Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Bring My Own Wheels For a Fondo?

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Bring My Own Wheels For a Fondo?

Old 10-03-19, 02:42 PM
  #1  
firebird854
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 581

Bikes: 2016 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 114 Times in 62 Posts
Bring My Own Wheels For a Fondo?

I'm doing Phil's Fondo on the 27th in Malibu CA. I've rented a bike for the occasion and was considering bringing my wheels to put on the rental. The Fondo itself is is 110mi with 12k feet of climbing, the bike I've been able to rent is a Tarmac Disc Sport. It's an alright bike, but I have some nice new Aeolus pro 5s with gp5000 tubeless tires and Dura-Ace rotors just lying around. I'm flying Delta Air Lines and was wondering if it was feasible to put my wheels in a wheel bag and simply bring them as luggage.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Am I likely to get charged crazy fees? I don't own a wheel bag and would need a suggestion on a cheap 2 wheel capacity suggestion.

As a side note, the shop I'm renting from has no problem with me using these wheels on their bike and has offered to calibrate the calipers so there wouldn't be any rub.
firebird854 is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 02:53 PM
  #2  
redlude97
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,764
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1975 Post(s)
Liked 232 Times in 173 Posts
I'd be more worried about them being damaged in a soft wheel bag but probably ok. I'd pull the rotors at the very least and make sure the tires aren't too high on pressure
redlude97 is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 02:55 PM
  #3  
firebird854
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 581

Bikes: 2016 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 114 Times in 62 Posts
Originally Posted by redlude97
I'd be more worried about them being damaged in a soft wheel bag but probably ok. I'd pull the rotors at the very least and make sure the tires aren't too high on pressure
If you have any chaaaeeep recommendations for a hard wheel box that would work I'm all ears, that is a solid point about the rotors though.
firebird854 is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 02:58 PM
  #4  
redlude97
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,764
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1975 Post(s)
Liked 232 Times in 173 Posts
Originally Posted by firebird854
If you have any chaaaeeep recommendations for a hard wheel box that would work I'm all ears, that is a solid point about the rotors though.
Cardboard wheel boxes
redlude97 is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 07:13 PM
  #5  
jfranci3
Full Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 272
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 120 Post(s)
Liked 44 Times in 38 Posts
Maybe just mail them to yourself.

Tubeless? De-goo them. Deflate them. Have about 4 CO2 & 2 Stans singles sent to the hotel to reinflate reset them.

Make sure the Tarmac doesn't have an SCS hub. Bring basic tools so you can adjust the rear brake caliper and discs. Take the discs off the wheels.
jfranci3 is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 07:53 PM
  #6  
pickettt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 411

Bikes: DiamondBack Podium 7, Focus Raven 1.0, Ritchey BreakAway Cross, (2) Trek 8500, Paramount PDG 90, Trek T2000, Redline Flight Pro 24

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 160 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 33 Posts
Enjoy it, don’t make it a chore. Ride the wheels that are on the rental bike.
pickettt is offline  
Old 10-03-19, 07:55 PM
  #7  
Tycho Brahe 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Amateur Coachsurfer
Posts: 960
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 242 Post(s)
Liked 94 Times in 67 Posts
It's not a race, just enjoy the rental.

Unless you are up front at the start, you will be slowed down by the volume of people.
Tycho Brahe is offline  
Likes For Tycho Brahe:
Old 10-03-19, 09:11 PM
  #8  
Dean V
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,853
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1067 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 259 Times in 153 Posts
Check that your rotor sizes match the rental bike.
Dean V is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 12:06 AM
  #9  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
I'd be worried about them being damaged on the flight. It's not like they'll be the only luggage on the plane.

LBS has plenty of cardboard wheel boxes. Any LBS. They're free, they were just going to put them in the recycling.

But I'd still leave them behind of it were me.
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 03:57 AM
  #10  
nomadmax 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 2,409
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1103 Post(s)
Liked 1,824 Times in 878 Posts
Originally Posted by pickettt
Enjoy it, don’t make it a chore. Ride the wheels that are on the rental bike.
That right there ^^^^^^^^

Bringing a set of wheels to put on someone else's bike introduces more opportunity for problems. Ride the rental.
nomadmax is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 04:11 AM
  #11  
jpescatore
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Ashton, MD USA
Posts: 1,296

Bikes: Trek Domane SL6 Disc, Jamis Renegade

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 363 Post(s)
Liked 304 Times in 217 Posts
I did this year's Seattle to Portland ride on a rental. I brought my own seat but not my Vision 40 wheels. I didn't really miss the wheels - I don't think it would have been worth the hassle.

One thing I did hit: I brought my saddle bag with tools, flat repair, etc. No problems on the way out, TSA in Portland on the way back took my CO2 cartridges, as apparently they are verboten. So, either bring a mini-pump or plan on donating a few CO2 cartridges in one or more airports...
jpescatore is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 05:11 AM
  #12  
kingston 
Jedi Master
 
kingston's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lake Forest, IL
Posts: 3,724

Bikes: https://stinkston.blogspot.com/p/my-bikes.html

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1759 Post(s)
Liked 488 Times in 313 Posts
I would either bring my own bike or just ride the rental. Bringing my own wheels is almost as much hassle as bringing my own bike with all the extra hassle of dealing with a rental.
kingston is offline  
Likes For kingston:
Old 10-04-19, 05:38 AM
  #13  
RShantz
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 609
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 278 Post(s)
Liked 29 Times in 19 Posts
I have a hard bike box and the only damage I've ever had in shipping is to the wheels. I just think the wheelset is the weak point of a bike when shipping.

Point is, like Kingston said, it'd be as much hassle (and likely same risk of damage) just to ship the wheels as to ship the entire bike.
RShantz is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 08:24 AM
  #14  
firebird854
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 581

Bikes: 2016 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 114 Times in 62 Posts
I'd probably just have the bike store I'm renting the bike from re-inflate the tires, I do have tubeless, will I have to take the tires completely off? Or just deflate them down to like 30 psi? I am running 120mm rotors front and back which is a little different (normally there's at least one 160mm in there), but they said they'd "calibrate the calipers", do you think this might cause some issues? Also, I know it's not a race, but why have nice wheels if I don't use them?
firebird854 is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 08:47 AM
  #15  
mgopack42 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Los Banos, CA
Posts: 900

Bikes: 2020 Argon 18 Krypton Pro, 1985 Masi 3V Volumetrica, 3Rensho Super Record Aero, 2022 Trek District 4.

Mentioned: 23 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 342 Post(s)
Liked 421 Times in 205 Posts
Since you are flying Delta, you should just save the rental fee and bring your bike. Delta just recently dropped the extra bike fee. buy or rent a hard sided bike box, and enjoy! my experience (one trip) is that TSA is the biggest problem/issue, they dont handle the bikes properly, and they have no liability!
mgopack42 is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 08:56 AM
  #16  
datlas 
Should Be More Popular
 
datlas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 42,957

Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 560 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22513 Post(s)
Liked 8,843 Times in 4,113 Posts
Originally Posted by kingston
I would either bring my own bike or just ride the rental. Bringing my own wheels is almost as much hassle as bringing my own bike with all the extra hassle of dealing with a rental.
This. Just use the rental and save yourself the headaches/hassles.
__________________
Originally Posted by rjones28
Addiction is all about class.
datlas is offline  
Likes For datlas:
Old 10-04-19, 09:01 AM
  #17  
noodle soup
Senior Member
 
noodle soup's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 8,922
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4717 Post(s)
Liked 1,882 Times in 998 Posts
bring your saddle and pedals, but leave the wheels at home.
noodle soup is offline  
Likes For noodle soup:
Old 10-04-19, 09:34 AM
  #18  
Rides4Beer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: VA
Posts: 1,437

Bikes: SuperSix Evo | Revolt

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 733 Post(s)
Liked 815 Times in 414 Posts
Originally Posted by firebird854
I'd probably just have the bike store I'm renting the bike from re-inflate the tires, I do have tubeless, will I have to take the tires completely off? Or just deflate them down to like 30 psi? I am running 120mm rotors front and back which is a little different (normally there's at least one 160mm in there), but they said they'd "calibrate the calipers", do you think this might cause some issues? Also, I know it's not a race, but why have nice wheels if I don't use them?
SL6 Tarmac uses 160mm up front 140mm out back. I'm guessing when they say "calibrate", they just mean adjust the calipers so they don't rub, I doubt they're gonna put adapters on to work with 120mm rotors, but I could be wrong. I would just ride the rental as-is.
Rides4Beer is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 10:30 AM
  #19  
popeye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Newport Beach, CA
Posts: 1,935

Bikes: S works Tarmac, Felt TK2 track

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 359 Post(s)
Liked 179 Times in 111 Posts
Too many ways for this to go wrong. If you can't make your bike work (try hard) use the rental as is.
popeye is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 10:48 AM
  #20  
tagaproject6
Senior Member
 
tagaproject6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 8,550

Bikes: Wilier Izoard XP (Record);Cinelli Xperience (Force);Specialized Allez (Rival);Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (Centaur); Colnago AC-R Disc;Colnago V1r Limited Edition;De Rosa King 3 Limited(Force 22);DeRosa Merak(Red):Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro(Di2)

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 551 Post(s)
Liked 276 Times in 144 Posts
Originally Posted by firebird854
I'd probably just have the bike store I'm renting the bike from re-inflate the tires, I do have tubeless, will I have to take the tires completely off? Or just deflate them down to like 30 psi? I am running 120mm rotors front and back which is a little different (normally there's at least one 160mm in there), but they said they'd "calibrate the calipers", do you think this might cause some issues? Also, I know it's not a race, but why have nice wheels if I don't use them?
Do you want a headache? Because this is how you get a headache.

If you really want to use your wheels, bring the bike that goes with it. Most bikes nowadays use 140 to 160mm rotors.
tagaproject6 is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 11:36 AM
  #21  
firebird854
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 581

Bikes: 2016 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 114 Times in 62 Posts
Originally Posted by mgopack42
Since you are flying Delta, you should just save the rental fee and bring your bike. Delta just recently dropped the extra bike fee. buy or rent a hard sided bike box, and enjoy! my experience (one trip) is that TSA is the biggest problem/issue, they dont handle the bikes properly, and they have no liability!
Whhahhahaaaaaaa I checked a few months ago and it was the definition of prohibitively expensive. Let me check again quick.
firebird854 is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 11:44 AM
  #22  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,059
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,298 Times in 7,231 Posts
Originally Posted by firebird854
Whhahhahaaaaaaa I checked a few months ago and it was the definition of prohibitively expensive. Let me check again quick.
"Bicycles

Bicycles, non-motorized touring or single seat racing, are allowed as checked baggage on most flights, with the exception of certain Delta Connection® carriers.
  • Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply
  • Bicycles weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee
  • If the outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm) or exceeds 100 lbs, the item will not be accepted
  • Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees
  • A limited liability release form must be signed by the passenger in the case that the bike is not properly packed
  • If the bicycle is packaged in a hard shell case specifically designed for transporting bicycles, then a limited release form is not required
  • If the bicycle is packaged in a soft sided travel bag or anything other than a hard shell case, a limited release form will need to be signed
Delta is not responsible for damage noted at the time of check in or damage due to over packing the bag."

Note that you have to keep bike+box under 50 lbs. for there to be no additional charge above the normal checked bag fee. I could never to that with my touring bike so I have shipped using bikeflights.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 11:53 AM
  #23  
firebird854
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 581

Bikes: 2016 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 114 Times in 62 Posts
Originally Posted by indyfabz
"Bicycles

Bicycles, non-motorized touring or single seat racing, are allowed as checked baggage on most flights, with the exception of certain Delta Connection® carriers.
  • Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply
  • Bicycles weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee
  • If the outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm) or exceeds 100 lbs, the item will not be accepted
  • Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees
  • A limited liability release form must be signed by the passenger in the case that the bike is not properly packed
  • If the bicycle is packaged in a hard shell case specifically designed for transporting bicycles, then a limited release form is not required
  • If the bicycle is packaged in a soft sided travel bag or anything other than a hard shell case, a limited release form will need to be signed
Delta is not responsible for damage noted at the time of check in or damage due to over packing the bag."

Note that you have to keep bike+box under 50 lbs. for there to be no additional charge above the normal checked bag fee. I could never to that with my touring bike so I have shipped using bikeflights.
Wow, I was considering bikeflights but it would have cost $150 each way just for the shipping, far more expensive than just renting.

This is great though! Any good bike box recommendations for, say....... around $150?
firebird854 is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 11:56 AM
  #24  
CliffordK
Senior Member
 
CliffordK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 4,489 Times in 3,338 Posts
I wouldn't bring the wheels.

To install, you have to have the right cassette. Adjust the rear derailleur. Perhaps adjust the brakes.

If the cassette and chain aren't evenly worn, you could have issues. And, now you're using an unknown chain on your cassette. (or are you swapping cassettes?)

Your rental includes the whole bike. Perhaps toss in a couple of spare tubes, and you're set.

Do the tires match your expected road conditions?
CliffordK is offline  
Old 10-04-19, 12:21 PM
  #25  
CliffordK
Senior Member
 
CliffordK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 4,489 Times in 3,338 Posts
Originally Posted by firebird854
Wow, I was considering bikeflights but it would have cost $150 each way just for the shipping, far more expensive than just renting.

This is great though! Any good bike box recommendations for, say....... around $150?
Craigslist?

@gugie found a bike box on Craigslist here in Eugene. He sent a note to me, and I went and picked it up. I don't remember, but about $100 or so. I shipped it across the country to another BF member, and it still came out less than buying new.



I think the box was then shipped back to Portland with a bike for a mini tour this spring, perhaps bouncing around the country a bit more.

I've occasionally seen cheaper boxes, but haven't paid a lot of attention to them.

Of course, that is a bike box. Wheel boxes may be less common, but probably are used by the Triathlon and Racing crowd.

An S&S box may work for both wheels and luggage, but they tend to be expensive (of course, also good for a coupled bike too).

An S&S Soft Case is a little less expensive, and might be affordable for use as a dual suitcase and wheels, and would provide reasonable protection if the tire is left mounted and partly inflated, and the bag is stuffed with clothes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/S-S-Backpac...k/401842599283



Hmm, this is on E-Bay now:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Try-All-3-s...l/143398883718



Shipping is pretty outrageous, but perhaps someone could pick it up locally.
CliffordK is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.