000' climbs. Riding a lousy bike would not have been the same.

Artkansas 

One time, when in Santa Cruz for a week, I went to the Salvation Army, purchased a bike for $40, rode it and dropped it off at the Bike Church on my way out of town.

bransom

DC Rainmaker covered this topic some years back. The case he uses is no longer made, not exactly, but very similar cases are available. Short version: soft-sided case as checked luggage. "What is it?" asks the airline. "Exercise equipment," says Ray. Airline then loads it on as standard luggage (so $25-$35 on most US airlines unless you're on Southwest or have status.)

DC Rainmaker

Another thought: the idea of buying a cheap bike isn't that outrageous. Walmart has a (I think) $169 road bike that actually isn't awful. Use it a couple weeks then donate it to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. Don't trash it, give it to charity. Someone will be thrilled to get it.