msu2001la

I love bike forums. "Buy a new bike" is always an option.

bampilot06

Some of the cases shown are almost 600 dollars. I got my breakaway for 1 thousand and it came with a case. I know of two 54cm for right around 1 thousand that also come with a case. Wasn’t saying it to be funny, it is another option.

Atlas Shrugged

To throw a wrench in the works some Airports are very strict about batteries in the luggage and have been called out twice for my Di2 battery. Once was in South East Asia and once in Canada. They found them in the scanner both times, this was after dozens of flights.

msu2001la

OK. Thanks for the suggestion. I understand that buying a new folding bike that fits into a smaller case would take up less room and make in-vehicle transportation easier. This is a very expensive option and probably not a realistic solution for me.

A $600 case is not a realistic solution for me either, but there do seem to be several more affordable options for cases.

jrobe

As I recall, the Ritchey Breakaway bikes and cases are over the 62" airline size limit to avoid oversize bag charges. That was a deal breaker for me. Instead I bought a used steel frame Bianchi bike and had S&S couplers installed so that I could use a case that was under 62" and just pay for a normal checked bag.

surak

Have you considered a Rapha club membership, which includes bike rentals at a pretty decent price, from what I hear?

Edit: looks like it's a max of 3 days, not a full week. And prices went up for more recent members. Nvm.

Leinster

There's always Spinlister.com. I've rented out my spare bike for a week once on it. Never used while travelling, but it seems to be a good system.

tomato coupe

The Ritchey cases are just a few inches over the 62" limit, so they usually slide by, in part because they aren't normally recognized as bike cases.

Camilo

Check out cargo specs on a large minivan. Much more than most suv rentals.

A pickup with a back seat from u-haul?

homeless in ca.

Crating a bike I usually use 1 full sheet of plywood, a couple of 2x4's and a few scrap pieces to finish the sides. Lumber is crazy expensive right now so even a cheap OSB crate I spend about 70 CAD on materials.

Shipping a crate between two warehouses shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks each way. The industry term is LTL (too light for truckload). There's usually a flat rate for a single pallet loaded with whatever you can fit on there.

With crates you have to put shims under them so it can be picked up by a forklift or pallet jack.

I crate bikes for moving companies they don't really care about the weight as long as two guys can lift it and whatever's inside doesn't break.

Having a vehicle that you can deliver your package to a shipping depot is going to lower the cost substantially.

Also look for "moving and storage" companies. You need a mover with a warehouse so they can sit on the crate until they have a load going your way and a place where you can come and pick it up. Avoid brokers and local movers. Find one that works with a national carrier like Allied Van Lines or Mayflower.

njkayaker

Not sure what "normal luggage" might be. I routinely travel with a bag that will often fit behind the front passenger seat (if the front passenger isn't too tall).

You can stuff a bike easily enough into the trunk of a Ford Focus if you take both wheels off. You might be able to stuff small pieces of luggage with the bike into the trunk. You'd have a free passenger seat for some luggage.

How long are you going for? How many rides do you think you will do?

Renting is often much easier (and, possibly, less expensive) than slogging your bike on a trip.

If you can't rent a bike in Tahoe and if you are not flying into Tahoe, you might be able to rent a bike where you are flying into (but you'd have to be staying at the other location). It should be easier to stuff a bike into a reasonably-sized car or minivan.